Chatterbox Music: Busta Rhymes - Back on My B.S.

Busta Rhymes
Back On My B.S.
Universal Motown/Flipmode Entertainment
Released May 19, 2009


Busta Rhymes has never been one to disappoint. No matter when he dropped, you knew he was coming with an album full of lyrical fury, excellent production and groundbreaking videos to boot. He never followed trends, because he didn’t need to. Even if you felt like he did, he didn’t give a damn; he was gonna do him anyway.

So, for an artist that’s prided himself on being a trendsetter his entire career, listening to his latest album, Back on My B.S., is quite perplexing. Why would a person who the culture looks to bring something new, rely on so much of today’s radio-friendly and safe material to stay relevant?

The album starts on the right foot with the DJ Scratch-produced “Wheel of Fortune,” with Scratch giving us that sample ridden bounce-and-bass that made him and Buss a winning duo to begin with. There are a couple of highlights in the top half of the collection, namely “Shoot for the Moon” and “Respect My Conglomerate.” Things go downhill from there. The controversial single “Arab Money” and “Give em What They Askin’ For” are disasters courtesy of Ron Browz. “Hustler’s Anthem” features the original Auto-Tune king, T-Pain, and makes for a decent effort. The Neptunes turn in a standard track for “Kill Dem,” with Busta adopting a Rasta-like flow that showcases his ability to flow to ANY track. “Decisions” features Common, John Legend, Jamie Foxx and Mary J. Blige, and gives Busta and Com Sense the platform to spit some real talk. “World Go Round” has a rightful place at the end of the album, making it easy to skip.

After hearing Bus-A-Buss’s latest, you’ll be left scratching your head at his production choices. That being said, let it be known that he hasn’t lost a step as far as execution and lyrics. If you have all of his albums, it won’t hurt to continue the collection with this release. If you’re just getting familiar with his work, this is NOT the album to start with. Try picking up his first three albums first.

Standouts: “Wheel of Fortune,” “Shoot for The Moon,” “Respect My Conglomerate”

3 Stars out of 5

Chatterboxing: What's Beef 2009

If you clicked to read this thinking that I had done a remix to the Notorious one's classic 1997 song, I'm sorry, but that's not what you're gonna find. In honor of the Notorious one, however, I felt the need to reassess what his idea of beef was, and just examine the concept of it in our culture today, and its evolution over the years.

Now, don't get me wrong, there's NOTHING wrong with a little rivalry in the things that entertain us. Be it sports, music, or whatever, it's always an added perk when you can see two of your favorite stars "go at it" for the love of what they do. It's existed long before any of us were born, and it will be here long after we're gone.

But I mean, damn. It's one thing to put out diss records and have your fans on edge about how many punchlines you can hurl at your rival, but there are some things about current day beef that's just...well, different:

1. Musicians dissing without acrual music: For example, this whole 50 Cent/Rick Ross thing. They may have made a total of two songs combined throughout this entire "beef." What did we get after that? Cartoons...Skits...Baby Mamas getting minks! WTF? On the bright side, Rick Ross's "Deeper than Rap" is one of the best hip-hop releases to come out since last year (until next week! lol), so...Curtis better come back with a classic or he can consider this battle lost.

2. Artists using fake beef to promote their work or create publicity. I just have one thing to say: People WILL find out. Forget about it.

3. Artists using rap beef as an excuse to be real: Um...yeah...rappers be needing street credibility. So what better way to show your current and prospective fans how real you are, than to take a verbal shot at somebody, right? Well, maybe. See, let's say you kick up some verbal dust at somebody that don't play that. You may be barking up a tree with a weak trunk. You see that guy at a Summer Jam concert or something, and he AND his crew is trying to administer back-to-back beatings on your ass. Your ploy to add some "realness" to your resume as an artist has turned into a good-ol fashioned beatdown and a universal loss of respect...or even worst, it might get you killed. That's not real...that's an fail. Epic. Fail.


I enjoy rivalries just like the rest of us. But, I think they're most enjoyed when they stay within the parameters in which they started. Boxing rivalries should stay in the ring. Sports rivalries should stay on the court, and rap beef should stay within the music. The energy that you pour into the music will inevitably enhance the quality of the music, and once it's over...both parties can move on to the next project.