Busta Rhymes - The Coming

For my third post, I am going to start with a disclaimer: Busta Rhymes is my favourite rapper of all time. Therefore, this review is probably going to be quite positive, perhaps more so than other fellow internet reviewers discussions about Busta's 1996 debut. However, I'll try to be fair, and during my reviews of Busta's albums I will attempt to not give him any more leeway than anyone else. Deal? Good.

Having been in the group Leaders of the New School for a few years in the early 90s, and even releasing a couple of group albums (which I'm sure to review eventually, but let me get on with this first - I think it's probably a bit more important), Busta split off in order to pursue a solo career that the heads of his label, Elektra, had been encouraging for years. During the few years between the group's break up and the release of this debut album, Busta proved to be something of a feature fanatic, appearing on a load of different tracks by artists from Craig Mack to Mary J. Blige, and everyone in-between. He gained a lot of recognition due to his manic delivery, and appearances in music videos that made him appear as if he had just escaped the local asylum, which meant that the hype around this album was pretty high by the time the release date came around in March of 1996.

The lead single, "Woo-Hah!! Got You All In Check" was an immediate success, charting high throughout the World, and appearing in books such as 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. Also, my mum had the CD single. This track had a global impact, and this gave Busta the confidence he needed to get out a solo release, which was similarly successful. However, despite its being popular at the time, I never see this album brought up in any list of "the greatest hip-hop debut albums of all time" or anything of that nature, which is interesting. Surely someone as unique and gifted as Busta Rhymes could curate a brilliant body of work in his sleep? That's certainly something he has attempted to do with some later releases, but with this one, Busta is awake as ever, as we see from the manic cover art (and equally animated back cover). Does this energy come across in the music though? We'll see about that...

1. The Coming (Intro) (prod. Rick St. Hilaire & DJ Scratch)

The first of quite a few incredibly long and pretentious album intros from Busta Rhymes, this one lasts four-and-a-half minutes, and features no rapping whatsoever. Instead, there are three sections, the first two of which involve Busta's Flipmode brethren Rampage the Last Boy Scout and Lord Have Mercy shouting at you about "the infamous! Busta Rhymes!" and the "Flipmode explosion!", two things that surely weren't really true at all at the time this came out, especially the latter - Flipmode didn't even get an album out until '98, and it wasn't particularly eruptive (The Imperial didn't even sell gold, where Busta's own album that came out a couple months after went platinum). This isn't too bad to listen to though, especially Lord Have Mercy's part, which is actually bloody intriguing. Busta also does do a bit of talking at the end, which does drag on. Get to the rapping already! This has no business being so long, but it's still better than a useless skit I suppose.

2. Do My Thing (prod. DJ Scratch)

Although the beat isn't incredible, this song still goes over absolutely brilliantly, all thanks to Busta Rhymes himself, who has some absolutely incredible and exciting lyrics throughout this one, with one of my personal favourites being "you and your whole staff make me laugh, a-ha-a-ha", a line that always makes me laugh. Busta is just so charismatic, and the verses as well as the zany hook showcase this trait perfectly. This was the perfect way to introduce himself to listeners back in '96. It's also worth noting that this track has a plethora of remixes as well, some of which contain an unreleased verse that somehow sounds like shit, so I would just stick to the original if I were you.

3. Everything Remains Raw (prod. Easy Mo Bee)

I literally cannot think of a single reason that someone could give to not liking this. The beat is menacing and very memorable, and the Busta verses sound even better than his usual, which is to say very, VERY good. The hook is also iconic, as are the shouts of "there's only five years left! Hahaha!". The beat fading in and out towards the end is also one of my favourite production touches of all time. Probably the best song on here.

4. Abandon Ship (feat. Rampage the Last Boy Scout) (prod. Busta Rhymes)

Over some banging production provided by Bus-a-Bus himself, Trevor and his cousin Rampage the Last Boy Scout (don't worry, he would shorten his ridiculous name to just "Rampage" shortly after this album came out) go back and forth with as much chemistry as you might expect of an already established duo, which isn't too surprising considering Ramp is actually Busta's cousin (betcha didn't know THAT). The hook is a little silly, but the more you listen to it, the more you will come to love it. After this excellent song finishes, we get to hear a minute long interlude that plays the full piece that the sample for the next track was taken from, which is definitely one of the best ideas anyone has had ever. Why don't more people do that?

5. Woo-Hah!! Got You All In Check (feat. Rampage the Last Boy Scout) (prod. Rashad Smith & Busta Rhymes)

The aforementioned single, and easily one of the best Busta Rhymes songs ever. The amount of quotable lines that are to be found on this track is endless, and the beat is absolutely iconic. "Which motherfucker stole my flow?!" is such a classic line, it's actually unbelievable. The interlude from Rampage isn't entirely necessary, and I also don't think he deserved the feature credit for this, but oh well - it doesn't take me too far out of the experience. Busta is at his absolute best on here, delivering classic lines and flows like it was his day job (what do you mean that's because it is?). This one is essential for any hip-hop fan, as is the equally off-the-hook remix that features Ol' Dirty Bastard.

6. It's a Party (feat. Zhane) (prod. Easy Mo Bee)

Although this song is a little more radio-friendly, I still absolutely love it. This song just makes me feel so good, you know? The beat gets the head nodding from the jump, and the chorus from R&B duo Zhane is great, and only made better by Busta's ad-libbing that genuinely sounds like someone having drunken fun at a party, and yet STILL sounds good. The verses are pretty sexual, but they are still delivered with a brilliant passion rivalled by literally no-one. One other thing: Busta also references the song "Feminine Fatt" on here, off of the Leaders Of the New School debut, which is an absolutely hilarious song title. Thought I'd mention that.

7. Hot Fudge (prod. Backspin the Vibe Chemist)

Incredibly underrated. This song is dark, disturbing and bleak, giving off the same vibes that the album art also gives, and that have been pretty absent from the previous songs on here, which have all been bright and fun. The mixing is slightly off on here, which means Busta sounds a little lost in the eerie production, which is almost for the better, as it adds to the unsettling feel of the song. The screams of "numerals of funerals every day" at the end give me goosebumps, and I don't even know what that means, for God's sake. This track is great, even though Busta forays into the art of the generic sex skit at the end, which goes over about as well as one would expect from a man who, by his own admission, likes his women "cellulite large".

8. Ill Vibe (feat. Q-Tip) (prod. The Ummah)

Following his multiple appearances on A Tribe Called Quest albums over the years, Busta decided to use some of his brownie points to get the big shot name of the group Q-Tip on this track, and the results are great. This track is a lot more light-hearted than the last song, and I think is about accidentally hooking up with gold diggers, or at least the Busta part is. Q-Tip doesn't sound particularly incredible on here, but Busta more than makes up for that with yet another impressive performance. Another great song.

9. Flipmode Squad Meets Def Squad (feat. Jamal, Redman, Keith Murray, Rampage the Last Boy Scout & Lord Have Mercy) (prod. Backspin the Vibe Chemist)

One thing that you'll notice about Busta is that he likes to use awkwardly long song titles a lot of the time, which we see in full force here. This 8 minute epic surely counts as one of the best posse cuts of all time, with absolutely everyone on here bringing their full talents to the table, while the beat keeps a menacing and low-key feel running right throughout the run time. If I had to choose, I would probably say that the best verse does belong to Busta, who also ends this one off, but Redman and Jamal both hold their own on here too, that's for sure. Classic shit.

10. Still Shining (prod. The Ummah)

Going from the longest straight into the shortest song was an interesting move, but we can work with it. Trevor decides to acknowledge his new shoe polish on this one, that has kept his loafers looking brand new right throughout the recording of this album. Well, except the one that was stepped on back on "Woo-Hah!!", of course. This track is pretty good, but sort of just feels like a short come down after the adrenaline high that was the previous track. The callback to his classic "Scenario" verse on the hook was appreciated, though.

11. Keep It Movin' (feat. Dinco, Milo & Charlie Brown) (prod. The Ummah)

The Leaders Of the New School reunion that was probably quite a surprise for listeners back in '96, after the group's infamous break up on the set of Yo! MTV Raps, a pivotal moment in the career of Mr. Rhymes. This track is very good, and evokes the days of their debut with its plodding and old-school production and goofy hook. I remember thinking this was incredibly lyrically impressive when I first listened to the album, which I guess makes amounts of sense. The skit at the end where someone gets beaten up was a bit long, but does set up the next song well, so that's a bonus.

12. The Finish Line (prod. DJ Scratch)

Busta's critical warning to those whose friends are about to turn on them while they are none the wiser goes down very well, with the help of the menacing and cinematic DJ Scratch production. Busta sounds like a true wise man on here, and him getting a bit serious proves to be a lot better of an idea than one might think. 

13. The End Of the World (Outro) (prod. DJ Scratch & Rick St. Hilaire)

Of course we couldn't end things without Busta shouting at us about the end of the World for a couple of minutes. That operatic music that came in at the end was a shock, though, and ended the album with a big bang, that's for sure.

Overall, The Coming is one of the more underrated debut albums in rap. This shit is EXCELLENT. Busta Rhymes doesn't deliver a weak word on here, and every time he steps to the mic the results are equally entertaining and technically impressive, which is no small feat, believe me. Production on here also holds up incredibly well, and has aged brilliantly (with the exception of a couple of songs), and this album is so easy to listen to. Some people might complain that the album has so few tracks and yet is so long, yet I think that works in the albums favour, and has allowed it to age very well in a genre that now has 2 track albums lasting 20 bloody minutes. This thing is incredibly underappreciated (is that a word?), and one of my personal favourite debut albums in the history of the genre. This is an absolute classic, and if this ain't worthy of your time, then I don't know what is.

Best Tracks: Everything Remains Raw, Abandon Ship, Woo-Hah!! Got You All In Check, It's a Party, Hot Fudge, Flipmode Squad Meets Def Squad, The Finish Line

Worst Tracks: (I genuinely don't think any of the songs deserve to be placed here)