Busta Rhymes' new album has not yet been released, but it's already one of 2018's best albums, according to producer 9th Wonder. 9th was compelled to tweet out his rave review of his long-awaited album Saturday night. "Look man.... I’ma say this right now... This @BustaRhymes album bruh? Change your “top albums of the year lists”.......now...for your own good," he wrote. "Good God Almighty."
Now it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for someone who is directly involved with an album to call it a classic out the gate, but 9th made sure to include that he did not contribute to the project, and this was simply his first impression as a fan. "I'm TELLING you bruh ...and NO, I'm not on the album. I don't need to be on an album to recognize good music," he said. "I'm a fan/student/lover of music first."
While Busta Rhymes has kept busy with mixtapes that showcased his Conglomerate label and some collaborations with q-Tip (not to mentions his many appearances on A Tribe Called Quest's swansong), he hasn't released a proper solo album since 2012's Year Of The Dragon, which itself was a Google Play exclusive that has more or less disappeared from the internet. The last time Busta put out a project that was given a proper release was 2009's Back On My B.S., making for a gap of nearly ten years. This makes Busta's still-untitled album, which will hopefully see the light of day soon, all the more special.
Back in February, Bust acknowledged both his hiatus and his confidence in his new material in an interview with Billboard. "The only thing I am going to say is that this is definitely going to be my most compelling body of work that I've ever put together," he said. "I haven't dropped an album in retail since 2009. I am really proud of this project. I was very patient with it and took my time. Patience was probably one of my greatest weapons when putting this project together, because there was things I ended up stumbling on that ended up on the album years into the recording."
Before it arrives, refresh yourself on why Busta Rhymes is one of the greatest of all time here.