Busta Rhymes vs. Busta Rhymes part 2

Remember when Bustas flow was the envy of many an MC. Remember when one of his videos used to premier on TV & we couldn’t wait to see what he had come up with next. Remember when our favourite MC’s all wanted him to jump on their remixes & posse cuts (Scenario, Flava In ya Ear). Remember when we used to be amazed by his choice of beats, only to read the album sleeve & not have an idea who the producer was (come on, how many of you had actually heard of Backspin The Vibe Chemist?)… …And so it came to pass. Busta Rhymes has done what I initially feared. Having listened to Back On My Bullshit & I Bullshit You Not, the latter is by far the superior of the 2. If this is what the man turned in when he was still signed to Aftermath then letting him go was a no brainer. Don’t get me wrong, BOMB does have it’s high points. Wheel Of Fortune is a banger, as is I’m A Go Get My…. Now bare in mind those 2 songs are both produced by DJ Scratch. Therein, as far as i’m concerned, lies the secret to Bustas future success. The chemistry between Bussa Buss & Scratch-A-Tor is among the best in the last 15 or so years of Hip Hop. Going through the supreme niceness that is Bustas back catalogue owes as much to Scratch as it does to The Flipmode general (and if you really need me to list any of them then God help you). I would bet that Bullshit You Not is the kind of stuff Dre was looking for when he signed Busta in the first place. The Big Bang, while still not on the level of any of the first 3, was still a decent album with some serious bangers on board. BOMB is simply nowhere near that level and Once Dre heard it, his patience ran out. He persisted in it’s release & he should shift a few units. But that doesn’t dispell the fact that contrary to his protestations about changing the game with this release, BOMB is just another mediocre release among many from Hip Hops supposed Top Dogs. On the other hand, with a bit of work I Bullshit You Not could’ve been one of the best albums of 2009. Instead it will definitely rate as one of the best mixtapes. New depths have been reached with this one. Sorry Trevor. Bullshit is right, but not in the way you meant it.

p e a c e

Busta Rhymes vs. Busta Rhymes part 1

Hmmmmmm.... That was the first thing that came into my head while listening to Bussa Bus' deservedly acclaimed I Bullshit You Not mixtape with DJ Scratch. Those two go together like rice & peas and to hear them go at it non-stop for 12 rounds is one of the highlights of my Hip Hop year so far. But has Trevor set the bar too high for his own good. I mean let's be honest, this mixtape is his best work since E.L.E. and he's giving it away for free. That means by comparison Back On My Bullshit is almost certain of classic status right? But then again I am talking about the same album that will feature Arab Money. A track that in my view has just been easily superceded by all 12 tracks from IBYN (and no, it's not because of the 'Arab' fiasco). But think about it. Besides the video, the mixtape is the best promotional tool available to todays MC. But I'm struggling to rememeber a time when any self respecting artists album was outshone by his pre-cursor. There are artists out there in the lower leagues wqho put a lot of effort into their mixtapes because they no that is it a means of gaining much needed publicity for themselves. But for someone in Bustas position that simply isn't necessary. For him to give away such quality product is a coup for us fans but what seems like a good idea may not turn out that way when BOMB hits the shelves/servers. I hope I'm wrong. I guess we'll find out on May 19th (18th UK time)….

p e a c e

Busta Rhymes – I Bullshit You Not