Sell him to you, you say? Well, I've got nothing better to do, so here goes:
Buck 65 is the greatest artist on the face of the planet.

Meh, I'm sure that probably just makes you think I'm a narrow-minded obsessive fan or something. Which may be true. But seriously, all the people who call him the hip-hop Tom Waits are really on to something. He's loosely affiliated to the Anticon collective, but is actually very different. Musically, especially on the last few records, it's a lot more organic than you'd expect from a hip-hop album - folky, but with beats - and he's certainly more likely to do an instrumental than an acapella. He sometimes tours with a live band (this record has Tortoise on it for pity's sake), but he's no mean turntablist either.
Lyrically, it's even better. He's got a great voice (despite being a non-smoker, he sounds like he's a 50-year-old with a 10-pack-a-day habit; but in a good way), and his words paint pictures of moon-lit rivers, rainy days, and deserted towns - not to mention the whole host of unique characters you're introduced to over the course of a Buck album. And unlike most other rappers (even other greats like Sage), he is self-deprecating with no sense of misogyny or aggression - though he can still be menacing; for example, at the end of Talkin' Honky you don't know whether the man in the houseboat commits a crime, kills himself, or simply pours himself a cup of tea.
I would definitely recommend starting with THB or Square - but since Square is only split into four tracks it does take a bit longer to get into. Don't be fooled by all the people telling you Vertex is his classic - it's ok, but his voice sounds completely different on it, and it really isn't the best starting place. He's got about 6 or 7 other albums apart from them as well, so there's plenty of back-catalogue to delve into.
Oh, and in case you hadn't guessed, I am *very* excited about the new album ;-)

Just becuase he uses of alot of Folk elements it doesn't make him 'The Tom Waits of Hip-Hop', becuase ya'know there are other folk artists aside from Tom Waits.... I think one reveiwer once said it and it now seems mandatory whenever you refer to Buck.

He's brilliant live, seems to be cutting down on the jokes and upping the scratching / strange remixes of his songs the last couple of time i've seen him though. At ATP the new songs with Tortoise sounded utterly amazing.