Busta Rhymes Leads the New School Once Again

Busta Rhymes Leads the New School Once Again
AMW !.e. Talent: Dj single handed
July 1, 2007

Longevity in hip-hop is not something that artists can expect these days. The shelf-lives of rappers and songs have hit an extreme, attention deficit-induced low. There must be a prevalent “cash in now with a catchy single and then get the hell out” mentality, because there’s no other explanation for the increase in “here today, gone tomorrow” songs and artists.

Hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes is out to shatter this conception by releasing his 86th (it’s really only his eighth, but I’m talking in present-day measurements) album. Celebrating his 17th year in the game, he’s working on a new album with no set release date. A recent article in Allhiphop.com claims the album is untitled at press time, but MTV.com published an article last November claiming the title to be Before Hell Freezes Over. That would certainly follow the themes of previous album titles such as Extinction Level Event, Genesis, and his most recent work The Big Bang.

The album will be released on Dr. Dre’s imprint, Interscope-distributed Aftermath Records, with production from the good doctor himself as well as Swizz Beatz among others. Swizz blessed Busta’s first single from the album, “Watch Ya Mouth.” I took a listen to it, and it should be an unquestionable banger. As inconsistent as Swizz has been in the past, he’s had a habit lately of making beats that would make the average person’s head fall off from nodding so hard. This song is no different, and Busta rides it with his usual smooth ferocity.

I hope to hear Busta Rhymes in true form when the album drops. I predict club hits, street joints for the more hardcore audience, and perhaps an apocalyptic theme or two. If I don’t get the same amazed feeling that I did when I first listened to “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” then I’ll settle for wilding-out to “Touch It”-type material.