DO THA BUSTA BUST

Few rappers can touch his verbal somersaults. None can match the charismatic swagger that gushes forth from intro to outro on his much anticipated new album, When Disaster Strikes. But for every outrageous prophecy, for every daring assault on the mike that the Brooklyn born- Long Island reared superstar puts up- it is matched by a tremendous presence of mind that lets you know Busta is always one step ahead of the game.

When Disaster Strikes. It's a bold, blistering follow-up to his groundbreaking platinum plus opus The Coming, which featured "Woo-Ha! (Got You All In Check)," one of the most memorable singles in the history of rap. Unlike other MC's who fashion a frenetic style ofrapping, there is no air of panic in Busta's antics. He hits the ground standing, so to speak, reclaiming one of the most influential vocal styles in music by playfully dominating the rhymes, trusting his instincts, never dodging the dark or difficult phrase. He's not so much flirtin' with disaster as he is bringing all challenges directly to him. Calling on the forces of the new millennium to dare cross swords with his very own empire, The Flipmode Squad. "They'll be more thirsty niggers tryin' to get inside your shit," begins Busta's ominous mentor Dolomite on the LP's intro. "Dolomite just got back from a place where I'm about to go," says Busta. "This place he's describing and everything he's been through - all you gotta' do is deal with the situation accordingly. The place that he's come from is the land of success with all of its tribulations, and he's just giving me a blessing before I go on my way."
Words become splintered forces in their own right on a paralyzing cluster of tracks, like the neo-psyhcedelic mind fuck of "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See," the funky roundtable of "We Could Take It Outside," featuring the famed Flipmode Squad: Rampage, Serious, Spliff Star, Lord Have Mercy, Rah-Digga & Baby Sham, or the diced up/cocksure array of beats and rhymes of "The Body Rock," featuring none other than Sean "Puffy" Combs and Mase, as well as one of his favorite co-horts, Rampage. The much acclaimed Erykah Badu also guests on a track with Busta, the playfully sensuous "One." "Erykah is one of a kind," glows Busta. "Her persona, her karma, she has a glorious energy. She reigns supreme as far as female performers go. �One' is the kind-of song I may have wanted to do but was waiting for the right collaboration. It was a Busta that was yet to happen. The way she maintains herself as an individual was so inspirational to me."

Always a generous supporter of other artists, Busta has assembled the cream of the hip hop class to lend flavor to his ferocity. A genius at mixing old school threads with his signature futurespeak, Busta approached this album with even more fervor than his last, which just happened to be one of the biggest hip hop albums of the year. "I wanted to incorporate the whole clique on this album," he says, giving props to each member of the highly versatile Flipmode Squad. "I didn't really feel as much pressure as you might think coming off the last album. This one felt like a continuation in a way. It was like: Let me do some shit that I didn't do on the other album, but it wasn't like I had to do some Mission Impossible shit either. I'm mastering it at a point now where all I want to do is reach comfort level. I want to get to a place where it is undeniably the shit - and I'm comfortable with it."

Never one to rest on his laurels, Busta first burst on to the scene in 1990 as a member of the legendary Leaders Of The New School. The group made two influential albums, 1990's Future Without A Past, and 1993's T.I.M.E.. The members became East Coast legends, enigmatic students of hip hop history with a cult following, but never enjoying the kind of mass appeal Busta eventually would find going solo. "Leaders was the foundation of everything for me," he says proudly about his past. "It's what I learned, what I use all the time. It applies every day. In this game you got to know what's come before you. Even if you don't understand it all you at least have to know the history. The people that know me for what I'm doing now hopefully will re-trace my history and discover the shit for themselves. That info ain't hard to find anywhere. I will never deny it."

His undeniable talent and contagious personality would lead to many guest appearances on other artist's work. Some of his more noted cameo stints include his performance on Craig Mack's legendary "Flava In Your Ear" remix, his work with R&B superstars Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, and TLC, as well as collaborations with A Tribe Called Quest, including the classic "Scenario."

But of course it was The Coming that established Busta as the most formidable force in hip hop. The success of that record has also enabled the multi-talented artist to groom and develop artists through the ever-growing Flipmode empire. "Flipmode is major because we influence each other," says Busta."What they do intensifies the role I play. When everybody's doing nice it keeps you on point. Makes me mind my P's and Q's. You know that the motherfuckers that you're with aren't going to let you slide or compromise. I might not always be number 1 but I always want to be competitive. Flipmode keeps me competitive."

Never one to duck controversial issues either, Busta addresses the subject matter of "Things We Be Doin' For Money, Parts 1 and 2," which in his words: "Are about things that are being done out there, killing and robbing. But what people have to remember is I'm talking about it in a song, or a mind state, through an entertainment vehicle, so that we can better deal with it. We have to talk about this shit so we can identify the problems, and that's the only way we can create solutions for it. If you hear about killing and shooting in a rap song, it doesn't mean we want that to happen. No one should be fronting like they want it, either. You don't want your moms or your baby into some stray shot shit. That shit ain't the move and it never was. To have to look over your shoulder over every move you make is no way to live. You lose weight behind that shit."

For Busta Rhymes, that code applies to the way he handles his career, as well. "I always look forward," he says. On When Disaster Strikes, he takes on the future without blinking. "I'll always strive to make hip hop music on the cutting edge. To set a new standard. We'll even flip mode on the very last move we make," he laughs. "Just to keep it exciting."

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