Canadian MC and turntablist, Buck 65 has written the score to the upcoming American truck driver documentary “Big Rig” (maybe it’s a NAFTA agreement thing).
Outside of a few classic ’70s truck driver classics (the Grateful Dead’s “Truckin'”? Gotta have some Bob Seger too, right?) the music for the entire film was written and performed by Buck 65.
According to a press release about the film, Buck’s “country-roots music, spoken lyrics, and solid beats… drive the editorial narrative.”
Two characteristically bluesy, pedal-steel laden hip-hop tracks from the soundtrack, “Steel Truck,” and “Rough House Blues” can be heard on the “Big Rig” website.
Filmaker Doug Pray directed the turntable documentary “Scratch” in 2001, of which Buck was a big fan of.
Pray serendipitously called Buck out of the blue and he instantly was enthused about the project. “I told him, ‘you’re making the right choice.’ This was a job I really wanted. Classic truck drivin’ music of the ’70’s has always been an influence on my music. In fact, when I set down to work on Wicked & Weird years ago, I remember saying to the fellas in the studio, ‘I want to make a truck drivin’ song….’ When I was young, I couldn’t distinguish between songs like ‘Convoy’ and a song like ‘Rapper’s Delight’.”
The Canuck indie rapper told Chart attack, “It’s very different work. It’s very hard work, very different from making a record. Not just making a couple songs for the soundtrack, I’m talking about the score. Hopefully we’ll see this thing on the festival circuit next year.” The film just scored a distribution deal so there is no release date for the film as yet. Presumably when that’s set, the soundtrack will also have it’s day.
Watch: Grateful Dead – “Truckin'”