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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you Dr. Dre for allowing us to enjoy Busta Rhymes again, June 22, 2006
When I first saw the group Leaders Of The New School, which consisted of Charlie Brown, Dinco D, Busta Rhymes and Milo, I always knew eventually that Busta Rhymes would go solo. This isn't a knock against the group because collectively they did sound nice until they allowed Milo to get on the microphone. When you saw their videos, Busta Rhymes always was the one who stood out amongst the crowd. This was clearly the case on A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario". This track featured A Tribe Called Quest and Leaders Of The New School. Although this track is definitely one of the best rap collaborations of all time ,in my opinion, Busta Rhymes clearly stole the show. Once group friction hit an all time high after the release of their 2nd disc "T.I.M.E.", Busta Rhymes could be heard on any rap collaboration known to man. The best of these collaborations being Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)" which included The Notorious BIG (RIP), LL Cool J and Rampage. Busta Rhymes' solo career began shortly after all of these guest appearances. Many hip hop fans may have debates and discussions about which one of Busta Rhymes' solo CDs are his best and there are many to choose from:
"The Coming" (1996)
"When Disaster Strikes" (1997)
"Extinction Level Event-E.L.E. (1998)
"Anarchy" (2000)
"Genesis" (2001)
"It Ain't Safe No More" (2002)
In my opinion, Busta Rhymes' best solo offering was his 1st, "The Coming". Busta Rhymes knew that it would be a difficult transition from being in a group, then to being a guest appearance artist, then to being a solo artist, so he put his all into his solo debut. This CD would be the make or break period for Busta's career. Once you heard tracks like "Everything Remains Raw", "Ill Vibe" w/Q-Tip, the first single "Woo Hah" and my favorite from this CD "Flipmode Squad Vs. Def Squad" w/Redman, Keith Murray, Jamal, Lord Have Mercy and Rampage, you knew that Busta Rhymes was going to be around for awhile. "When Disaster Strikes" is my 2nd favorite Busta CD but you could tell that the CD was catered mostly to his breakthrough single, "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See". After his 4th CD, "Anarchy", Busta Rhymes switched labels from Elektra to J Records and "Genesis" was definitely a fresh start as tracks like "Break Your Neck", "Better Stay Up In Your House" w/Rah Digga and the Neptunes Remix to "Pass The Courvoisier" definitely gave Busta's career a new beginning. However, once he dropped "It Ain't Safe No More", although "Call The Ambulance" is a Neptunes banger, it seemed as if Busta Rhymes was happy with just making party tracks and not being as hungry as he was back in the earlier days of his rap career.
However, it's amazing what a label change and a good doctor can do as Busta Rhymes is defintely back for sure with "The Big Bang". Busta Rhymes made the switch to Aftermath Records and I began to hear tracks like "I'll Hurt You", "Rock Cocaine", "Look Who" w/Dr. Dre and "Ping" which used the beat from the TV show "Three's Company". Busta's official 1st single was the Swizz Beatz' produced "Touch It". Although I knew that this was the same "party" Busta that I began to hate, I knew that Dr. Dre wouldn't disappoint me with the whole CD and I was correct. "Touch It" spawned many remixes with different artists like Mary J. Blige, Rah Digga, Papoose, Lloyd Banks, DMX, Missy Elliott and even R&B newcomer, Ne-Yo but when someone decided to put all the different remixes together to make one gigantic remix that's when I knew that would be a sign of good things to come. Busta's 7th solo disc starts off with the impressive "Get You Some" which features Q-Tip and one of Dr. Dre's new signees, Marsha of Floetry, on the hook. Busta Rhymes shows confidence as it seems as if he's trying to put his stamp back in the rap game over a tight Dr. Dre and Mark Batson track. One of my favorite tracks on this CD is "N.Y. S***" which features Swizz Beatz on the hook and DJ Scratch on the boards. No one knows who the real king of NY is on the mic, but Busta Rhymes definitely has a 2006 anthem for aynbody ever affiliated with the state of NY. Busta Rhymes actually sounds as if he has something to prove as he is rapping and the results sound pretty good. "NY S***" is going to be Busta's 3rd single after the forgettable "I Love My Chick" which was Busta's 2nd single.
I was clearly floored when I heard "Been Through The Storm" w/Stevie Wonder and "In The Ghetto" w/ Rick James. If someone told me that one of the most respected rappers in the game had a song with Stevie Wonder and a song with Rick James on the same CD, I wouldn't believe it until I saw the CD cover for myself. What I like most about these 2 songs is that Busta is actually talking about something with substance instead of sticking to the same formula that most rappers do today by talking about bling bling, traps, money, going to the club and degrading women. Busta is actually talking about something that you would actually think about at a later date, which usually doesn't happen. The way that Stevie Wonder and Rick James blend in with Busta's lyrics on these tracks is amazing. On "Cocaina", Busta sounds as if he got a flashback from his debut CD, as his lyrcical content is clearly on point over another Dr. Dre and Mark Batson. My favorite track on "The Big Bang" has to be "You Can't Hold The Torch". J Dilla (RIP) produces a tight track, as he always did when he was on the boards. The track reminds me of something that would have been on A Tribe Called Quest's "Midnight Marauders" CD. Q-Tip sounds as if he hasn't lost a step on the mic and him and Busta sounds just as good as they did back in the day on previous collaborations in the past like the bonus track, "One, Two, S***". On "Goldmine" Raekwon The Chef and Busta make a great collaboration over a tight Erick Sermon and Dr. Dre track. Dr. Dre and Busta Rhymes are executive producing Raekwon's next offering, Only Bulit For Cuban Linx Part 2". If Raekwon sounds as good as he does on "Goldmine" and on his contributions on Ghostface's "Fishscale", he may have another classic CD in the making like his solo debut. Dr. Dre performs classic surgery on "Don't Get Carried Away" as he speeds things up for Busta Rhymes and Nas to make a memorable track. They have another track, "Rough Around The Edges" that is on mixtapes everywhere, but Busta thought that "Don't Get Carried Away" fit better on this CD. "They're Out To Get Me" has Busta talking about the people in his past that didn't believe in his skills and now that he is a well respected rapper how they have changed their behavior to him so they can try to reap the benefits. D 12's Mr. Porter produces the track, which is actually pretty good despite the fact that the chorus may get on your nerves after awhile. Things end with "Legend Of The Fall Offs" which talks about MCs rapping past their prime. Busta is saying that if your career as a rapper is over, just accept it like a man and move on to your next career instead of making duds as CDs and taking a chance of ruining your legacy.
"The Big Bang" is not without its faults as sometimes "party" Busta ruins things as usual. The Dr. Dre produced "How We Do It Over Here" w/Missy Elliott should have been left off of the CD as things just don't work for me on this track. "I Love My Chic" works as a single, but when you compare the track to the rest of the CD, Busta would have been better off with just releasing New York S*** as the second single. "I'll Do It All" shouldn't have made this CD either. Busta said that he was making songs for over 3 years for this CD and that him and Dr. Dre picked the best 15 tracks. Busta, I know that there was a song better than "I'll Do It All" that could have made this CD.
Overall, Busta Rhymes has definitely impressed me with "The Big Bang". Does Dr. Dre have something to do with that? Of course he does, but there is a passion behind Busta Rhymes that I only hear on his guest appearances and on CD's like "The Coming", "When Disaster Strikes" and "Genesis". There are alot of songs that Busta didn't put on "The Big Bang" that could have made this CD even a bigger hit than it is now. Anyone that listens to mixtapes should definitely check for tracks like "Address Me As Mister" w/Papoose & Raekwon, "Rough Around The Edges" w/Nas, "Look Who" w/Dr. Dre, "Ping", "High", "Get That Gwop" w/Slim Thug and "Cannon" w/TI. Clinton Sparks also released a nice mixtape recently with Busta entitled "New Crack City". If you are a fan of Busta Rhymes then you can't afford to pass up on "The Big Bang".
James' Top 6
1) You Can't Hold The Torch w/Q-Tip & Chauncey Black
2) New York S*** w/Swizz Beatz
3) In The Ghetto w/Rick James
4) Don't Get Carried Away w/Nas
5) Been Through The Storm w/Stevie Wonder
6) Goldmine w/Raekwon
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Damn good, June 13, 2006
Been following Bus since The Coming, which is a classic (pick it up if you don't have it). When Disaster Strikes was a good follow up, not as good as the first, but nobody can deny "Put your Hands..." or "Dangerous" and its pretty consistant, besides lacking in the lyrical department. E.L.E. is a masterpiece and when it came out, I only expected better and better from Bus.
Then Anarchy came out...only a handful of tracks are good
Genesis...some great tracks here and there, some awful tracks otherwise.
It Ain't Safe No More...only 2 tracks are even listenable...
Finally, after 3 downers, Busta puts out a good consistent CD. Nobody should expect him to make another The Coming or E.L.E. Thats like asking Rakim to make another Paid in Full or Follow the Leader. Dr. Dre has revitalized Bus. Kudos to you both.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Feels more like a firecracker than a Big Bang, June 27, 2006
Busta Rhymes - The Big Bang (Aftermath, 2006)
I've always been a fan of Busta Rhymes, from his many show-stealing guest appearances (see "Scenario" or "Flava in Ya Ear" remix) to his own songs (i.e., "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See", "Woo-Hah! Got You All in Check"). But would I be wrong to say that somewhere during 1998's E.L.E. album his songs have started to all sound formulaic? Even though he would still have some good songs after that point ("As I Come Back", "Better Stay Up in Your House"), you pretty much knew what you were gonna hear whenever a Busta song (or Busta-featured song) would come on the radio.
Well, as you know, Busta is now on Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. The Big Bang, his debut album for that label, was supposed to be out nearly two years ago but it got leaked and Busta had to go back and make new tracks. And usually as a result, the new tracks sound rushed and inferior to the leaked product and it is no different here.
You'd expect a big Flipmode/Aftermath/G-Unit/Shady party goin' on. However, with the exception of Mr. Porter on "They're Out to Get Me" and Dr. Dre producing some tracks, there is not a Flipmode, G-Unit or D12 member in sight, nor are there any Mobb Deep, Mase, M.O.P., not even a 50 Cent cameo. Heck, the "I'll Hurt You" remix with Eminem isn't even on here. Instead, there are countless other guest stars but they mostly only provide the hooks (which is opposite to what Busta did earlier in his career, provide the hooks to other artists' songs). So, you can still tell that it's a Busta album.
And that's the unfortunate part because a lot of these songs are, to quote his boss, "been there, done that". "Touch It" and "Get Down" are mindless club tracks, "In the Ghetto" is weak and "I Love My B***h" (featuring Kelis and producer will.i.am) is a commercial mistake that never should have left the studio. "NY S**t" would be the perfect New York anthem if it weren't for the surprisingly soft R&B beat from DJ Scratch (note to all New York rappers: quit worrying about trying to put your city back on the map and just make a good record). In addition, "I'll Do It All" suffers from a hectic beat while Busta raps "Legend of the Fall-Offs" and "You Can't Hold the Torch" with unintended irony (the latter features Q-Tip and former BLACKstreet member Chauncey Black, which is even more ironic).
The Big Bang isn't all bad, though. Busta and Raekwon do their thing on "Goldmine" as with he and Nas on "Don't Get Carried Away" (though Busta kinda raps like 50 Cent on this track). The best track, however, is the Stevie Wonder-assisted "Been Through the Storm" where Busta gets instropective on us. But that's all there is in regards to surprises. His dreads are gone but so is his ability to make hot albums. Though this album will make you shake your thang, The Big Bang by Bus-a-Buss is pretty much a bust. -EJR
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