Flipmode Squad - The Imperial

After releasing When Disaster Strikes... in late 1997, Busta Rhymes managed to make himself a household name through the popularity of his singles such as "Dangerous" and "Turn It Up (Remix)/Fire It Up", and at the same time gain major respect in the rap game by not "selling out" so to speak, but instead making a sophomore effort that was even more creepy and manic than his debut. In early 1998, then, Busta Rhymes was on top of the world, but you have to remember that, despite what he sometimes says in his music (see "Things We Be Doin' For Money Part 1" and "We Put It Down For Y'all", among others), Trevor Smith was actually a rather nice chap, and an unselfish one at that, which meant that, after releasing his sophomore effort (and the debut album from Rampage), he decided it was time to begin work on a group album for his cronies in the Flipmode Squad, an album that was apparently made in the span of less than two months (according to the main producer DJ Scratch, at least). Busta would go on to reach new heights just a couple of months after the release of this offshoot album, with his own, solo third release E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front, but that's a story to be told on another day.

This album, titled The Imperial, was released in September of 1998 to some fairly successful chart performance (it charted at no. 15 in the US), and some reasonably positive reviews, only to be sadly forgotten about as soon as the aforementioned Extinction Level Event album was released a couple of months later. The fact that none of the other members had really made a name for themselves outside of Busta Rhymes' looming shadow may have had something to do with this - outside of Rah Digga, who was at the time heavily affiliated with the Outsidaz, the members consisted of Baby Sham (who?), Spliff Star (ugh), Rampage and Lord Have Mercy. Those last two guys are pretty talented, but anyone who says they've heard of them are probably Busta Rhymes superfans like myself - the mainstream audience in '98 couldn't have given two shits about these guys. So, even though the album had production from DJ Scratch, Swizz Beatz, Da Beatminerz, Rockwilder and L.E.S., it is an album almost entirely forgotten about today, much like other group side projects from rappers at their most popular in the late '90s (see Def Squad's El Niño and The Firm's The Album).

But, just because people forgot about it, that doesn't mean it's bad, does it? Does it?

1. The Imperial Intro (prod. Busta Rhymes)

After an entirely unnecessary and nonsensical skit, a beat actually starts up, only for Busta Rhymes to spend what seems like many hours explaining who exactly the Flipmode members are, going into meticulous details such as their favourite ice cream parlours and what types of medicines each of them takes of an evening. "Listen to me, motherfuckers, this shit is serious!!!". Yeah, I think I'd rather not listen to you ever again, thanks.

2. To My People (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Over a surprisingly powerful, guitar-based instrumental, the members of the Squad minus Lord Have Mercy (the hell?) introduce themselves as some actually rather good lyricists, except Baby Sham, who's bars make about as much sense as his ridiculous name. Busta Rhymes also provides one of his best verses of the late '90s, incredible considering the heat he was delivering at this time, and the hook is really catchy too. Jesus, this is even better than I remember. Easily one of the best tracks on the album.

3. Settin' It Off (prod. M.D.)

While Busta once again delivers, with a lyrically impressive and incredibly entertaining verse, the rest of this song is sadly rather aggravating. The beat barely passes as music, and the hook is annoying as hell, especially that repeated "settin' it off" in the background. The other rappers not named Rah Digga don't perform admirably either, although Baby Sham's acknowledgement of his height (or rather lack of it) was respectable. Still, this song is underwhelming overall.

4. Run For Cover (prod. Swizz)

The lone Swizz Beatz production, and it's easily one of the best he ever did, with the powerful melody, and banging drums, which is perfect for Rampage at least, who sounds excellent on his verse, the opposite of his mediocre performance on the last track. Unfortunately, none of the others besides Busta and Lord Have Mercy really work over this instrumental, with people like Spliff Star and Baby Sham not having the energy and punch necessary for the fast-paced drums and synths. I still liked about half of this song, though, and Busta Rhymes really killed this shit. "The world's greatest fuckin' thief!"

5. I Got Your Back (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Once again, Lord Have Mercy is left out of proceedings, which must have been even more painful for him, thanks to everyone rhyming a story together in the verses on this one, but leaving him out of the party. A shame, as he would have fit perfectly over this ominous and saddening instrumental, that really does not fit with the story at all if we're being honest. Still, the back-and-forth storytelling on this one is pretty entertaining, even though the story itself is unnecessarily violent, and Busta's insistence to appear drunk can be rather aggravating. There's a skit on the end here too, but you can probably guess whether or not that was necessary. Hearing Busta repeat words like "bumbaclot" was quite funny, though.

6. This Is What Happens (prod. D.J. Scratch)

The first of three tracks here that only have two MCs on them, a necessary break after the previous few songs that all featured everyone (besides Lord Have Mercy, who only appeared on "Run For Cover"). This one only contains appearances from Rampage and Rah Digga, and it's pretty good, with the bass-filled beat being menacing, and both rappers providing entertaining verses. The chorus is bloody dismal, though. And was another skit really necessary??

7. Everybody On The Line Outside (prod. D.J. Scratch)

This was one of two singles unless I'm very much mistaken, and as a single, it certainly works. The beat is a lot more radio-friendly than most of the instrumentals we've heard so far, and the rappers on here (Busta, Rampage and Lord Have Mercy) all take on more subdued flows and deliveries than what we're used to, resulting in a certified banger, that's easily one of the catchiest tracks here. This track also features the most normal verse Lord Have Mercy ever spit. This is nice.

8. Last Night (prod. Busta Rhymes)

This track only features Busta and Spliff Star, but don't get it twisted - this shit is whack. Busta uses some fake patois during the hook (that he has utilised during basically all of the hidden skits so far), and it's laugh-out-loud funny, which is certainly not what he was going for ("me couldn't find me knife, so me go and get me 9"). Busta's verse is solid, though, but Spliff Star's verse is predictably dismal, bringing this track down into the trenches. This wouldn't have sounded out of place on Busta's latest album Blockbusta, and make no mistake, that's not a compliment.

9. Where You Think You Goin' (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Well, for a cry after hearing that last song, that's where I'm going. Is that alright with you? 

"Make a pussy boy kill hisself like Nirvana"

*quiet sobbing*

Just kidding, this song is nice as hell, with one of the best beats on the album, but I can't look past that insanely disrespectful and dismissive line, and I don't even like Nirvana!

10. We Got U Opin (Part 2) (feat. Buckshot) (prod. Da Beatminerz, Inc.)

The only guest verse on the album comes from Black Moon MC Buckshot, on this rather entertaining remake of the group's classic track "I Got Cha Opin". It seems we've finally found a beat that all of the rappers fit on comfortably, something that has been a struggle so far on this album. The instrumental itself, jacked from the original of course, is very nice, and Lord Have Mercy, Busta Rhymes and Buckshot end off the track with three of the best verses on the entire album. This shit is straight up boom-bap, and it's one of the best on the album. The fact that this is also the most simple beat on the album so far speaks volumes - maybe the group should think about getting some different types of instrumentals?

11. Straight Spittin (prod. Tony Touch)

Hey! They actually listened to me! Unfortunately, this beat is a little TOO simplistic (I'm petty, I know), but it's still better than a lot of the previous instrumentals, or at least better for these rappers. Surprisingly, Busta Rhymes has the weakest verse - the alliteration is impressive, yes, but his verse, with its "Gimme a F!"s and such, is corny, and way too repetitive. Everyone else, however, brings the heat, with some pretty memorable and clever lines popping up on here. Pretty great stuff.

12. Money Talks (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Unlike this, sadly. The piano-based beat is sentimental, yes, but it doesn't sound right on here at all, and only the ever-dynamic Busta Rhymes can fit properly over the randomly placed piano keys. The subject matter also makes pretty much no sense, and certainly doesn't appear worthy of making a song about. Stick to the party songs, guys.

13. Cha Cha Cha (prod. D.J. Scratch)

The lead single, and the only one to get a proper release on vinyl (unlike the other single, "Everybody On The Line Outside"). This track is actually nice - the DJ Scratch beat is exciting and intense, and all the rappers provide pretty solid verses. Interestingly, Busta only pops up for the hook on here, and it's probably for the best - this album is supposed to be showcasing the rest of the Squad, isn't it? Spliff Star and Baby Sham provide some of their best verses of the evening here, and Busta's hook is pretty damn catchy. This is a nice track - the music video was pretty funny as well.

14. Hit Em Wit Da Heat (prod. Rockwilder)

Seems that Rockwilder has popped up for a beat on this album too - was there any late '90s album he wasn't involved in? Sadly, he provides us here with easily the worst instrumental on the album, which consists of some annoying drums and the occasional scraping metal sound. "Hit Em Wit Da Heat"? More like "Hit Em Wit Da Shitty Music". I have no idea what persuaded Busta and his crew to purchase this shit, but the prospect of a lifetime supply of bacon may have had something to do with it. Busta Rhymes has a great verse on here, but otherwise this was terrible. "Suck my penis from here to motherfuckin' Venus" is one of the best lines on the album, though, just for how ridiculous it is.

15. Do For Self (prod. D.J. Scratch)

The Baby Sham and Spliff Star track. One would think that a song with just those two would be terrible, but this track goes down as the big surprise of the album, as it's easily one of the best songs here. The beat is yet another sentimental one, but it actually sounds very pleasant, and the whole concept of Spliff nurturing a young and hotheaded Baby Sham to a more mature man is really strong. The hook is actually quite powerful as well. This track is almost like a better version of Jay-Z's "Coming Of Age" - yes, a BETTER version. This is a strong contender for best song on the album. It's really, REALLY good, folks.

16. Everything (prod. L.E.S.)

It seems that Busta has recruited frequent Nas collaborator L.E.S. to produce the final track here, a song preceded by yet ANOTHER goddamn skit. The beat sounds very reminiscent of the beat Memphis Bleek rapped over on the track "Intro - Hand It Down", on Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life album, or is that just me? Wait - this song came out BEFORE that one? So Preemo basically stole that beat? That's crazy. And a lot more interesting than the song itself as well, which ironically seems to be discussing absolutely NOTHING.

Sadly, Flipmode Squad's first and only group album goes down as a bit of a disappointment. It's not that this album is bad, but the main issue does lie with the fact that most of these guys don't actually sound that good on here. And boy, is this a long album. 75 minutes approx, although admittedly a large proportion of that is taken up by the hidden skits, that seem to occur at the end of every goddamn track (I didn't mention them all, but from track 5 onwards there seems to be seven or eight at least). Baby Sham and Spliff Star are usually very uninteresting, with Spliff's consistent attempts at fake patois almost always failing miserably to entertain, and Rampage seems to have regressed from his own solo album, letting his increasingly frequent ad-libs do the talking for the most part. And while Rah Digga is unquestionably a good lyricist, her delivery on here for the most part is, frankly, annoying as hell. Besides Busta, the only rapper on here who actually delivers consistently is Lord Have Mercy, who only appears on six out of sixteen songs anyway. And whoever chose these beats needs to get a smack around the head, because they almost uniformly seem completely unsuited to at least half of the rappers on the song, with some exceptions of course. Really, the main reason to listen to this is Busta Rhymes, who (with the exception of his "Straight Spittin" verse) always entertains, and comes through with easily some of the best verses of his career on this record. Still, I wouldn't recommend a listen unless you really enjoy Busta's first few albums, and want more out of him. But absolutely everyone should check out the best tracks listed below, as there is some dope shit to be found here. It's just a shame that this album isn't quite what it could and should have been.

Best Tracks: To My People, Run For Cover, Everybody On The Line Outside, Where You Think You Goin', We Got U Opin (Part 2), Straight Spittin, Do For Self

Worst Tracks: Last Night, Money Talks, Hit Em Wit Da Heat

For other Busta Rhymes reviews, click here, and for my review of Rampage's debut, click here

Images for "Everybody On The Line Outside" and "Cha Cha Cha" singles taken from Discogs

Rampage - Scouts Honor... By Way Of Blood

Now, those that read my review of Busta Rhymes' When Disaster Strikes... may have noticed that I mentioned an album by a certain Rampage the Last Boy Scout with a rather ridiculous title, and yet I hadn't actually covered the album on this site. Well, since the next step in the the Busta discography is the Flipmode Squad album The Imperial, I figured I'd better cover this Flipmode solo album first, and so here we go.

For those who are unaware, Rampage is Busta Rhymes' cousin, a man who had made promising appearances throughout the '90s on songs such as Leaders Of the New School's "Spontaneous (13 MC's Deep)", Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)", and even his own single, "Beware Of the Rampsack", released on Rowdy Records for an album he was supposed to release called Red Oktoba. However, after Busta Rhymes was signed to Elektra with a solo deal, he took Ramp along with him, and any other recordings for the mysterious Red Oktoba album were left to collect dust in the Rowdy Records basement. It's a shame he didn't get to release that album, as Red Oktoba was certainly a better album title than Scouts Honor... By Way Of Blood, and would almost certainly have better artwork than the monstrosity that we ended up with. Perhaps the main reason that this album only managed to chart at no. 65 on the Billboard 200, and failed to even sell Gold, despite the backup from the incredibly popular Busta Rhymes, was because of that horrific imagery of a man apparently moaning with pain into a giant condom. The Rampage logo is nice, but that's all I can say. This is arguably the worst hip-hop album cover of all time.

However, a quick look at the liner notes would dismiss worries quickly. As well as the expected guest appearances from Busta Rhymes and Flipmode Squad (including Serious, who was kicked out after Busta released When Disaster Strikes... a couple of months later), we had production from DJ Scratch, Rashad Smith and Backspin the Vibe Chemist, three of the chaps that had made Busta Rhymes' debut (released over a year before this album) so good sonically. The lead single released to radio ("Take It To the Streets") had admittedly sounded a bit like dog shit, but that track was clearly meant as a radio-friendly pop track, and the rest of this album wasn't taking that direction at all. However, the album wasn't too well received by the smattering of people that actually heard it, with a lot of people criticising Rampage's lyrics and delivery, which is something I've never had a problem with. But can his loud, RZA-esque delivery  entertain us for a whole album, or is this going to be as terrible as the cover art suggests it will be? Let's take a look.

1. Intro (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Rampage is clearly taking inspiration from his more successful relative Trevor Smith, what with this pretentious three part intro and all. This intro is even more self-absorbed than the usual Busta intro - at least Busta usually appears to be saying something about the end of the world. The beat from DJ Scratch in the Part 2 here is bloody excellent though.

2. Flipmode Iz Da Squad (feat. Da Flipmode Squad starring: Spliff Star, Serious, Busta Rhymes & Lord Have Mercy) (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Aside from the beat being surprisingly underwhelming, this is actually a really good crew track. Rampage brings it with his verse, spitting some fairly clever bars, and then the ear-splitting Serious verse comes in, which is just hilarious. I never much cared for Spliff Star, but I will admit that he delivers one of his better verses on here. Busta Rhymes sounds very much like his When Disaster Strikes... self, which is to say very bloody good, and Lord Have Mercy also sounds very interesting. As I said, the beat could do with a bit more menace, but otherwise this was a good posse cut. The inclusion of it as the first song is questionable, though - shouldn't Rampage do the first track alone? 

3. Da Night B4 My Shit Drop (feat. Alan Scott Plotkin) (prod. Rashad Smith)

For those wondering, Alan Scott Plotkin is actually just playing a journalist on here, rather than being a musical contributor. The beat from Rashad Smith is funky as hell, and the interview skit at the start is funny as well. Rampage does his best to emulate Busta Rhymes on here, with a more animated and manic delivery than usual, and he pulls it off well - his lyricism sounds similar to Redman on Dare Iz a Darkside. This track is excellent - my only complaint is that it should be longer. Great stuff. The skit on the end, which plays the later track "We Getz Down (Remix)" in the background, is entertaining enough as well - better than most Busta skits, that's for sure.

4. Talk Of the Town (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Rampage takes some bars from his verse on Busta's "Flipmode Squad Meets Def Squad" for a hook, and raps over a rather dark and melancholy piano beat. This track almost reminds me of something Wu-Tang Clan would rhyme over on Wu-Tang Forever - it just has that same dark and dull sound. This track is good, but I feel like Rampage needs a bit more interesting lyrical content at this point - his voice would be perfect for more serious topics, but on this song, he seems hell-bent on painting himself as some kind of merciless murderer, which is a shame.

5. Get The Money And Dip (feat. Busta Rhymes) (prod. D.J. Scratch)

What with Busta being my favourite rapper of all time, and this been from my favourite era of his, I was disappointed to learn that he only handles the hook on here, and a rather dreadful hook at that. Busta's high-pitched, babyish voice sounds terrible, which is annoying, as otherwise this is very good - the wavy beat is chill, and Rampage sounds very good over said beat. Those that say he is always trying to emulate Busta on this album don't know what they're talking about.

6. The Set Up (prod. Rashad Smith)

This beat is relaxing as hell, and reminds me of the "Ill Vibe" beat from Busta's debut, only even more low-key if that's possible. The hook actually rips some lines from Redman's "Tonight's Da Night" - "no matter who you are, you'll still catch a bullet scar" - which I find very interesting. Another interesting point is that Busta Rhymes is echoing Ramp in the background with a deep voice filter on, or at least I think it's Busta Rhymes. This track is great, and actually better than a Nas song with the same title, quite a feat from a rapper who is admittedly not nearly as good as Nas. The skit at the end was quite funny as well. "That smells like a bucket of ass, dude".

7. Wild For Da Night (feat. Busta Rhymes) (prod. Backspin the Vibe Chemist)

Again, Busta only pops up for the hook, but in this instance I actually don't care. This beat, the final one done by Backspin the Vibe Chemist on a mainstream album, is incredible, with the poignant and powerful piano loop being perfect backing for Busta to scream over. Rampage sounds calmer on this one than how he does on the rest of the album, a good decision, as it contrasts from the incredibly animated Busta chorus. This song is a classic, and easily one of the best on this whole album. I can't look past the line "shittin' Ex-Lax", but the rest of the song makes it worth it. Excellent stuff.

8. Flipmode Enemy #1 (feat. Serious) (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Looks like the maniacal Serious is back, and for a rather unexpected cover to Public Enemy's classic track "Public Enemy No. 1", with the same beat and all. Rampage rocks this beat well, and Serious has a good voice for the interludes throughout this track, even though he sadly doesn't contribute a verse. That skit with Spliff Star on the end is bloody horrific, though.

9. Take It To The Streets (feat. Billy Lawrence) (prod. Rashad Smith, co-prod. Armando Colon)

Sadly, Rampage's attempt to make a song for the chicks is completely and utterly terrible. The beat sounds cheap and nasty, sort of like the cover art for this album come to think of it, and the Billy Lawrence vocals on the hook are truly painful. The music video is utter crap as well - anyone think Jay-Z may have taken inspiration from this for his similarly unpleasant "(Always Be My) Sunshine" video?

10. Conquer Da World (feat. Meka) (prod. D.J. Scratch)

I believe Meka is a Flipmode affiliate who never was actually invited to join the crew - she did appear a couple of times on Busta Rhymes' later effort It Ain't Safe No More..., the second album in his catalogue to use ellipsis in the title, but was nowhere to be found anywhere else outside of this track, where she merely repeats the words "so what ya sayin' son" on the hook (which also has a repeated sample of Eric B. & Rakim's "Put Your Hands Together"). This is pretty solid, with a good beat, but the repetitive hook is rather annoying if I'm perfectly honest. 

11. Hall Of Fame (prod. D.J. Scratch)

These song concepts really aged well, didn't they. I mean, you can't turn on a News channel nowadays without hearing something about the adventures of Rampage the Last Boy Scout. The beat on here is nice as hell, though, with the intense bells giving a dope vibe, and the bassline bringing that menacing energy. I don't think Rampage quite deserves to be "awarded to be in the Hall Of Fame", but a little more recognition would be nice - this is just some dope-ass hip-hop. The shout to The Notorious B.I.G. (RIP) is interesting as well - Rampage and Biggie probably did know each other, since they were in the "Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)" video together.

12. Niggaz Iz Bad (feat. Serious) (prod. Rashad Smith)

The third Serious appearance, and it's OK. The beat sounds very mainstream, almost like a Bad Boy production, but the rapping is as far from mainstream as you can get. Rampage brings back the manic delivery that he used on "Da Night B4 My Shit Drop", and it sounds great, and it's even better that he only uses it in moderation. Busta pops up in the middle here, too, which was fun. I enjoyed the Serious verse too - I'm still annoyed he never got a solo album. This beat is a bit meh, but this track is still good anyway.

13. We Getz Down (Remix) (prod. Teddy Riley, co-prod. Sprague "Doggie" Williams)

Sounds weirdly radio-friendly, what with the talk box that sounds similar to that stuff that Roger Troutman did on 2Pac's "California Love", and the chilled out beat. This track appears to be a remix to another song that was released prior to this album as a single, but I'm not entirely sure if I'm honest. This is still good, though, if a bit weird. I wonder who did the talk box.

14. Rampage Outro (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Rampage goes a slightly different route to the usual Busta album here, talking over a completely new beat, rather than reusing the one from the intro. This beat is not great, but the allusion to Busta Rhymes' upcoming album When Disaster Strikes... was appreciated, so that's something.

Overall, Scouts Honor... By Way Of Blood is not quite as enjoyable as I remember it being, but it's still pretty damn good for the most part. The album remains entertaining throughout, with the exception of a couple of tracks, and Rampage is consistently stellar on the mic, with all of his verses hitting, and his versatility remaining interesting, especially on "Da Night B4 My Shit Drop" and "Niggaz Iz Bad". The main issue with this album is beats and hooks. Don't get me wrong, some of the choruses are great and epic, such as the ones on "Wild For Da Night" and "Flipmode Iz Da Squad", but a lot of them sound like shit, and even some of the better songs here are bought down by annoying and overly self-confident choruses ("Conquer Da World", "Hall Of Fame"). Some of the beats are crap as well, and there is one song on here that could be described as outright terrible. Despite my criticisms, though, I would still recommend a listen, especially if you're a fan of Busta Rhymes. The good songs here are phenomenal, and the project will keep you entertained throughout the runtime, which is more than can be said for some of Busta Rhymes' later albums. Also, mad respect to Busta for getting his man's debut out before he even put out his own sophomore effort. That's a true friend right there. This is a great album, and once you've listened to Busta's first three albums, I would definitely dive into this one. It's not perfect, but it's damned underrated, that's for sure. Just try and turn a blind eye to the cover art.

Best Tracks: Flipmode Iz Da Squad, Da Night B4 My Shit Drop, Talk Of The Town, The Set Up, Wild For Da Night, Hall Of Fame

Worst Tracks: Take It To The Streets, Conquer Da World

You may also enjoy:

Busta Rhymes - The Coming

Busta Rhymes - When Disaster Strikes...

Image for "Get the Money and Dip" taken from Discogs