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This album was released on December 15th in 1998. I was a little over a month old when this shit came out. I’m not really sure what Busta Rhymes’ objective classics are, but I think it’s at least a cult classic. The one I’m really not sure about is Anarchy, but we’ll get to that. Anyway, I don’t know much about this album aside from the fact that Busta’s been teasing a sequel for years now. He even released a snippet of a track called Pardon My Ways and it sounds fucking awesome. Anyway, I fuckin’ loved Busta’s first two solo albums, so I’m expecting this one to be really great as well.

Track 1: There’s Only One Year Left!!! (Intro) [Prod. DJ Mr. Stanneke]

Lmao. This skit is so fucking dumb. In a funny way tho. Not in an annoying way. This little girl just asked her dad what it’s gonna be like in the year 2000, and her dad tells her in great detail that the world is gonna end. “The nations of the civilized world will collapse under the impressive weight of parasitic political conspiracies which remove all hope & optimism from their once faithful citizens.” Hahaha. Imagine hearing this from one of your parents when you were like 5 years old. This is fucking stupid. “Bloodthirsty renegade cyborgs created by tax-dodging corporations wreak havoc. Pissed off androids tired of being slaves to a godless & gutless system, where the rich get richer & the poor get fucked over and out unleash total worldwide destruction by means of nuclear holocaust.” The pitch of the father’s voice gets progressively deeper as he says this ridiculous shit to his daughter. After he’s done, his daughter’s like “wow, that sounds cool. I can’t wait.” This skit was stupid as hell, but I enjoyed it. I guess. It was slightly humorous and it didn’t really come off as corny like most skits do to me.

Track 2: Everybody Rise (Prod. Nottz)

Oh fucking shit. This beat is FUCKING AWESOME. YES. NOTTZ. Bruuuuh. Lmao. I’m so happy. This beat is fucking incredible. It uses the same sample that Big Shadows by Omen used, but I like this beat a lot better than that one. I like this intro. It’s really energetic. It’s just him yelling out a bunch of different locations around the United States, and telling them to rise. It’s dope tho. Busta’s killin’ this first verse. “Couldn’t find a better time more suitable / To send out a signal, and round up all my niggas recruitable / Type of nigga to torture your ass, stick some shit in your cuticle.” This shit is dope af. This was a great way to open the album up. It’s just one dope verse over a fantastic beat. I definitely fuck with this track. 5/5

Track 3: Where We Are About To Take It (Prod. Nottz)

This beat is dope af. Man, Nottz is so fucking dope. Gotdamn. Busta’s killin’ this shit. “Get money, fuck the bullshit; ain’t nothin’ funny / Nowadays violate quick, will leave your face bloody / Freak show have a nigga whole shit twist / Break your face from the swing of my hand, flick of my wrist / Dismiss all y’all niggas and ball up my fist / I hate a fake nigga and you at the top of the list.” This track is really aggressive lyrically. The whole song is just him rapping like that, and eventually he just starts repeating “in every way I hope you know where we about to take it” until the song fades out. I really fuck with this track. This is dope. 4/5

Track 4: Extinction Level Event (The Song Of Salvation) [Prod. Nottz]

This beat is dope af. The first verse was great. “I be the closest thing to the next / Like the pain and sufferin’ of about a million deaths / I’m only here to present / And bring the impact of the Extinction Level Event.” I actually like this hook too. Damn. He fuckin’ killed that second verse. “Crazy shit I do make me wanna know where my mind went / Blackin’ out, buildin’ hostillity, gettin’ violent / Straight giving niggas an ass-whippin’ on consignment / Then I bust your shit ’til the day of my whole retirement.” There’s not really much to say about this track. The structure is pretty straightforward, and it’s not really different from any other Busta Rhymes song. I really fuck with this one tho. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 5: Tear Da Roof Off (Prod. Swizz Beatz)

Hmm… I’m really not sure how I feel about this beat. The percussion pattern is kinda jarring. Yeah… Nah… I’m not feelin’ this beat at all to be honest. It’s really fuckin’ annoying. Busta’s first verse was great tho. The hook’s decent. God… This beat is so fucking irritating. The second verse was great. Fuck. This shitty beat really ruined this track for me. It’s headache inducing. I don’t really feel comfortable calling the entire song wack because aside from the beat I liked it. I definitely won’t be listening to it again tho. 3/5

Track 6: Against All Odds Feat. The Flipmode Squad (Prod. Jamal)

Okay, this song features guest verses from Baby Sham, Rampage, Rah Digga, Spliff Star, and Lord Have Mercy. So it’s everyone from We Could Take It Outside, aside from Serious. That kinda sucks. I really liked Serious on that track. Whatever. I love how Busta always has these super dope posse cuts on each album. He has a lot less features on this album, but I’m glad he still did this track. Flipmode had a lot of great MCs. It’s starting now. This beat is dope. Baby Sham’s goin’ in on the first verse. He did his thing. Rampage’s verse was pretty good. Lmao. This hook from Lord Have Mercy is nice. Rah Digga killed it. Spliff’s verse was actually pretty good too. Lord Have Mercy killed it. God this dude is so dope. I’m so upset that he doesn’t have an album. Oh wooow. Smh… Fuck, man… I just did some research. So apparently he completed an album called Tha Ungodly Hour, but it never fucking came out. He was having issues with the label, so he left The Flipmode Squad in 2000. That’s so fucking tragic. There are thankfully seven unreleased tracks that leaked from the album tho. You wanna know what the saddest part is? I’m pretty sure he just gave up. He’s not putting music out anymore. His last tweet is from 2014. His official website is down. His YouTube channel is still up, but he hasn’t uploaded anything in 3 years. He’s just gone. Fuck, man… Oh shit. Lmao. I just checked his YouTube channel to see if he had any playlists. He has 5 liked videos, including a video called “rapper GAME: Gets His Ankles Broke During a Basketball Game in 2012” by a channel called “hood fights.“

That’s actually fucking hilarious. Anyway, Busta’s verse was great. This is definitely my least favorite of the three posse cuts with The Flipmode Squad so far, but it’s still really fuckin’ good. I fuck with this. This is dope. 4/5

Track 7: Just Give It To Me Raw (Prod. Swizz Beatz)

Okay, this beat is thankfully a lot better than the previous one from Swizz Beatz. I’m still not really a fan of these drums he used tho. Actually… Nah… I’m not really feelin’ this beat to be honest. It’s still better than the Tear Da Roof Off beat tho. It’s tolerable. The first verse was fine. The hook’s nothing special. Yeah… I don’t think I’m gonna be coming back to this one. This is borderline Pornocore. “Continue when she make me bust blackberry molasses.” Good God… Yeah… I’m not feelin’ this one. This is definitely my least favorite track so far. I’m not feelin’ it. This is wack to me. 2/5

Track 8: Do It To Death (Prod. Rockwilder)

This beat is dope. Good lord. Busta’s rappin’ his gotdamn ass off right now. “All those fools never refuse / Accuse me for the bruise / Chick got a rattling sound / Better tighten the screws.” His flow is fucking awesome on this first verse. He murdered that shit. The hook is pretty good. Jesus. He fuckin’ snapped on this track. “She still on the corner, kissin’ at me, hissin’ at me / Ignorin’ these bitches; they’re angry now, they’re riffin at me / Vital and critical, literal lyrical, make niggas pitiful / Go to the clinical, examine your physical.” This is definitely one of my favorite tracks so far. This shit is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 9: Keepin’ It Tight (Prod. Rashad Smith & Armando Colon)

This beat is cool. The first verse was pretty good. Nothing about this song is really standing out too much, but I’m enjoying it. The hook’s decent. Yeah, there’s not really much to say about this track. It’s a typical Busta Rhymes song. Hmm… I don’t know how I should rate this. It’s definitely not a bad song, but it really isn’t that great. It’s cool tho. I guess there’s no reason for me to go easy on him, and I honestly don’t really think I’d ever have the desire to play this again. It’s a decent track, but it doesn’t stand out enough for me to call it dope. It’s alright. 3/5

Track 10: Gimme Some More (Prod. DJ Scratch)

This track was released on October 26th, 1998—the day before I was born—as this album’s lead single. I’ve already heard it before, and I fucking love it. First of all, that beat is fucking incredible. Busta should’ve told Swizz Beatz to fuck off, and just had DJ Scratch do those tracks. Honestly, he probably should’ve had DJ Scratch produce the whole album. This beat is amazing. It samples the theme song from the classic Horror film, Psycho. I saw that movie recently. The first half is really fuckin’ boring, but once Norman Bates starts murderin’ motherfuckers it gets real good. The scene where they finally catch him is fucking awesome, and the conclusion was really cool too. Anyway, Busta’s double time flow on this track is fantastic. “Anyway we stay keepin it movin’ / Fuckin’ with the wrong nigga, hope you know what you doin’ / Now blame me, all the same niggas is lame / It’s not a game, makin’ names, still splittin’ your frames.” The hook is really dope too. He killed that second verse, and the final verse was dope af too. His flow was crazy on this track. This is definitely my favorite song so far. It’s dope af. The music video’s really dope too. 5/5

Track 11: Iz They Wildin’ Wit Uz & Gettin’ Rowdy Wit Us? Feat. Mystikal (Prod. Delite & Flav)

Okay, that song title is awesome. I wish it was longer. I wish it was called Iz They Or Iz They Not Wildin’ Wit Us As Well As Gettin’ Rowdy Wit Us? That would be amazing. Anyway, I’m not really a fan of Mystikal at all. To be fair, I really only know him as the guy with a raspy voice who yells “SHAKE YA ASS” at women in a bizarrely aggressive fashion. Oh shit I almost forgot he’s on that Ludacris song, Move Bitch. I liked him on that track. That song’s amazing. Despite my aversion to his most notorious single, I’m optimistic about this track. I’m sure I just got a bad first impression of him. It’s starting now. Oh… OH… FUCK. This beat is fucking awesome. What the fuck… Lmao… Uh… Mystikal’s goin’ in on this first verse, and uh… WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS MOTHERFUCKER SAYIN’? Lmao. His flow is really fuckin’ dope, but this verse is pretty incoherent. I can only understand bits and pieces of what he’s saying. He said some shit about “niggas still tryna figure out what I say.” Well, at least he’s self aware. I really liked his verse. Again, it was very difficult to understand what he said, but it sounded good. His flow was awesome. The hook is dope. HOLY FUCK. GOOD LORD BUSTA’S FLOW ON THIS SECOND VERSE IS UNBELIEVABLE. Jesus. He fucking spazzed on this shit. Okay, yeah. I definitely fuck with this track. This shit is dope af. 5/5

Track 12: Party Is Goin’ On Over Here (Prod. DJ Scratch)

This beat is dope. His flow on this first verse is pretty cool. Holy shit. This hook is fucking terrible. Jesus. It’s so fucking bad. I liked the second verse, but this hook is unforgivable. The song just ended. Nah. I can’t fuck with this shit. The beat was cool, and the verses weren’t bad. The hook is fucking horrible. Lyrically, it’s the same as almost every other Busta Rhymes song. It’s a generic party track. I’m not feelin’ this shit. This is wack to me. 2/5

Track 13: Do The Bus A Bus (Prod. DJ Scratch)

This beat is kinda shitty. It’s alright I guess. The hook is wack. The first verse was really dope. His flow is really nice. Oh. There’s an F bomb in the first verse. Great. His flow is great on this track, but the hook & production kinda ruin it for me. He sounds great rapping tho. His flow is really entertaining. Honestly, the dope flow is the only thing stopping me from calling this shit wack. I’m not gonna be listening to this shit again, but I don’t think it’s that bad. Just not very good… 3/5

Track 14: Take It Off (Prod. Haas G)

This beat is alright I guess. The first verse was fine. I feel like it’s really hard for Busta Rhymes to stay on topic whenever he’s rapping. I thought this was gonna be a song about trying to smash some chick, but he’s just doing what he always does. The hook is decent I guess. His flow was really fuckin’ good on the second verse. He killed that shit. This is another song that I don’t think is bad, but… Well… It just has zero replay value for me. It’s not very memorable. This is an average song for Busta Rhymes. It’s decent. 3/5

Track 15: What’s It Gonna Be‽ Feat. Janet Jackson (Prod. Delite)

I don’t know if I’m gonna like this one. I read a comment under the music video for this song that said, “one of the sexiest songs of the 90s.” That doesn’t sound like something I’d be into… Whatever. I’ll just try to keep an open mind. It’s starting now. This beat’s alright I guess. Busta’s flow on the first verse is great. Oh hell nah… This hook is fucking awful. Jesus. Lmao. Yeah, this is definitely not my cup of tea. Janet Jackson’s cool, but nah. This hook is wack af. “Gonna make your body cream / Make you have wet dreams.” This is unbearable. The second verse did nothing for me. I guess Busta’s flow was cool. I can’t stand this fucking hook. Jesus Christ. The third verse was wack. This is definitely my least favorite track so far. This shit is wack af to me. 1/5

Track 16: Hot Shit Makin’ Ya Bounce (Prod. D-Dot & NashIem Myrick)

This beat isn’t bad. “Shake your titties & your ass, and bounce around.” Ugh… The first verse was actually pretty fuckin’ dope. Okay, here we go. I can actually fuck with this song. The hook is cool. “Smell the roses, overdoses, givin’ niggas they diagnosis / I got the answers for niggas who need they prognosis / Shit for all of y’all niggas to smell up in your noses / Hocus pocus, introduce me to the hostess.” The second verse was dope af. Okay, cool. I actually liked this track. Thank God. This album was starting to get kinda rough. I’m glad he picked it up with this song. Hopefully he can keep this momentum going and finish strong. This is dope. 4/5

Track 17: What The Fuck You Want!! (Prod. Diamond D)

This beat is dope. “Federal cases ’cause ‘nough bodies end up in medical places / In they blood finding them chemical traces / Leaving special investigators going through skeptical phases / While we getting money the decimal changes.” He killed the first verse. The hook isn’t bad. Gotdamn. He snapped on that second verse. “I sprinkle just a little bit of salt on your plans / And watch your shit shrivel up right in the palm of my hands / I ain’t afraid of you, but I thank all of my niggas for saving you / I was about to take you back to when your mother was making you.” This is a really dope song. The hook is actually pretty goddamn annoying, but aside from that I fuck with this track. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 18: This Means War!! Feat. Ozzy Osbourne (Prod. Busta Rhymes)

Uh oh… Okay, this is gonna be weird. I’m really not sure how I’m gonna feel about this one. I’ve never been a fan of Ozzy Osbourne—not even when I was going through my weird Rock phase. It’s starting now. Oh boy… Nu Metal. This is probably gonna be really fuckin’ bad. Oh. My. Fucking. God. No he fucking didn’t. ARE YOU FUCKING SHITTING ME? DID THIS MOTHERFUCKER REALLY SAMPLE IRON MAN BY FUCKING BLACK SABBATH? Jesus fucking Christ. Smh… I’m gonna hate this. You know, the thing is I’m not even really against the idea of Busta rapping over these kinds of beats. I just wish he didn’t choose such a lame sample. He sounds good over this kinda production tho. Jesus fuck. This hook from Ozzy Osbourne is fucking horrific. SO FUCKING BAD. I can’t believe this shit.

Again, Busta Rhymes sounds good over the aggressive instrumentation, but this is absolutely terrible. I can’t fuck with this shit at all. The actual verses were fine, but as a song, this shit is fucking God awful. I can’t stand this shit. This is wack af to me. That bridge was fucking horrible too. 1/5

Track 19: The Burial Song (Outro) [Prod. DJ Scratch]

It’s nice that he actually wrote a song for the outro instead of giving us another pointless skit. It’s starting now. Oh. Wow. This isn’t a fucking song. It’s just Busta Rhymes sayin’ random bullshit I don’t care about over a dope beat from DJ Scratch. I shouldn’t be surprised. Well, I guess that’s it. The album’s over.

Final Thoughts:

Wow. I uh… I didn’t like this album. I’m shocked. I really thought I was gonna like this a lot more than I did. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad project at all. It’s okay. I mean, it’s kinda good. It’s not really that good tho. First of all, I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seems like there was a huge dip in quality from the last album when it comes to the production. I don’t know if it’s because DJ Scratch was less involved or what. A lot of these songs were just really underwhelming to me. It’s him doing what he always does over average production. Maybe if there were more features it would’ve been more interesting. I don’t know. Well, actually let’s talk about the features. Aside from The Flipmode Squad, these features went from surprisingly good to fucking insufferable. Mystikal was an interesting choice. There are countless rappers who I would’ve preferred over him, but he still had a pretty good verse. I wasn’t feelin’ the songs where Busta tried to crossover to other genres. He experimented with two very influential musicians, and the results were tragic. I guess that’s one of the many downsides to stepping out of your comfort zone. I think as a rapper, Busta did a great job with this album. However, as a musician this project falls short. The production was weak, a lot of the hooks were bad, and the way most of these songs are structured was frankly boring. I can’t say that I think this is a good album. It’s not bad tho. I do think that it’s worth checking out if you’re a fan of Busta Rhymes. There are some great moments on this project. It’s just not consistent enough in my opinion. Also it’s way too fuckin’ long… I almost forgot to mention that. It’s an okay album tho.

Favorite Song: Gimme Some More

Least Favorite Song: This Means War!!

Verdict:

69%

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