Throwback Thursday: Busta Rhymes ‘The Coming’

In 1996 Busta Rhymes was one of the hottest emcees out there. He was consistently the rapper that stole the show and rapped last on posse cuts, most memorably on A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Scenario’ where he “rah-rahed like a Dungeon Dragon”.

Hype was building for his first record The Coming which would see him on the solo tip without his band Leaders of the New School for the first time, and when it arrived it didn't disappoint - you can Stream The Coming above.

He would drop an album on a near annual basis for the next few years, his sophomore effort When Disaster Strikes... establishing him as a platinum superstar with one of the most magnetic presences in the genre. The Coming though was where this properly crystallised - who can forget the breakout single 'Woo-Hah (Got You all in Check)' with it's memorable Hype Williams produced video (below)?

The album in itself is pretty cohesive, with the underplayed production throughout from The Ummah, Easy Mo Bee, DJ Scratch and others the perfect backdrop for Busta’s lyrical gymnastics.

It’s best emphasised on the Boom Bap of 'Abandon Ship’, a classic slab of mid-nineties hip hop that sees Busta trading barbs with his cohort Rampage the Boy Scout. The duo go about dropping a flurry of insults and put downs to other rappers that includes the bizarre but brilliant “with your similar features like Olivia Newton John”.

And for a rapper who had built a resume as a limelight stealing guests there’s plenty of evidence of others doing the same for him. The awe inspiring “Def Squad meets Flipmode Squad” has two of them, with Redman elevating the track simply by his presence and Lord Have Mercy’s distinct voice littering it with so many similes not even Keith Murray’s nasal whine can ruin it.

The album does suffer from flaws, notably the similarity in production tropes and the reliance on the “like my name was” rhyme that is ever present on most verses let alone songs. But for lovers of smoke drenched mid nineties hip hop it rarely gets better than this.

Busta Rhymes plays Parklife Festival in June.