My Gut Reaction: Busta Rhymes - Anarchy (June 20, 2000)

After the dismal listening experience that was Extinction Level Event: The Final Reason To Give A Fuck About Busta Rhymes, I stopped following the career of Busta Rhymes.  Sadly, nobody followed my lead, and to this day Trevor Smith continues to sell millions of records as one of the most apathetic artists in the game.  But at least he's focused much of his recent energy into getting folks out onto the dance floor and on driving while intoxicated; back in 2000, when his fourth solo album Anarchy dropped on Elektra Records, he was still convinced that the world was going to end when the clock struck January 1, 2000, even though Anarchy dropped more than six months after the fact.


It's possible that I failed to notice Anarchy sitting on store shelves when I didn't hear any singles on the radio.  I know there had to have been some singles, at least one, but I heard nothing about them until I picked this up from the library and did some Wikipedia research.  I suppose they must not have been very successful; whenever the radio stations around my way decide to include ol' dirty Trevor in their mixes, they inevitable go with what has become his signature song, "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" (although these days, I admit that I have heard the shit out of his newer "hit", "Stop The Party", with Swizz Beatz trying to emulate his own work on Jay-Z's "On To The Next One"). 


I've noticed that, after spending his last album pretending he didn't exist, Busta has reconnected with the late J. Dilla for Anarchy.  The producer formerly known as Jay Dee had provided some of the better contributions to Trevor's first two solo albums, but was discarded on number three in favor of the mainstream sounds of the aforementioned Swizz Beatz, who also appears on here, because of course he does.  Regular collaborator DJ Scratch turns in a few appearances behind the boards, as do Just Blaze, Scott Storch, Nottz, and one other guy who I'm keeping secret until we get to his song, mainly because it shocked the hell out of me that Busta was even aware of his continued existence.


I would hope that Anarchy won't be a complete waste of my time, but I think I already sealed my fate with the whole "I've never heard any of the singles" thing.  If the marketing tools used to sell the product aren't memorable, then the rest of Anarchy can't be much better.


That's my line of thinking, anyway.


1. INTRO: THE CURRENT STATE OF ANARCHY
Oh my fucking God. Are you fucking kidding me, Trevor?


2. SALUTE DA GODS!!
Fairly embarrassing for both Busta and his producer, DJ Scratch, who somehow talked our host into liberally borrowing from “Betcha By Golly Wow!” by The Stylistics for the hook, all while not living up to his end of the bargain, providing a weak-ass adult contemporary instrumental instead of something that should be earth-shattering, given the song title “Salute Da Gods!!” and the album title Anarchy. It's too soon to have a bad feeling about this shit, right? Right?


3. ENJOY DA RIDE
On which Trevor fails to convince anybody listening that his music is still enjoyable. That may sound harsh, but it's the truth: Dilla's nonthreatening production forces Busta into a non-aggressive pattern, where he typically comes across as boring. This sounds like Busta's audition tape for joining up with the Native Tongues, only with more profanity and even more apathy. I can't imagine that anybody would find this shit entertaining, but I've been wrong before: I'm sure this is actually your favorite song. It's just too bad you have such terrible taste.


4. WE PUT IT DOWN FOR Y'ALL
Swizz's beat fails to register as actual music, so you can imagine how the rest of this sounds. Subject matter-wise, this comes across as an outtake from When Disaster Strikes, back when Busta Rhymes had re-branded himself as a mildly successful solo artist who, naturally, let it all go to his head. You know, for a former hip hop cameo king who was frequently called upon to perform song hooks, Busta sure as hell has no clue how to write a chorus these days. What a shame.


5. BLADOW!!
Scott Storch's simplistic beat isn't awful: in fact, it kind of saves Busta's dull performance. Thus far, this is the most engaging track on Anarchy, and the fact that it still isn't very good doesn't give me high hopes for the rest of this write-up. Trevor is obviously coasting on here, spouting random catchphrases directing his “n---z” and his “bitches” to “bounce” to this shit; I feat that most of these “n----z” and “bitches” will read the alternate meaning of “bounce” and simply leave.


6. STREET SHIT
Who the fuck would ever listen to this shit in the street? Sesame street, perhaps, but I believe the Children's Television Workshop (or whatever they're called today) would have an issue with the use of profanity as a substitute for substance. Groan.


7. LIVE IT UP
Busta Rhymes may indeed tongue-kiss Dilla's instrumental (as mixed by his old friend Kamaal the Abstract Poetic) as if it were fried chicken (I wouldn't know personally, as I'm not in the habit of showing affection to food items), but he obviously wasn't very hungry: his performance on “Live It Up” is technically proficient and bland and unappealing all at once. Have you ever reserved a rental car to discover that all they have left is a Yugo? It'll get you where you need to go, but you're still tempted to abandon the ugly piece of shit on the side of the highway, just so you won't feel dirty by association. That's how I feel about Anarchy right now.


8. FIRE
This may have been a single: Busta's self-produced high-energy beat sounds mildly familiar, anyway. Trevor sounds amped up on here, as if he had been drinking green tea all day prior to entering the booth, and his effort on the track is obvious: I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this was the first song recorded for Anarchy, and the rest was laid down in a twenty-four hour haze of weed and Red Bull the night before the label demanded a final product for mastering. This wasn't a terrible song, but it pales when compared to the rest of Busta's catalog.


9. ALL NIGHT
I haven't witnessed a rap artist in this type of creative freefall since Prodigy of Mobb Deep. Yeah, I just went there. All of Busta's verses sound as though they were written by committee, and the beats on Anarchy are almost uniformly aggravating. Sorry Trevor, but this sucks. It is what it is. No wonder the man drinks so goddamn much.


10. SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT
Okay, I may have spoken too soon. Aside from the generic title and the chorus that never fucking ends, “Show Me What You Got” is actually pretty good, thanks to Dilla's understated instrumental (taken from a sequel to The Coming that doesn't exist) and a renewed focus from our host. Busta isn't saying anything significant on here, but he manages to sound like he still cares, which is saying a lot. This was a surprise.


11. GET OUT!!!
And with this, which I believe was also a single, Busta Rhymes has used up his allocation of exclamation marks. I think this was a single because of its obvious aping of the Jay-Z / Mark The 45 King “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” blueprint, and also because I think there's a video. Also, it sounds fucking godawful, with its gimmick running dry during the very first appearance of the sound bite taken from a children's choral performance of The Ugly Duckling, which keeps it in line with the radio singles of the day. Fuck this shit; Busta Rhymes should be creating trends, not trying to sound like everyone else.


12. THE HEIST (FEAT RAEKWON, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, & ROC MARCIANO)
This track doesn't really fit in on Anarchy, not in the least bit, and not just because it's a self-contained robbery tale that has fuck-all to do with the end of the world and the chaos that runs rampant afterward. It also sounds very goddamn good. Shit like this Large Professor-produced gem (I know, right?) help make sense of the fact that Busta Rhymes was once the executive producer of Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Part II. Kudos to our host for not automatically bringing his cousin Rampage into the studio that day, instead allowing Roc Marciano to hone his craft alongside the constructive criticism of crime tale veterans Rae and Ghostface Killah. Even Busta sounds rejuvenated, unlike what we've heard on the rest of Anarchy. Nice!


13. A TRIP OUT OF TOWN
After an unnecessary long introductory skit (which, admittedly, sets the stage for the song), Busta Rhymes tackles a storytelling rap without the aid of any guests, and he isn't that bad, even if the tale itself is fairly lacking. Busta has this ability to keep you hanging onto his every word simply by switching his combustible flow into something much more calm: it's too bad that skill set is wasted on a generic crime tale that isn't even worth of a lesser rapper (although the twist ending was fucking hilarious, so maybe I'm being too harsh).


14. HOW MUCH WE GREW
I have never wanted, nor have I ever needed, to hear Busta Rhymes chat about the growth of his pubic hair, but I give him credit for tossing an oft-ignored aspect of puberty into a track detailing his childhood and growth into the “successful” rapper that he is today. Trevor is trying to open his hear up to the listeners, and the effort is appreciated, but this really isn't that good of a song.


15. HERE WE GO AGAIN (FEAT FLIPMODE SQUAD)
Busta's Flipmode Squad brethren return for the obligatory posse cut, taking center stage on a track with the worst possible title Trevor could come up with. Just Blaze's bouncy beat grates on the nerves, and, in what is par for the course at this point, our host is the only one of the six participants who can even ride the instrumental without tripping over his shoelaces. (Roc Marcy comes close, though: it's little wonder why bloggers are currently all over the guy's nut sack as though it was Lindsay Lohan and they're the paparazzi.) Trevor ends the song by promoting a sophomore Flipmode Squad project that never came to fruition. Still, as weak as this shit is, I'd rather hear Busta rhyme with those guys (and Rah Digga) than alongside fucking Rick Ross as a part of Puffy's Dream Team. That was a severe miscalculation, Trevor.


16. WE COMIN' THROUGH
This was so stupid that I can't even be bothered to write my opinion down.


17. C'MON ALL MY N----Z, C'MON ALL MY BITCHES
Have I mentioned yet that the transitions between songs on Anarchy are terrible? Anyway, this musical cousin to “Gimme Some More” (from Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front) is notable only because it proves that Trevor is still capable of riding the highs and lows of the beat like no one else. He matches the strings on DJ Scratch's beat note for note: it's a shame that he says absolutely fucking nothing. Hitting on a couple of hip hop clichés does not a full song make. Sigh.


18. MAKE NOISE (FEAT LENNY KRAVITZ)
Busta makes a big deal about Lenny Kravitz being a featured player on “Make Noise”, but he only briefly appears with on a guitar solo (as far as I can tell). Never mind the fact that this song also fails to make any noise whatsoever. When did Busta Rhymes become so predictable? Oh yeah, on his last album.


19. READY FOR WAR (FEAT M.O.P.)
Busta may be one of the only rappers in the industry with the ability to spit alongside the perpetually angry Mash Out Posse without getting drowned out in a shouting sea. Thanks to Busta's weakened beat and the harmonizing during the chorus, this track never quite enters the pantheon of credible M.O.P. performances, though: this isn't as bad as that L.F.O. bullshit, but I couldn't remember anything about this shit ten seconds after it evaporated from my speakers.


20. WHY WE DIE (FEAT DMX & JAY-Z)
Pairing up Busta Rhymes with DMX is a no-brainer: the former dueling hip hop cameo kings share an aggressive delivery and a way with words that make phrases sound much more violent than they should be. (In his prime, Earl Simmons could read his grocery list and make you want to battle your coworkers in the fight club that takes place in the storeroom on Thursday nights.) But throwing Shawn Carter into the mix is a mistake, as he is an entirely different class of emcee. That's not to say that Hova's contribution on this P. Killer Trackz-helmed production is the best of the three: in fact, his is the worst, mainly because he doesn't fit in with the other artists or with the overarching theme of the song. The fact that X only lists himself and Busta as participants only strengthens my theory that Jay-Z was a last-minute addition meant to sell a few more copies of Anarchy. Well, your plan failed, Trevor.


21. ANARCHY
Any song entitled “Anarchy” should not include a sing-songy chorus. Winking at the audience doesn't help when you're actually trying to convince them of impending doom, Busta. You should know better.


22. OUTRO
Oh my fucking God. Are you fucking kidding me, Trevor?


THE LAST WORD: I hated Anarchy almost as much as Republicans hate same-sex marriages. There is truly nothing to recommend on the fourth solo album from Busta Rhymes: even the halfway decent songs sound terrible when heard within their proper context. Trevor aligns himself with some decent producers and coerces them into creating horrible fucking instrumentals, all while our host remains in the fantasy world of his mind, where society as we know it actually did end on January 1, 2000, deciding on what bars to rhyme together using a method consisting of a dartboard, 3x5 colored index cards, and a weed carrier...to carry his weed (because Busta Rhymes is more than capable of throwing darts at a dartboard, thank you very much). Anarchy is the worst album in the man's catalog thus far, as there is nothing remotely redeeming about it. Busta Rhymes is resting on his laurels, which were only rentals to begin with, and at the rate he's going, he'll never be able to afford those payments. Fuck.


-Max


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