And then Hip Hop said, "Busta, Where are you going?"

Busta Rhymes. Straight Flava. I'm sure that all hip hop heads have chimed in on a song or two in our musical life span. To put it simply, the man is legendary and that's it. From the early ninety's on, he has given us music to party, vibe, and cruise to. Some of my personal favorite include Gimme Some More, I Know What You Want featuring Mariah Carey, Everything Remains Raw, Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See, and What's It Gonna Be featuring Janet Jackson. Let's not forget a host of features and remixes he's been on as well. When he features on a track he does his thing, and yes, he does it very well. The advantage he has over other artists is that he has the insane ability to turn a good record into a hot one with only a few bars. All due to his cadence, energy and rhymes. Busta has worked with many hip hop greats like A Tribe Called Quest, J Dilla, Raekwon the Chef, and Biggie. He has undoubtedly made his mark on the rap game in it's entirety by making the audience remember his name for more reasons than just one. 

However, there is very little to be said about where his career is going. I will admit I was a little worried when he cut off his locks, but then he gave us 'The Big Bang'. It wasn't his best, but it's decent enough to listen to occasionally. This is where the problem begins. Busta releases his next album, 'Back On My B.S.' and I had to laugh because that's exactly what I thought it was, B.S. The singles we had to contend with were Respect My Conglomerate, Arab Money, and Hustlers Anthem 09. Now.... Personally I hated Arab Money and the trash that is Ron Brownz that came with it, but it seems to be the only track that did reasonably well. That track alone is not enough to make someone want to go out and buy the album. The single yes, but definitely not the album. There were no classics anywhere to be found on this album, just lots of fillers. Unfortunately because many of us love Busta, many fans myself even, let it slide as if that huge hip hop discrepancy never happened.

So. Here we are in 2012 and Busta has now signed with... Young Money (I even hate saying it) . There is no more Flipmode, just straight YMCMB. Busta Rhymes has such a phenomenal Hip Hop lineage, that this would only kill his career and stomp on his notoriety. From the looks of things, it seems to be working. What does it say about your career when you have been reduced to making tracks with... Lil Twist and new found "rapper" Chris Brown? Something is TERRIBLY wrong! I also would like to know who told Busta that he needed to rap fast ALL the time? Fast rapping should only be left up to Twista (who does it very well), not Busta. Since he has started this trend, you notice that he is only repeating himself and therefore saying much less then he use to. I will say this, do not be deceived and mistake fast rapping as 'ripping' a track. Prime example being the 'Look At Me Now' track with Chris Brown. I have ran into too many people who have told me I was crazy for thinking that Busta did not go in. He didn't. Period. Look up the lyrics and tell me i'm lying, but you already know i'm not. I just feel like YM is for entertainment purposes only. Maybe to make you laugh but definitely not for making good music or to even make you think. Quite Frankly that doesn't even matter because we listen to who we want to regardless of how bad it is. If it has a good beat and a catchy chorus-- I won't get into that now, thats another post for another day. I just know that I'll be damned if I sit back, be quiet, and continue to be fed garbage while YM turns a hip hop great into their flunky! I know Busta wants to stay relevant but this is not the way! I see the downward spiral he's in and it is making me VERY uneasy. My only request is for him to please not let us forget why we love him as an artist. Busta, you gotta hang on to your Hip Hop integrity and show these new comers why you are one of the greatest!