It Ain't Safe No More [Clean] [Edited]

Performer: Busta Rhymes
Artist: Meka; Spliff Star; Mariah Carey; The Flipmode Squad; Rah Digga; Sean Paul; Carl Thomas
Engineer: Asif Ali; Ken Huffnagle; Darien Rapp; Rick Rock; Rick St. Hilaire; Todd Fairall
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Contains the hidden track "Make It Clap" which occurs after "Till It's Gone." Personnel includes: Busta Rhymes (rap vocals); Meka, Spliff Star, Mariah Carey, Flipmode Squad, Rah Digga, Carl Thomas, Sean Paul. Producers include: Dilla, Megahertz, The Neptunes, DJ Scratch, Rick Rock. Contains the hidden track "Make It Clap, Remix" following the track "Til It's Gone." Personnel includes: Busta Rhymes (rap vocals); Meka, Spliff Star, Mariah Carey, Carl Thomas, Flipmode Squad, Rah Digga. Producers include: Megahertz, DJ Scratch, Dilla, Mario "Yellowman" Winans, Tetamus. Personnel: Mariah Carey (vocals). Audio Mixers: DJ Scratch; Patrick Gordon; Patrick Viala; Rick Rock; Rick St. Hillaire; Todd Fairall. Recording information: Buzz Soundworks, New York, NY; D.N.A.B. Studios, Detroit, MI; Soundtrack Studios, New York, NY; Studio A Recordings, Dearborn Heights, MI; The Enterprise Studios, Burbank, CA. Photographer: Mista Dean Karr. Arrangers: Pharrell Williams; Chad Hugo. "We about to take everybody from every street and throw a party in the Grand Canyon," proclaimeth Busta Rhymes in the intro to infectious club anthem "Make It Clap." That statement succinctly captures the spirit of the former Native Tongues member-turned-hip-hop mega-star, and of IT AIN'T SAFE NO MORE, a down and dirty house party intimately drenched in urban chaos and held in an overwhelmingly massive setting. Busta, with his unmistakable gravel tones and class-clown demeanor, has managed the remarkable feat of filling the dance floors while maintaining credibility in the underground. As he slides into his 30s, Busta retains the youthful swagger and grandiloquent, unrestrained silliness that made him a superstar. While he's certainly best known for his bombastic dance tracks, he could always rhyme with the best MCs, as evidenced here on "What Do You Do When You're Branded" and the title track, the latter of which features a lushly layered quasi-circus backbeat. Mariah Carey herself drops by to coo on the sultry "I Know What You Want." Then, of course, there are the trademark kick-down-the-tables killers like the aforementioned "Make it Clap" and the Rah Digga/Swizz Beatz collaboration "Together." "We about to take everybody from every street and throw a party in the Grand Canyon," proclaimeth Busta Rhymes in the intro to infectious club anthem "Make It Clap." That statement succinctly captures the spirit of the former Native Tongues member-turned-hip-hop mega-star, and of IT AIN'T SAFE NO MORE, a down and dirty house party intimately drenched in urban chaos and held in an overwhelmingly massive setting. Busta, with his unmistakable gravel tones and class-clown demeanor, has managed the remarkable feat of filling the dance floors while maintaining credibility in the underground. As he slides into his 30s, Busta retains the youthful swagger and grandiloquent, unrestrained silliness that made him a superstar. While he's certainly best known for his bombastic dance tracks, he could always rhyme with the best MCs, as evidenced here on "What Do You Do When You're Branded" and the title track, the latter of which features a lushly layered quasi-circus backbeat. Mariah Carey herself drops by to coo on the sultry "I Know What You Want." Then, of course, there are the trademark kick-down-the-tables killers like the aforementioned "Make it Clap" and the Rah Digga/Swizz Beatz collaboration "Together." No matter whether the title's a reference to the increased risk of terrorism in Busta's hometown circa 2002 ("sh*t is crazy!") or to the fact that rap's most volatile and unpredictable personality is back and bigger than ever, It Ain't Safe No More continues in the vein of loose-cannon classics like 1997's When Disaster Strikes and 2001's Genesis. And when he's on, he's better than ever, too; the title track features a P-Funk singalong and a vivid, synth-heavy production over some of the tightest spitfire raps heard on any hip-hop LP of the new millennium. After a half-hearted melodrama called "What Do You Do When You're Branded," Busta returns to what he does best on "Call the Ambulance" -- incapacitating all comers with rhymes as hardcore as they are hilarious. "What Up" is half-Neptunes and half-Raymond Scott, and the single "Make It Clap" is just the latest classic Flipmode anthem. Except for a few overblown performances and quasi-epic productions, It Ain't Safe No More finds Busta Rhymes with the same sure grip on his distinctive personality. [This album is also available in clean version.] ~ John Bush

Uncut (3/03, p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Entertaining..." Uncut (3/03, p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Entertaining..." Vibe (1/03, p.127) - 3.5 out of 5 - "...Busta again shows the versatility of his flow; but it's the complexity of the words that may surprise you..." Vibe (1/03, p.127) - 3.5 out of 5 - "...Busta again shows the versatility of his flow; but it's the complexity of the words that may surprise you..."

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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