New York, NY (Top40 Charts) As we spend the entirety of 2023 honoring the 50th year of hip-hop, one of the culture's most legendary performers, Busta Rhymes, commemorates two of his most monumental contributions in music. Happy 27th to Busta's classic debut The Coming and we continue to honor the 25th anniversary of his timeless sophomore album When Disaster Strike.
Released on March 26, 1996, The Coming remains one of the most anticipated hip-hop debuts of all-time. This was a truly innovative and lucrative era in rap where
Kings such as Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur and
Snoop Dogg reigned. Although Busta had garnered acclaim as part of Leaders Of The New School, his life and career hit an entirely new stratosphere when Leaders disbanded and Busta embarked on a journey that would see him pioneer the hip-hop guest feature.
What started as show-stealing, superstar making, guest spot on A Tribe Called Quest's staple, "The Scenario," turned into a groundbreaking, lauded one man rap rampage. Busta became that the most sought after guest MC in music, getting calls from the likes of everyone from Puff Daddy,
Heavy D, TLC and Mary J Blige to appear on their projects.
Finally, in January of 1996, Busta released an audio earthquake, the first single from The Coming, "Woo-Hah!! Got You All In Check." The record immediately became the hottest song in the streets and in the clubs bringing the anticipation for the LP to a fever pitch. With follow-up records such as "Everything Remains Raw," "Ill Vibe" featuring Q-Tip, and "It's A Party," featuring Zhane. Busta not only solidified his album with the critics and fans, he also became a transcending rap Goliath.
The very next summer, Busta came back with a megaton bomb. He released what many call the greatest hip-hop party record ever, the grammy nominated "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See." While the song took over the radio, the streets and the club, the video for the song ignited televisions everywhere. Directed by Hype Williams and inspired by the film "Coming To America," "Put Your Hands" made history. In 1999, MTV ranked the video number seven on their list of "The 100 Greatest
Music Videos Ever Made" and in recent years, BET Jams voted "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" as the greatest hip-hop video of all-time.
Like his previous effort, When Disaster Strikes had several, climate shifting hits, highlighted by "Rhymes Galore" and "Dangerous." Erykah Badu, Anthony Hamilton, The Flipmode Squad, Mase and
Puff Daddy also all were featured on the album. And while When Disaster Strikes'official 25th anniversay was
September 16, 2022, in true
Busta Rhymes fashion, the party isn't stopping.
"As we enjoy the 27th anniversary of The Coming, we are also currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of When Disaster… It's always been a goal to make timeless music and I'm elated my first two albums have stood the test of time."
Not only have they stood the test of time, they have influenced generations. "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" alone has been sampled by at least a dozen artists ranging from singer
Syleena Johnson to Dancehall Kingpin Spragga Benz. By far, the biggest song of 2023 is the DJ Saige remix to Coi Leray's "Players." Saige also used the instrumental to "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and the record became a phenomenon, especially on social media. Just like her predecessors did in the 90s, Coi made the call to Busta to jump on the song. The official remix featuring
Busta Rhymes was released on March 24th.
Just last month, Busta captivated millions as part of the Hip-Hop 50 tribute performance at the Grammy Awards. Busta commandeered the stage with riotous renditions of "
Look At Me Now" and "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See." A couple of weeks later, on February 27th, Busta and an orchestra reigned triumphant in front of a sold out audience at New York's Carnegie Hall. History was made that night as Bus became the first MC to headline and perform at the storied venue without incorporating any guest performers.
The multi-media mogul is just getting started in what is already shaping up to be one of his biggest years ever. Not only is he building off of the success of the aforementioned, recent, one off spectaculars, in 2022 Busta and comedic savant Dave Chappelle brought forth an innovate, incredibly curated, one-of-kind outing with a handful of shows titled "Dave And Busta's." A full fledge tour pairing both legends is being planned. From August to October of 2022, Busta also teamed with his close friends of 30 years, Nas and The
Wu-Tang Clan for the "N.Y.
State Of Mind" tour of the U.S.
In November of 2022, Busta released his highly applauded EP The Fuse Is Lit. Now, the timeless titan is gearing up for a tidal wave of new music including a full length solo LP.
"Thank you to all the fans and media who have been, and continue to celebrate these historic achievements with me," says the icon, who Billboard and Vibe listed amongst the mic royalty on their "Greatest 50 MCs" list earlier this year. "I'm inspired, I'm working diligently and I'm ready to give the world more classics."
