Busta Rhymes - The Big Bang Review
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 06.27.2006
More like The Big Bowel Movement…
My Story
Fact: if you can rule out an entire genre of music when talking about what you like, you are musically ignorant. Why rule out a song because it's labeled as one type of music or another when you can dislike it for more specific reasons? I've just never understood that, and country and rap seem to be the biggest victims of this ignorance. Of course, sometimes you gotta forgive ignorance. You gotta forgive the kids, ‘cause they don't know any better. Well, I was a kid once.
When I was in high school, I hated rap. Hated it. Never listened to rap, didn't want to listen to rap. I just hated everything it represented, hated the kids in my high school who did listen to it, hated the videos, etc, etc. One day, I was on the phone with a friend of mine and we caught the new video for Busta Rhymes' "Woo-Ha!! Got You All In Check". And we laughed and laughed. We figured, man, this is what everybody around school is going to be saying soon. And the next day, no less, we were proven right. The lyrics were so stupid and so typical, it just had to be a hit.
Well, today, I like rap. I think a lot of it is good, and I think some if it is great. T.I.'s King is one of my favorite releases this year, actually, and I've gotten into a lot of folks that, due to high school ignorance, I would've never given a chance. But I've never revisited Busta Rhymes. That is, until now. Was I being harsh with Busta due to my genre-wide hate back in the mid-90's? Or, even in my youthful ignorance, was I dead-on about his lowest common denominator appealing irrelevance?
His Story
Born Trevor Smith, Jr. in Brooklyn during the early 70's, Busta grew up in New York with his parents, both of whom were of strong Jamaican heritage. Before he'd even graduated high school, Busta had joined up with his own rap group, a foursome of young MCs who were inspired by the work of rap pioneers like Public Enemy and Rakim. The young group dubbed themselves the Leaders Of The New School and soon signed a deal with Elektra Records. Their 1991 debut album Future Without A Past… earned them instant credibility on the underground hip-hop scene, especially the band's throwback to the old school sound and Busta's reggae-inspired delivery. Unfortunately, though ripe with potential, the Leaders would only release one more album, 1993's equally well-received T.I.M.E., before Busta tired of the group dynamic and split the band up.
For the next couple of years, Busta Rhymes floated around the hip-hop scene, collaborating with folks like A Tribe Called Quest, Craig Mack, Boyz II Men, Mary J Blige and probably anybody else who would give him a notice. But Busta's big breakout wasn't in the studio; it was on the screen, as he earned himself a part in the acclaimed 1995 movie Higher Learning, thus instantly increasing his visibility. A solo deal with his old home Elektra Records followed soon after.
The Coming, Busta's solo debut, hit streets in 1996, and the slower, more funk-infused release caught fire immediately thanks to the Top Ten single "Woo-Ha!! Got You All In Check", a clever and inescapable collaboration with Wu-Tang Clan's Ol' Dirty Bastard. Critics hailed Coming as a huge accomplishment for Busta, while fans ate the album up. The Coming went on to hit #6 on the Billboard 200 and sell over a million units.
By 1997, Busta was poised to take over the rap world with his follow-up, and he definitely delivered with When Disaster Strikes. The record took the charm of Coming and sharpened it to a fine blade, using Busta's tough but fun flow to cut down the competitors. Critics once again loved the new record, calling it Busta's masterpiece. The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200, and produced a couple of big singles with "Dangerous" and "Turn It Up". While The Coming took almost three years to hit platinum status, Disaster Strikes took less than a month. Obviously, fans were digging it, too.
December '98 saw the release of Extinction Level Event (The Final World Front), a millennial-sized epic party album that had fans bouncing everywhere. Busta's formula was becoming evident on this record, loaded with genre-busting guest stars, promoted by TV appearances all over the place. Although the platinum album failed to crack the Top 10 (I blame the weird title), it did spawn the huge hit "What's It Gonna Be", which kept Busta on the radio. Unfortunately, around this time, the entire mainstream rap world was starting to take over radio and Busta was having to share an audience that he had once had all to himself. But many felt he could stand tall, including Busta himself.
Not one to rest on his laurels, 2000 saw the release of Busta's fourth album in as many years. Anarchy once again hit platinum in less than a month, and this time debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts, but it failed to produce any big singles, a surefire sign of cracks in the armor of a mainstream artist ‘cause, let's face it, people buy an album because the album before that was good, not because of its own merit. Anarchy wasn't a bad album, but it was so much like Busta's other material that it helped destroy a little more of the uniqueness that had surrounded the reggae-inspired rapper in the mid-90's.
2001 saw Busta leave Elektra, a label that had been releasing his albums since 1991, for Clive Davis' J Records. Perhaps sensing the boredom fans were beginning to feel with him, his first J album, Genesis, featured a much darker atmosphere and more looming beats, a far cry from the party atmosphere of his previous albums. Though none of the singles managed to crack the Top 10, they were big Rap chart singles, and the album sold well, though maybe a little slower than Busta's Elektra releases. 2002's It Ain't Safe No More followed the same pattern, slipping a little farther down the ladder.
Following Ain't Safe, Busta Rhymes had to be suffering from burn out. Six albums in six years had taken its toll, as had his steadily declining sales. Busta cut ties with J Records (along with his dreadlocks) in 2005 and signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. 2006 saw the release of "Touch It", the lead single for his anticipated upcoming Aftermath debut. The song hit #1 on the rap charts, but tragedy struck during the video shoot, as Busta's longtime personal bodyguard Israel Ramirez was shot and killed during a confrontation between Ruff Ryderz President/producer Swizz Beats and rap outfit G-Unit.
The Album
On June 13, 2006, Aftermath released The Big Bang, the seventh album by Busta Rhymes and his debut for the label. The album is available on both CD and LP, and the CD was pressed in both standard and "Clean" versions. The Big Bang debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 for the chart week of July 1st, the first #1 album of Busta Rhymes' career.
The Band: 4.5
Busta Rhymes: vocals
First thing's first: this album is a slow, boring mess. Busta's vocals have gone from totally engaging, original and fun to tired and just plain inattentive. If you heard the original version of "Touch It" and hated it, well, that's what this album has in store for you.
Busta has always been big on bringing in collaborators, but they've never been able to wrest the album away from him like they have on this one. Busta winds up being barely more than another presence on this set, while other acts like Latoiya Williams, Nas and will.i.am outshine him without even really trying. Hell, Rick James is the most exciting factor on the record, and that's through a sample of a guy who's been dead for a couple of years.
The saddest thing is that this album has some really great production and beats that are totally thrown away on such an uninspired effort. Stuff by Dre and J Dilla could have easily bounced on different efforts, but on this album they fall flat and become forgettable.
The Songs: 2.5
1. Get You Some (feat. Q-Tip & Marsha of Floetry)
2. Touch It
3. How We Do It Over Here (feat. Missy Elliott)
4. New York Shit (feat. Swizz Beatz)
5. Been Through The Storm (feat. Stevie Wonder)
6. In The Ghetto (feat. Rick James)
7. Cocaina (feat. Marsha of Floetry)
8. You Can't Hold A Torch (feat. Q-Tip & Chauncey Black)
9. Goldmine (feat. Raekwon)
10. I Love My Bitch (feat. Kellis & will.i.am)
11. Don't Get Carried Away (feat. Nas)
12. They're Out To Get Me (feat. Mr. Porter)
13. Get Down
14. I'll Do It All (feat. Latoiya Williams)
15. Legend Of The Fall Offs
After Busta's darker, more serious turn on his J Records albums, you'd think you'd be thrilled to hear him return with a more straight-up party album. Well, you're expecting too much. The humor on this album is low, in favor of a few really stupid tracks instead ("Cocaina", "I Love My Bitch"). The serious songs are laughable and the "funnier" songs are downright dumb. Not what you'd expect from a guy who sold around seven million albums on little more than his personality. I guess Dre didn't sign Busta's sense of humor as part of the deal.
The album gets off to a terrible start with "Get You Some", a slow number that sounds more like Busta just yawned, shuffled out of bed and has yet to take a piss than like an album of a rapper who's had a four year break. "Touch It", well, I said earlier, it's pure shit.
There are a few songs that COULD have been good. "New York Shit" feels like it was written as a call-to-arms for the northeast MCs, but winds up as little more than a list of names of rappers who used to be great. Well, add Busta Rhymes to that list.
The guest spots don't even save these songs, as most seem to be taking Busta's cue and never manage to get out of second or third gear. And how the hell long has it been since anybody gave two fucks about present-day Stevie Wonder?!?
In the end, there are only a couple of tracks worth even downloading. "I Love My Bitch" definitely grows on you (who doesn't like dirty words?), "In The Ghetto" is worth hearing just to hear Rick James outclass Busta from the grave and "Legend Of The Fall Offs" is a menacing track with just enough toughness to make you wish Busta had channeled that rage on the entire album instead of just the last few minutes.
The 411: People who were waiting for the return of a refreshed Busta Rhymes can just keep waiting. The Big Bang is more a shot from a cap gun than a cannon. The album finds Busta sounding more tired and less inspired than ever, despite his recent image and label change. With a terrible lead single that, unfortunately, is indicative of the entire album, Big Bang isn’t even worth a free listen.
