Back on My B.S. [Clean] [PA]

Performer: Busta Rhymes
Artist: Jadakiss; Lil Wayne; T-Pain; Tosh; Pharrell Williams; Ron Browz; Mike Epps; The Flipmode Movement; Show Money; Spliff Star; DeMarco; Jelly Roll; Akon; T.I.; Common; Jamie Foxx; John Legend; Mary J. Blige; Estelle
Engineer: Gina Victoria; Ryan Gilligan; Finis "KY" White; Frankie "Whispers" Zago; Rayshawn Woolard; Andrew Coleman; Rick St. Hilaire; Eric Leonard
Producer: Ron Browz; King Karnov; DJ Scratch; Cool and Dre; Ty Fyffe
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Kevin Mayer (guitar); Armond "Bamm" Davis, Eddie Montilla (keyboards). Audio Mixers: Nealhpogue; Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica; Glen Marchese; Patrick Viala; Rick St. Hillaire. Recording information: Creation Studios, North Hollywood, CA; Flipmode Recording Studios, NY; Music Factory Recording Studio, Hempstead, NY; South Beach Studios, Miami, FL; The Record Room Studios, N. Miami, FL; Westlake Studios, Beverly Hills, CA. Photographer: Frank Ockenfels. On his long-awaited eighth studio album, the Flipmode leader and super MC extraordinaire flows over high-budget productions from frequent collaborators Dr. Dre, the Neptunes, and Jelly Roll as well as fast-rising Bronx producer/MC Ron Browz. Busta blasts off in true street-hop fashion, reworking melodies from El Debarge and classic lyrics from Slick Rick on the fierce album opener "Wheel of Fortune." After Busta takes lavish-life boasting to surreal places ("I got oil well money/In the desert playin' golf/O.J. shorts, dashiki with a Louis scarf") over the Browz-produced banger "Arab Money," comedian Mike Epps sums up the track's nonchalance about the U.S. financial woes ("Your dollar ain't sh*t!"). R&B hooks dominate the second half of BACK ON MY B.S. and Busta chooses to engage them in one of two ways--by providing bold counterpoints with his signature high-energy shout raps (as on the heavy piano-loop of "We Want In" and the ATL-flavored "Don't Believe Em") or by softening his flow to interact with the melodies (as on the X-rated "Sugar" or the Dre-produced ballad "Decision"). Following up his troubled 2006 release The Big Bang, Back on My B.S. -- or B.O.M.B.S. -- is guided by the "return to form" template, sometimes to a fault. "Give Em What They Askin For" is an exercise in yelling, kicking, and screaming "I'm back" as loud as you can, and while fans will likely cheer, Busta and producer Ron Brownz are just preaching to the converted and should have left this hookless monster on a mixtape. A handful of similar tracks suffer from this same problem of ambition over inspiration, but for every miss, there's a hit, and you don't have to look any further than the other Busta and Brownz team-up, "Arab Money," which acts as an Arabic-sampling alternative to its equally infectious older brother, "Mundian to Bach Ke." The Jelly Roll production "Sugar" is the wild sound of Kraftwerk with an Isley Brother in their ranks, while Pharrell gives "Kill Dem" a Neptunes-styled version of dancehall, allowing Busta to turn on the patois and let his Jamaican heritage take control. Odd that a comeback album would put unsurprising Akon and John Legend collaborations in the fourth quarter, but even odder is the successful closing bit of Euro-disco called "World Go Round" which falls somewhere between a Flo Rida single and a new wave club classic. That's more highlights than last time out, and even if B.O.M.B.S. fails to put Busta back on top, it is certainly a step in the right direction. ~ David Jeffries Following up his troubled 2006 release The Big Bang, Back on My B.S. -- or B.O.M.B.S. -- is guided by the "return to form" template, sometimes to a fault. "Give Em What They Askin For" is an exercise in yelling, kicking, and screaming "I'm back" as loud as you can, and while fans will likely cheer, Busta and producer Ron Brownz are just preaching to the converted and should have left this hookless monster on a mixtape. A handful of similar tracks suffer from this same problem of ambition over inspiration, but for every miss, there's a hit, and you don't have to look any further than the other Busta and Brownz team-up, "Arab Money," which acts as an Arabic-sampling alternative to its equally infectious older brother, "Mundian to Bach Ke." The Jelly Roll production "Sugar" is the wild sound of Kraftwerk with an Isley Brother in their ranks, while Pharrell gives "Kill Dem" a Neptunes-styled version of dancehall, allowing Busta to turn on the patois and let his Jamaican heritage take control. Odd that a comeback album would put unsurprising Akon and John Legend collaborations in the fourth quarter, but even odder is the successful closing bit of Euro-disco called "World Go Round" which falls somewhere between a Flo Rida single and a new wave club classic. That's more highlights than last time out, and even if B.O.M.B.S. fails to put Busta back on top, it is certainly a step in the right direction. [A clean version of the CD, with all profanities removed, was also released.] ~ David Jeffries

Billboard (p.53) - "[T]here's something for everyone on BACK ON MY B.S....The rapper is still one of the most skilled in the game." XXL (Magazine) - "[Busta Rhymes] stays true to form, meshing the same witty concepts and dope production he has been known for his entire career....He also draws upon his Jamaican roots with the reggae-influenced 'Kill Dem'..." Q (Magazine) (p.110) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] the utterly fantastic 'World Go Round' -- grunting hip-house, breathless rapping a killer hook from Estelle."

Brooklyn-born rapper Busta Rhymes first came to prominence in the early 1990s as a member of the Leaders of The New School, whose two albums found a place in the hearts of many hardcore hip-hop fans. Later in the decade, he embarked on the solo career that was inevitable, considering his talent, charisma, and unique style, with his distinctive brand of in-your-face, dancehall-flavored rhyming sticking out among the sound-alike MCs. He continued his style of apocalyptic imagery funneled through a hard-partying attitude into the 21st century, releasing the excellent THE BIG BANG in 2006.

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