Barbarin : Who is 10 Ward Buck ? Buck : 10 ward Buck is a New Orleans entertainer , I do it all , I entertain , I ’ m an actor , a comedian and I ’ m an artist . Barbarin : Speaking of music , did you ever think about going commercial or mainstream with your music ? Buck : No not really , that wasn ’ t my plan … I didn ’ t plan to be an artist … it was a hobby , so I ’ m treating it like a hobby . Barbarin : Really , because when I first learned about you , all I knew was you being an artist … I didn ’ t know anything else . Buck : Right , that ’ s just how it fell in my hands . Barbarin : Gotcha … Buck : I made one song , then I made another one … fuck it I was an artist (( laughs )) Barbarin : So do you have a passion for music at all ? Buck : Well , I love it … Barbarin : You surely have the talent for it to say it was just a hobby … Buck : Right , that ’ s what I ’ m saying you just do what u think gonna be fun and let the people enjoy … I was just having fun with it and that ’ s when you get the best work . Barbarin : With the new Drake song … I see one of your old songs is a part of his song , so how did you feel when you heard that . Buck : Maaannnn , I was aggravated … because we come too far for the same stuff to still be happening … what I mean by aggravated is … you gave everybody else they shot out but didn ’ t give me mine … I can ’ t be happy that somebody else used my work and didn ’ t acknowledge me . So that ’ s where I stand with it … I see what he did but that didn ’ t help nobody in the city . You feel me …
Summer 2018
Barbarin : Then he used a main part from your song in his song too and he was actually saying your words out of his mouth … Buck : Nah my children is saying oh that ’ s daddy song , he took daddy song … Barbarin : Do you think Drake knows ? Buck : I don ’ t think he know but I know the person who gave him the song know . Barbarin : Right , and that ’ s where the loyalty comes in … Buck : Well that came from the lil white dude , the dude that did the beat … Barbarin : How do you give back to the community … what do you do to give back because you are big in the community ? Buck : Yeah well I always give back , especially when I was in the St . Thomas … I mean our communities are divided now … so I have to do what I can do … like the second line alone That I ’ m doing this weekend … that ’ s giving back because if I don ’ t do the second line , what will the people have to do … think about it … I ’ m paying for police , second line band , permits and everything , so that ’ s giving back , and that ’ s giving back bigger because that ’ s beyond my community , that ’ s the whole city , that ’ s the culture . Barbarin : Just for them to enjoy themselves right ? Buck : Yup … Barbarin : Let ’ s talk about this Party Bus Fest … Buck : That ’ s what I do … I always think about what ’ s popping now … back then we had the teen clubs but we don ’ t have all that anymore , all they got is the party buses … u know that ' s the thing right now . What better recognition to give the people something to do …
Barbarin : Will this be annual ? Buck : It will be annual , I don ’ t do things and just stop … first time you learn and the second time always be better . Barbarin : Tell me about the businesses that you have ? Buck : We Live Restaurant , I ’ m also working on another restaurant concept . It ’ s sort of like We Live but on an upscale level . People pay for great quality , great taste … so if you give them that then they don ’ t mind paying for it . Barbarin : A few years ago you ran for mayor right ? Buck : City Council , district B … The new mayor elected , I ran against her then . Barbarin : Did you run because you felt like you can do something better for the city ? Buck : Well that , but I originally ran because I needed to represent the small businesses … you know the businesses that didn ’ t have a voice . When u try to open a business in the city , they have guidelines and rules and some of those rules are hurting us … some of those guidelines that you ’ re giving us is not allowing us to succeed and be a profitable business . I had my first restaurant , I was one of the first ones to do a wingery , Finger Lickin ’ Wings , before all this other stuff happened . I needed an alcohol license to sustain because my business was on Magazine Street . All these other businesses had alcohol license and when I tried to apply , they denied me . They started making up stories saying that I was a nuance to the community and all that just to have people against me , so that ’ s when I ran for city council … of course I wanted to win … my thing was more of at least the doors were open for me to say what I needed to say . So I was able to go to