This album was released on October 30th this year. I’ve been waiting for this album for a long time, but I’m honestly not expecting it to be that good. The last couple of Busta Rhymes albums were absolutely devastating to his catalogue. They were so bad. I’ve actually seen a lot of people praising this album though, so part of me is cautiously optimistic. I’m not expecting it to be amazing or even great. I’m just hoping it’s decent to be honest. I’m hoping there are a lot of songs that I really like. I hated the very first single he released for it, and I wasn’t crazy about the second one either. He released another song with Kendrick Lamar, but I had already heard the original leaked version that came out in 2017. I’m not sure if this album version is different, but we’ll see I guess. I am excited to hear this even if I don’t think it’ll be that good. I’m just glad it’s finally out, and it’s nice to see people giving Busta his flowers.

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To be completely honest, this album is actually really goddamn good. I love it. I was legitimately shocked by how good this album ended up being. It’s definitely not perfect, but I think it’s about as good as I could’ve hoped for. I’m really surprised by how well it turned out. There are a handful of songs that I dislike, but I’m gonna talk about everything I loved first. The opening track is called E.L.E. 2 Intro, and it has production from Busta Rhymes himself alongside Nottz. One thing I really love about this project is that it feels like a legitimate throwback to his first few albums. He actually took us back to his original apocalyptic theme. It opens with the same long ass, super dramatic, ultra cheesy type of monologue that was present on his first handful of solo records. This one just sounds even more over the top though. It kinda makes me think of Tech N9ne to be honest. The main difference is that for whatever reason I feel like I can kinda immerse myself in this one without getting secondhand embarrassment. I wanna know who did that dramatic ass voice acting at the very start of the song though. It sounds hilarious to me to be honest. I didn’t really focus too much on the actual content of the monologue.

Those who desire to supplant God
Illuminati who tempt and horrify us as the most perfect angel, Lucifer
Seek to rebirth a new world order upon the flesh, blood, and bones of all humanity
Again, towers rose skyward to challenge his divine glory
To conquer his serene domain
As in ancient Babylon, the one true Lord brought them down

What the fuck is this dramatic ass shit, man? It’s so over the top. It’s hilarious though. I don’t mind it at all. Even though it’s super dramatic, it doesn’t sound like it’s taking itself too seriously. It’s really intense though. I also have to admit that I got pretty goddamn excited when I heard the voice say “THIS IS THE SECOND COMING,” just because it had me thinking about Busta’s debut album, The Coming. Now that I think about it, it really would have been tragic if Busta had this massive, super dramatic intro, and then the rest of the album just wasn’t very good. That would’ve been so disappointing. Anyway, after the monologue finishes, Chris Rock comes in to tell us that this could be our last day on Earth, and we’re smart to be spending our last hours listening to the latest Busta Rhymes album. The beat that eventually fades in is fire too. Busta eventually comes in and starts killing it. I actually think this album has his best display of lyricism in years to be honest. He killed this shit.

I'm addicted to exposing the truth, it's a habit
Since a youngin' using a pencil to write the mathematics
Incorporating the science while I give you the classics
While some'll find it strange and resort to measures that's drastic
I articulate with clarity, reassure when you hear this
Some identify me as cuckoo or conspiracy theorist
Some might call me crazy 'cause at times my life seems out of order
Thus possessin' answers to the total square mileage of land and water

The beat eventually switches up right in the middle of his verse, and it’s fucking awesome. It’s basically a recreation of the instrumental from Nas‘ legendary The World Is Yours single. This modernized version sounds even more polished though. Busta slaughtered this shit too.

We can stop pretendin' that I'm mental
Like all the shit we witnessed be happenin' coincidental
See, back in '98 when I dropped the first Extinction Level
I was fightin' inner demons with personal scores to settle
They put it in a movie 'cause they knew that we ain't really know
Funny how they tried to tell us 22 years ago
What deeply impacted how watchin' a flick really moved me
As the world was ending, Morgan Freeman was prez in a movie
So, let's fast-forward to 2009
Or 2012 when we left an impression on the minds
Of the people makin' sure we remember if we slightly doubted
That the world was ending and we can't really do shit about it

And then he had a feature from fucking Rakim, who came in right behind him to spit a stellar verse.

Until Sodom and Gomorrah's on America's turf
The horror, it'll forever get worse
Yet and still, it's like a gift at birth then you inherit a curse
But the meek must inherit the Earth, it's Heaven's will
Meek meaning powerless in the form of politics
Giving power at the dawn of the apocalypse
And war is stronger than peace
It's poverty 'til the majority is scarred with the mark of the beast

Both of them fucking murdered this track. Hearing them rap over the piano loop from The World Is Yours with no percussion is just awesome. Rakim killed it.

Signs of the end, read Mark chapter 13
And Daniel chapter 12, understand you wrapped in hell
Revelations show the facts as well
Then read Prophets in the Qur'an and ask yourself
Do you rep a nation bred for hatin'?
Judgement Day ain't far, don't get left debatin'
'Cause what they thinkin' is the end of creation
Is actually the reincarnation of Gods, the death of Satan

Then Pete Rock himself comes in to sing “whose world is this?” This intro is just super grandiose. It feels huge. The “viewer discretion is advised” message at the very end is perfect. I think it’s an amazing intro. In fact, this is easily one of the best intros I’ve heard all year. It’s definitely up there with the opening track from The Allegory. I’m sure there are some other amazing intros that I’m just not thinking of. This is the kinda intro that you hear and then just get excited about because you know you’re in for a treat with the rest of the album. I was blown away by this track, and it had me on the edge of my seat for the rest of the project. It’s dope af. The following track, The Purge, is also a major highlight for me. The production from Swizz Beatz & Avenue here is fucking insane to me. The way they included the sound of the emergency broadcast alert tone was so awesome. The content seemed to me like it was inspired by the protests regarding racist police forces that arose this past year.

Sorry, country, I know you don't want this really, but
'Til we get us some justice, we fucking every city up
Drastic measures is urgent, the city burn like Philly blunts
Crazy like we jumpin' off the little yellow mini bus
You for my people? 'Cause you niggas movin' really sus
No, we ain't playing with them, really, trust
You see them cities burning like chimneys
You better know it's really us

The whole track is just one quick 16 bar verse, but I fucking love it. The beat is crazy, and the verse is awesome. I think the song is dope af. It’s followed by another amazing song called Strap Yourself Down. This one has production from J Dilla & Pete Rock, and it’s absolutely glorious. I think the first beat is done by Dilla, and Busta’s voice sounds perfect over it. He sounds like he was trying to actually sound like a dragon here. It was fucking awesome. The Bruce Lee ad-libs in the background towards the end of his verse were the perfect touch too. He killed this shit. I mean, I don’t think the bars were amazing or anything. It’s really just his mesmerizing delivery that kept me hooked. I loved it. The beat switches up after the opening verse, and the second beat reminded me a lot of the drum break from Boom Bap by T.I., B.o.B & Mos Def. I like this beat a lot more though. Busta spazzed too. I mean, a good handful of the bars are just gibberish ad-libs that happen to sound really good because of his God-level delivery and charisma, but he had some nice lines towards the end.

While I give you a trick or treat
You weak motherfuckers, I got you under my feet
You sleep on a nigga, that's when you niggas are weak
Everything you sow, that's when niggas know shit is deep
Break your back, and split your spleen
Bunch of angry police officers when they step on the scene
They get even more angry when I be countin' this cream
'Til I got these niggas shoutin', the way I'm out in the steam

I think the song is dope af to be honest. Again, the focus isn’t really the lyricism for me. It’s the dynamic production along with his enthralling delivery that keeps me entertained. I love it. The fourth track is called Czar, and it features M.O.P. and production from Rockwilder.

This song is definitely kind of a low point for me personally, but I do still like it to some extent. I have a lot of issues with it, but overall I think it’s pretty good. This beat is kinda cool I guess, but it gets annoying really quickly. It’s painfully repetitive and unambitious. It doesn’t really go anywhere. The “feature” from M.O.P. is a fucking joke too. It’s literally just ad-libs from Lil Fame. They don’t rap at all. Not even a hook. Unless I’m mistaken, I actually think Billy Danze is completely absent, but I might be wrong about that. M.O.P. really do nothing that Busta couldn’t have done himself. Their “feature” here is completely worthless. The opening verse from Busta was cool. Again, it was mainly his flow and delivery rather than lyricism that made it entertaining, but I liked it. The hook is really nothing special, but it serves its purpose well enough. I think the second verse is definitely better than the first one. Honestly, I really think the most entertaining aspect of the song is the unbelievably stupid music video. The shitty special effects and dramatic acting really make it seem like a parody. He had to have known it was funny to some extent. I don’t know. Definitely watch that video if you get a chance. It’s so bad, but in an entertaining way. Anyway, I think the song is pretty good, but at the same time I feel like I would understand if somebody told me they thought it was trash. It’s followed by Outta My Mind, which features a very prominent sample of Bel Biv DeVoe‘s Poison. I really can’t tell how I feel about this beat to be honest. I think Dready‘s work here is kinda cool, but I also feel like no other rapper besides Busta Rhymes could make a beat like this work. The drum break is iconic, but the synths that come in feel a little gaudy. Honestly, they almost sound like something that would’ve been on BOMBS. Busta himself is definitely the selling point of this track. The way he rides the percussion here is just awesome. It has this really strange, kind of jolting cadence. It makes me wanna move. I think this song would go crazy in a live setting. It’s really a shame he can’t go on tour right now, but once the pandemic ends in 2026 that’ll be something to keep an eye out for. His sporadic flow works really well over this beat in my opinion. It honestly sounds like it was specifically meant to be played live. I think the song’s really dope to be honest. When I first heard it, I thought it was amazing. Then, on my second listen, I honestly thought it was kinda wack. It’s just because the beat is kinda grating. I think if you’re trying to chill and relax this would totally fuck up the atmosphere. There’s nothing smooth about this song, aside from Ricky Bell’s sampled vocals on the hook, which sound just as amazing as they do in the original song. I do like the song now though. I think it’s pretty dope. The next highlight for me is called Slow Flow, and it has a posthumous feature from Ol’ Dirty Bastard himself, along with production from Nottz. First of all, I think Nottz’s work here is absolutely incredible. Seriously, this beat blew me the fuck away, and the ad-libs from ODB were really just the icing on the cake. He sounded perfect here. Busta fucking slaughtered this track too. Seriously, his performance here just from a technical perspective is God level. His breath control was awe-inspiring, and the fact that his flow was completely synchronized with the instrumental was just insane. He kilt it. The hook from ODB works surprisingly well too. The way they sampled him feels very tasteful. I love it. In the second verse Busta kinda name drops a shit ton of “classic” Hip Hop albums, and then finishes the verse by including this album with those projects. I think it’s kind of a played out concept since The Game did it on The Documentary, but I guess it’s cool. I don’t know. I’m kind of indifferent towards it. I still think the song is fucking awesome though. It’s dope af to me. It’s followed by yet a gotdamn ‘NOTHER super major highlight. This one is called Don’t Go, and it features Q-Tip over production from Focus… It’s definitely a contender for my favorite song on the project. I made an O face the first time I heard the beat from Focus… here. I think this instrumental is amazing. Busta of course killed the first verse, and I actually think his sung hook here works surprisingly well. The background vocals from Q-Tip definitely help as well. Speaking of Q-Tip, he sounded fucking stupendous here. I absolutely love his verse on this song.

Have a moment of clarity, with courtesy, I spit candidly
I am your brother, my brother, so don't move angrily
Let the music grab you, why don't you take it back to
The times that Busta Rhymes used to engage in battle?
Niggas used to shake like dice, catch an L and pick a fight
The cypher used to get the destroyed, the opponent was rendered void
The cheering section was employed, so girls and boys say, "He's nice!"

I hope we get another collaborative project from them some day. Like, a proper album would be amazing. The first mixtape they did was mainly a bunch of remixes. Only a few of the songs were new. The second one was pretty much a solo Busta Rhymes project too. Anyway, I think this song is dope af. There are zero aspects of it that I don’t love. Speaking of Q-Tip, you guys may not have realized, but I still haven’t ever listened to that last Tribe album yet. I’m gonna finally get to it now that I’m finishing up Busta’s marathon though, so be on the lookout for that. Anyway, the following track is called Boomp! because of course it is.

I like how he always has these weird ass onomatopoeias as song titles. This track isn’t really one of my favorites, but it’s certainly not a low point. I really dig DJ Scratch‘s production here, and the melodic hook from Busta is actually pretty nice. His performance on the verses is just as great as ever too. He really makes rapping seem effortless. His charisma totally dominates this track. I do kinda wish the verses were a bit longer, and I don’t think this is a must-listen track or anything, but I definitely think it’s dope. I fuck with it. Track 10 is called True Indeed, and it has a spectacular instrumental from DJ Premier. This is the first time Busta has ever had a solo track over a Primo beat, and I think it’s amazing. The song is less than two minutes, but I don’t even mind the brevity. I think it works to its benefit honestly. Busta murdered this shit too.

The mathematician of this rap expedition
Mastered the precision of the faster addiction after you listen
Smashin' that whip, I'm fast with the wisdom I give
I'm fluently speakin', who would be teaching jewels like sciences hiddеn?
Look, I'm tired of kickin' niggas' head off
See, now I'm tryna avoid from poppin' the lеad off
I saw your top and then jet off
It's time that I set off the heat like the tropics connect with the hood

The whole track is just one verse, and I actually think it has one of the best rap performances on the album. It’s dope af. It’s followed by Master Fard Muhammad, which features Rick Ross along with production from Hi-Tek & Terrace Martin.

I would definitely consider this a highlight even though it isn’t exactly a contender for my favorite track. I actually think the opening verse from Ross was pretty good. I mean, I think the fact that it’s coming from Rick Ross makes it seem better than it is since I generally expect utter mediocrity from him. He did his thing though. The instrumental has that super lavish, smooth, expensive sounding atmosphere that Rick Ross is known for, and I think it’s pretty solid. I typically don’t really enjoy that production style, but I think it’s well done here. Even though I didn’t dislike Rick Ross’ performance, I would probably just think the song’s okay if Busta wasn’t here. His verse is really what makes the song memorable to me. His technical skill is just so much more engaging than that of Ross.

I thank God for the blessings of paths paved
As I journey through a jungle of lions so unscathed
Until I speak in tongues when I visit my aunt's grave
And hustle like a genius with strength of a man's slave

He really spazzed on this verse to be honest. Fuck what I said about that Primo track. This is one of the best rap performances here. Maybe I should stop saying that because I’m just gonna sound like a broken record by the time this review is finished. Anyway, I think the song is dope as hell. The next song that I actually like is called Oh No, and it has more production from Dready. This is pretty much just Busta Rhymes doing a Trap song. However, unlike his failed attempts that appeared on Year of the Dragon, I actually think he pulls it off here. Don’t get me wrong; this is far from the best song on the project, and it’s not very memorable in the grand scheme of things, but I definitely enjoyed it to some extent. It probably could’ve used a feature or two to be honest. He name-drops Waka Flocka Flame at the beginning of the hook, so I was expecting him to at least have some uncredited vocals. Nothing about the song really blows me away, but I do like it. The sung hook isn’t anything special, but the rapping is cool, and the production is solid. It’s a pretty good song to me. The next real highlight for me is called Best I Can. 9th Wonder‘s production here is amazing, and I actually think the emotional subject matter is super well done. It’s basically just about baby mama drama. The first verse from Rapsody is very good, but Busta Rhymes is definitely the star of the show here.

Sorry I called you that, I wish I didn't mean it
I never thought I would live to see the day that you would see it
I put up with your shit, but many times, I swore I wouldn't
And did it for our son even when I get weak and thought I really couldn't, but
I was taught to never raise my hand up to a woman
Should've got my sister to slap you 'cause you deserve a couple good ones
You denied me time with my son with this bitch nigga you harbored
You let him diss you in front of your kid when you here shitting on his father

The song does kinda remind me of the Rapsody collaboration from the second PRhyme album though. I wonder why Rapsody’s always involved in marriage-related songs. Maybe I’m misremembering it though. I don’t know. Anyway, I think the song is dope af overall. The next highlight for me is called Deep Thought, and it actually has a really awesome beat from Busta Rhymes himself, so that’s pretty cool.

I really dig his more toned down vocal delivery here too. It matches the tone of the instrumental perfectly. He sounds way more upset here than he typically does. Not exactly angry, but just really stressed out. You know when you’re under a lot of pressure, and as a result you end up snapping at people even when they did nothing wrong? That’s the kinda feeling this track gives me. I love the way it’s structured too. He’s just rapping the whole time with no wack hooks or anything. He killed this shit.

Though I continue to keep it honest, thought process is complex
To keep your balance and focus on progress
That be the concepts despite the fights internally fought
Those who were there for daddy, thanks for your support
And when I'm long-term thinking, see, the terms these niggas think on is short
They hate when I spot 'em, now they throwing me salt
That's how my mind travel like I'm in a Caribbean resort
Ponderin' on shit when I'm in deep thought

The song is dope af to me. The following track is an interlude entitled The Young God Speaks. It’s a really awesome bridge between Deep Thought and the following track, Look Over Your Shoulder.

This song features an amazing flip of Michael Jackson singing I’ll Be There. This song actually leaked all the way back in 2017, so I’ve had it in my library for a while. I hadn’t listened to it in forever though, so it still felt fresh when I heard this record for the first time. Nottz put his ass into this beat, man. This might actually be my favorite beat on the album. That Michael Jackson flip is fucking beautiful. Even if Kendrick Lamar wasn’t featured on this song, it’d still be one of my favorite tracks. Kendrick killed this shit. Just from a technical standpoint his performance here is awe-inspiring. Busta still managed to have the best performance here though, which makes me happy. He fucking spazzed on this one.

Kept burnin' 'til they anointed me one of the kings of black history
And yes, I see the game is a little different, niggas lack simply
Them bars and I spit 'em like darts 'til they puncture your kidney
You trash and it don't matter how much you gon' try to convince me

That line about his shadow having a sound even after he leaves was awesome. I have no complaints. This collab went over just as well as I could have hoped for these two artists. The uncredited vocals from Nikki Grier were a nice touch too. I think the song is fucking amazing. Track 10 is another self-produced song called You Will Never Find Another Me. It has a stunning feature from Mary J. Blige. You know, now that I think about it, I’m really not that familiar with her work, but I usually enjoy her features. I think she’s a very good vocalist. I enjoyed her performance here a lot. I really fuck with the overall sentiment of the song too. It just sounds like perseverance in the form of music.

Come get to walking with us on everything I love
I wear that pain on my sleeves in everything I does
Sometimes I pause when I breathe, reflect on what I was
How far I've come and I rep it and do it just because

I really liked that line about building a wall out of thrown stones. Busta’s production here is genuinely great to me as well. I immediately recognized that Bobby Bland sample. I think the song is dope af. The penultimate track is called Freedom?, and it features more great production from Nottz, as well as a superb hook from Nikki Grier. As you may have gathered from the title, this is the most political track on the project. It’s ostensibly inspired by all the racist shit that’s constantly transpiring in the United States.

Watch all my people that they tryna trample
It's time to form and get to lead 'em by every example
In the bathroom, you wash your faces with us
You ain't ready for tradin' places with us
My heart hurt bad
And I talk my shit like this with my kids, they be lookin' for dad
Energy transfer, kids look at me mad
Gotta still be the source of hope, though it's hurtin' me bad

I really love how genuinely upset he sounds here. His vocal delivery is perfect for this song. I feel like his voice has just gotten raspier over the years. The second verse is even better than the first one in my opinion.

Look all the shit my people been through
Think I don't want my kids to live too?
Can't imagine them parents copin'
In they arms with a breathless body they holdin'
God bless the tear of every mama cryin'
Children leave the house wonderin' if today they dyin'
The nerve to say there's bigger fish worth fryin'
If you ain't with us, better know we riotin'

The verse itself isn’t super technical or anything. There’s just a lot of emotion in it. I feel it. It’s like how old people talk about 2Pac. They always say shit like, “Pac wasn’t the most technical rapper or the greatest lyricist, but he just knew how to make you feel shit, ya dig?” I like this way more than most of Pac’s shit though. I think the song is dope af. The closing song on the standard edition of this album is called Satanic, and I think it’s fucking awesome. It kinda reminds me of Legend of the Fall Offs, just in terms of the sonic landscape. It has a similarly dark atmosphere. Rockwilder put his fucking ass in this beat too. This is one of the best instrumentals on the whole record in my opinion. It’s amazing. There’s not really a hook on this song. Busta just raps the whole time, and it’s fucking awesome. I haven’t really seen anyone else talking about this, but I’m fairly certain he was actually dissing Kanye in the first part of the verse, which was cool.

People talk like thеy prayin' to Lucifer, but what happened to "Jеsus Walks?"
Yeah, we have demented thoughts, then you conversate with your savior
Askin' for forgiveness while displayin' blasphemous behavior
At first, we seen it subtle, now niggas display it major
And goin' out they way like they doin' Satan a favor
And gamble with they life like rattlin' dice in a shaker
Another life forsaken, turnin' your back on your maker
I'm only tryna cater to the facts and shit
I'm seein' a lot of questionable shit, like the fuck these niggas believe in?

Kanye’s an easy target these days, but still. I think it’s dope. The song is amazing. It’s got a very simplistic structure. It’s just one stellar verse over an extraordinary instrumental. The only bad thing about the song is the incredibly annoying outro from Chris Rock in which he sings “You niggas can’t fuck with the god Busta Rhymes” to the melody of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Funeral March. I’m gonna be honest. This outro made me hate Chris Rock. It genuinely made me question his entire career. I had to think about it. I was like, “wait a minute, has Chris Rock actually ever been funny?” I’m wondering if this outro is supposed to make people laugh or if it’s intended to annoy the motherfuck out of listeners. I fucking hate it though. I think this is a good way to transition into the songs that I didn’t really care for. The first one I’ll talk about is the title track. Just to be clear, I don’t think this is a bad song. It’s got some major issues that prevent me from liking it though. First of all, I really need Hip Hop artists to get over this weird obsession with Farrakhan. Let’s not fuck around here; the dude is an anti-semite. You’re just lying to yourself if you don’t think he is. The long ass speech from him at the beginning of this song adds absolutely nothing to the song for me. It’s just annoying. The mixing on his voice is really shitty too. It sounds like it’s so loud that it’s on the verge of clipping at certain points. I don’t know what the hell that’s about. Anyway, I actually think the verse from Busta Rhymes is pretty great for the most part.

Hold your suggestions and listen closely, I study lessons
Causing rain, hail, snow and earthquake and travel dimensions
The ground'll rattle, the Earth will rumble like a stampede of cattle
Eleven hundred twenty feet per second, faster than sound travel
How many more protests? How many more marches?
Zero results, it's so grotesque, don't even get me started
Then count on my mama, she knows best, fight for the dearly departed
God is the armor, we so blessed, let's zoom in on a target

There’s just one couplet here that ruins the verse for me.

Pants too tight, nigga, it's been part of the plan, fool
They fucked around and made the demasculization of man cool

Bruh. Really? There are still niggas out here who think there’s a conspiracy to emasculate men? What the fuck would even be the purpose of that? Also, “demasculization” isn’t a word. I know what he meant by it, but still. He sounds fucking dumb here. I think the rest of the verse is pretty fire, but it’s not good enough to make me call this song good. I think it’s just okay. That beat from Nottz is fire though. Anyway, the next song I wanna talk about is YUUUU, which was the second official single from the album.

I think Anderson .Paak‘s production here is pretty dull, and his verse kinda sucked to be honest. His hook was kinda nice, but overall his performance wasn’t great to me. I think Busta Rhymes’ verse was cool, but it’s just not enough to make the song worth returning to for me. The song is honestly really underwhelming in almost every way. I think the production is pretty flat, and the whole track ends up feeling really dull as a result. It doesn’t help that .Paak’s verse was so weak, and even Busta Rhymes didn’t really have that great of a performance in my opinion. I just think it’s a really mediocre song personally. The lead single for this album is called The Don & the Boss, and it’s the worst possible song he could have chosen as a first impression.

I wish y’all could’ve seen how fucking disappointed I was when this was the first single he dropped. This song is fucking horrible. If you’ve read the past few Busta Rhymes reviews that I’ve written then you shouldn’t be surprised that I hate this song. My aversion to anything Vybz Kartel touches isn’t exactly a secret. There’s not a single aspect of this track that is even remotely enjoyable to me. Schife‘s production here is just really gaudy in my opinion, and Vybz Kartel’s vocals are absolutely disgusting. His verse is trash. Busta Rhymes is just as terrible here though. He’s pretty much doing the exact same thing that Vybz Kartel did. The only real difference here is their voices. I guess they have an interesting contrast, but nothing about the song itself is redeemable. I don’t even wanna write about it because it’s just an unbearable track to me. I think it’s dogshit. Finally, the only other song I haven’t mentioned yet is Where I Belong, which is also trash. This one features Mariah Carey. I haven’t enjoyed any of the collaborations between Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey in the past, so I wasn’t really surprised that I ended up hating this one. I think Mariah Carey is a talented vocalist, but her performance here isn’t impressive at all. She doesn’t do anything that literally any other woman can’t do. The hook here is fucking awful too. I was pretty indifferent towards the production from Rick Rock & Navi Beats. I guess it works for what they were going for. The problem is that I don’t like what they were going for. This style is just super dated. They were going for that Promiscuous-type of flirty Hip Hop collab, but it just fell completely flat on its face in my opinion. J-Doe has a writing credit on this track, so that’s probably why it ended up being so bad. I think it’s wack af. Anyway, I’ve covered every song on the original version of the album, but a week after its release Busta dropped the “Reloaded” version of the album, which comes with four bonus tracks. I’m not gonna cover any of them because I don’t really think any of them are super memorable, aside from Calm Down, but that’s been out since 2016. Well, I actually thought Blowing the Speakers Up was pretty awesome. I mean, I’m definitely glad he dropped this version because I do like these extra songs. I see why he left them off though because the album was already super long. With that said, he actually dropped a third version of this album just this past Friday. This one is labeled as “The Deluxe Edition.” All together, it has 30 songs, and is 112 minutes long. You remember how I complained about the M.O.P. feature on Czar? There’s actually a remix on the deluxe edition, and it’s way better because both members actually rap this time. There’s also a verse from someone named CJ, who I’m not familiar with. He was cool though. I still don’t think it’s a great song overall, but I’ll take it over the original. There’s also a song with Rampage, Rah Digga, and Spliff Star called Follow the Wave, which is dope as hell. It was really cool to hear from all of them again. I didn’t really care for the other two tracks at all unfortunately, but it is what it is. Obviously when there are just under two hours of music there are gonna be some duds in there. So yeah. That’s it. Gotdamn that album was long as fuck.

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_{This album was way better than I was expecting it to be in all honesty. After hearing those first two singles, I was expecting this to be another dud, but this is actually a pretty great album to me. It’s definitely too long, but that can be said for a lot of Busta Rhymes’ projects. The production is a bit inconsistent. Some of the beats are trash, and some of them are amazing. Most of the songs on this album are really great to me though. I wish y’all could’ve seen my first reaction when I initially heard this album. I was so happy because I was expecting it to be some bullshit, but this album is really dope. I definitely could’ve done without Chris Rock’s presence, and I think the midpoint gets a little shaky, but overall I am totally satisfied. Busta’s still got it. This album was really exciting. I think it’s dope.}

Favorite Song: Look Over Your Shoulder
Least Favorite Song: The Don & the Boss

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Watch the videos below for more thoughts on this album.