Buck 65

Buck 65 is the stage name of Rich Terfry, who grew up in Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia. His father listened to country music, his mother preferred classical, and he found his own way into hip-hop, punk, and electronic sounds. That mix of influences shows up in his work, which started getting attention in the mid-1990s with his debut album Language Arts.

He followed that with records like Man Overboard, Square, and Talkin' Honky Blues. Songs like Riverbed 3 and 15 Minutes to Live have a kind of narrative pull, built on beats that feel more textured than standard hip-hop production. There's a quiet, almost literary quality to his writing that sets him apart from more conventional rappers.

In 2004, he got into a legal dispute with Warner Music over artistic control, which ended in a settlement. The episode didn't stop him from putting out music, but it underlined how he's operated outside the usual industry channels. He's released over a dozen albums since, working across hip-hop, electronica, and folk without settling into any one lane.