Man, this album review shit ain’t as easy as it seems. It is hard to just review the album at hand and not review the man (or woman as it may be). Quality of the album aside, is The Big Bang really a Busta Rhymes album? But we’ll get to that in a minute. The legacy of Bussa Bus can’t really be called into question, as a young man he was show-stealing frontman of Native Tongue little brothers Leaders of the New School. It was only natural that the high energy emcee would go solo and he did just that with the ridiculous single “Woo-Hah! (Got You All In Check)” in 1996. But as it would become the trend of his career, the album didn’t live up to the hype of the single. Year after year, Busta would steal the spotlight with blazing guest verses, drop a crazy catchy single and then disappoint with the LP. One thing that was always consistent was Busta bouncing off the walls, displaying that charisma that long made him one of Hip Hop’s most loved.

Fifteen years since his debut, Busta isn’t quite packing the energy he used to. Understandable right? He is in his mid 30’s now…or is that not the reason? Since Busta signed to Dre’s “keep it gangsta” Aftermath powerhouse we’ve witnessed a slow, subtle crafting of a newer, harder Busta Rhymes. Just check the mean mug on the album cover or listen to when he refers to himself as a “street emperor” or talks some killer and drug shit on “Cocaina.” “The mo’ niggas I murda/the mo’ money/the mo’ the merrier.” Who is that rapping? Thing is, the song is dope as Busta growls over Dre’s keys. The funny thing is on the very next song (“You Can’t Hold A Torch”), Busta and Q-Tip chastise bullshitting rappers for not representing right. You can’t help but wonder if he’s rapping into the mirror. The newfound drug interest continues as Busta trades coke-cooking stories with the Chef himself, Raekwon. But again, “Goldmine” is a real dope song boasting a Doc Dre and E Double co-production, so I can’t complain. More tough talk abounds on “Don’t Get Carried Away” - the song title, not a suggestion – as Nas steals the show on the sinister Dre track.

The rest of the album is much easier to digest. You’ve either got incredible tracks like the autobiographic Stevie Wonder-assisted “Been Through The Storm” or the harsh “Legends of the Fall Offs.” Or you’ve got utter trash like “I Love My Bitch” and “How We Do It Over Here.” The Q-Tip and Marsha featured “Get You Some” is dope, “New York Shit” is cool, and Timbaland produced “Get Down” is eeehhh. It’s the typical inconsistency that’s always plagued the Dungeon Dragon. The difference here is that The Big Bang is put together more cohesively than his other works, but that is no surprise with the Doctor at the helm.

If I want to hear some gangsta shit, I can assure you that I’m not gonna skim through my Busta Rhymes collection. He has always been about the rah rah shit to get the party jumping, not weaving tales of ki’s and burners with the digits scrapped off. After 15 years in the game we are just finding out Busta Rhymes has been grinding his axe on the corner? No. This is a fabricated, “this-is-what-the-label-wants” Busta Rhymes. While I may have little use personally for this version, I won’t deny that The Big Bang is a dope album.