[Comp] BUSTA RHYMES - "The Second Coming"

Whatever your opinion is on Busta Rhymes the man sure as hell deserves massive props for having been a forerunner in hip-hop since the early '90s to the mid 2010s. I can't think of many other hip hop artist that has managed to stay current by updating his sound with the times and manage to do it in a succesful manner. Most rappers who were succesful in the '90s when boom bap type hip hop were a big thing on radio that has tried to stray from their original formula in an attempt to sell records fails miserable. But year after year, decade after decade, Busta keeps the hits coming, gaining new fans while at the same time still giving his original fanbase something to bang their heads to. Granted, he hasn't released an album that I really liked since 2006's "Big Bang" (which overall is an underrated LP) but even "Year Of The Dragon" had some bangers. For every "I Love My Bitch" there's a "You Can't Hold The Torch"; for every "Arab Money" there's a "Wheel Of Fortune"; and while his new single "Twerk It" is one of the most horrible tracks released this year, the follow-up single "Thank You" featuring Q-Tip is absolutely excellent. So yes I am still a Busta fan, despite his many questionable releases. Oh, and for the record "Dillagence" has to be one of the best mixtapes ever released.

But this post ain't about the new Busta, this shit is taking it back to the mid-'90s, covering the time span in which the large mouthed one dropped his masterpiece debut "The Coming", and its almost equally dope follow-ups "When Disaster Strikes" and "E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event)". These three albums are straight up incredible on all fronts - theme albums about the upcoming end of the world that are expertly sequenced with Busta's powerful voice taking command over dark, hard hitting beats provided by a healthy mix of established veterans (DJ Scratch, Q-Tip, Rashad Smith, Easy Mo Bee) and the producers of the future (Jay Dee, Nottz, Swizz Beats). One thing about a Busta Rhymes album is that the guy always been so commited to the project that there will be plenty of dope joints left on the cutting room floor once the final tracklist is decided on. A good example is "Genesis" which originally had no less than seven J Dilla productions, but once the final album hit stores his contribution had been limited to two tracks (cutting "Keep It Poppin'", "We Alright", "How We Roll", etc.). 

Luckily for us many of the songs from these sessions instead appeared as B-sides, ended up on soundtracks or the ocassional white label bootleg. And this is where myself and The Lost Tapes come in of course. I've compiled, in as good sound quality as possible, all the non-album tracks, excluding remixes, from Busta's singles from '96-'98 and beefed it up with some of his more essential guest spots from that period. I could of course have included classics like "Scenario", "Come On Down", "Flava in Ya Ear" and so on but I really wanted this to play like a complimentary piece to Busta Rhymes three first solo albums when he still had that mega raw rah-rah style. As such I think I've succeded quite damn well as this represent Busta Rhymes at his very peak over those booming headknock type of beats we loved to hear him demolish. Production from Diamond D, DJ Scratch, Wyclef, Kid Capri, Erick Sermon and more. TURN IT UP!!

01. "Far Away" (Ft. Hurricane G)

02. "Coming Off"

03. "Wild Hot" (Ft. Q-Tip)

04. "Steppin' It Up" (w. A Tribe Called Quest & Redman)

05. "Live to Regret"

06. "On Your Mark: Ready, Set, Go"

07. "Rumble in the Jungle" (w. Fugees & A Tribe Called Quest)

08. "Flipmode is Da Squad" (Ft. Rampage, Lord Have Mercy & Serious)

09. "You Won't Tell, I Won't Tell" (w. Greg Nice)

10. "Do It Like Never Before"

11. "The Hit Off" (w. Kid Capri & Spliff Star)

12. "Starsky & Hutch" (w. LL Cool J)

13. "Yeah" (Ft. Def Squad)
14. "Woo Hah!!" [The Worldwide Remix] (Ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard)

15. "Funkmaster Flex Session" (Ft. Flipmode Squad)

16. "Bus-A-Bus" [The Diamond D Remix]

BUSTA RHYMES - "THE SECOND COMING"