Busta Rhymes – Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath Of God (Album Review)

Busta Rhymes makes his triumphant return to the music scene with “Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath Of God.”

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TOP 5

5. CALM DOWN

Busta Rhymes and Eminem go ham, cheese, mayo, and crazy feta on “Calm Down.”

In all seriousness, my brain almost exploded listening to “Calm Down.” The song features wacky flows, presidential campaign announcements, disses towards bloggers, a random-ass “Jump Around” snippet, and a beat that will make a club shake. Yes, Busta Rhymes and Eminem went all the way off on “Calm Down.”

What the f**k did I just listen to?

4. E.L.E. 2 INTRO

“E.L.E. 2 Intro” is a confusing, scary, and fantastic rap song.

Throughout “E.L.E. 2 Intro,” Chris Rock, Busta Rhymes, Rakim, and Hellraiser let us know that the world is going to end sometime this weekend. While Chris comes across like someone that doesn’t actually believe that the world is going to end, both Busta Rhymes and Rakim sound like two conspiracy theorists that know how to put together raps with outstanding wordplay and unbreakable flows.

3. BLOWING THE SPEAKERS

“Blowing The Speakers” is one of the few songs on this album (It’s actually on the Reloaded portion) that I think is an undeniable club hit.

So many things make “Blowing The Speakers” great: 2 Chainz’s adlibs, the bass booming Murda Beatz beat, Busta Rhymes’ sly flows, and even the song’s title. All in all, I left “Blowing The Speakers” feeling like I just heard one of Busta’s biggest hits to date!

Why the hell did Busta leave this song off the original album?

2. YUUU

I saw a collaboration between Busta Rhymes and Anderson .Paak coming from a mile away!

“YUUU” is one of the most creative bangers I’ve heard this year. The song is powered by a futuristic beat, a hook by Anderson .Paak that you’re going to love to sing along to, and a very sly/dynamic verse by Busta Rhymes. The song also features a few braggadocios/savage lyrics by the two musicians (Hey, what’s a club banger without braggadocios/savage lyrics?).

I want to hear “YUUU” at a club that a bunch of nerds go to.

1. LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER

A song featuring Kendrick Lamar, Busta Rhymes, and a young Michael Jackson has to be good, right?

“Look Over Your Shoulder” is a cold-ass banger that boasts a beat that will make you nod your head violently, a passionate hook by a Young Michael Jackson, and verses by both Kendrick Lamar and Busta Rhymes that are full of insane rap deliveries, competitive lyrics, and tons of ferociousness.

I’m so glad that Kendrick Lamar didn’t decide to play the back on this song.

SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. E.L.E. 2 INTRO (4/5)

2. THE PURGE (4/5)

3. STRAP YOURSELF DOWN (3/5)

4. CZAR (3/5)

5. OUTTA MY MIND (2/5)

6. E.L.E. 2 THE WRATH OF GOD (N/A)

7. SLOW FLOW (4/5)

8. DON’T GO (4/5)

9. BOOMP! (4/5)

10. TRUE INDEED (4/5)

11. MASTER FARD MUHAMMAD (4/5)

12. YUUU (4/5)

13. OH NO (3/5)

14. THE DON & THE BOSS (3/5)

15. BEST I CAN (4/5)

16. WHERE I BELONG (3/5)

17. DEEP THOUGHT (4/5)

18. THE YOUNG GOD SPEAKS (N/A)

19. LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER (4/5)

20. YOU WILL NEVER FIND ANOTHER ME (4/5)

21. FREEDOM (4/5)

22. SATANIC (4/5)

23. BLOWING THE SPEAKERS (4/5)

24. WHO ARE YOU (2/5)

25. HOPE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE (3/5)

26. CALM DOWN (4/5)

OVERALL RATING

(C)

No one ever puts Busta Rhymes in their top 5 rappers list. It’s a shame because, for over 30 years, he has put up some pretty good verses. On ELE2, Busta does a great job of reminding the world that we need to send him his roses as soon as possible.

The number one thing that sticks out to me about Busta Rhymes is the animation that he raps with. I love how he embraces his grungy voice and wacky deliveries. With that being said, on ELE 2, Busta finds every way in the book to make sure that listeners never doze off while listening to the album. Not only does he vigilantly rap over beats that are nothing short of cinematic, but he also hits us with lyrics that are supposed to hit you harder than Mike Tyson. While I won’t quite say that Busta has aged like fine wine, I will say that his hall-of-fame status will creep up on a few non-believers of his like fine wine does once they are finished listening to ELE2.