Busta Rhymes is one of those artists that have made such an indelible mark on hip-hop, that they will be able to virtually work forever. Like LL Cool J, or Ice Cube, the foundation of each of these respective artists’ careers represents their best works, but holds them so firmly in place as living legends, that they will constantly attempt to reinvent themselves, changing with the times, and adapting to new sounds and styles. For better or for worse.

   Even in the group’s earliest appearance on Yo! MTV Raps, Busta stole the show from The Leaders Of The New School, with a non-stop beat-box session, while Fab Five Freddy interviewed the rest of the crew. The same could be said for all of Busta’s verses on both LONS albums, not to mention every guest appearance or remix he blessed during the height of the 90′s. Back then, when Busta got on the mic, everyone stopped to listen to what he would say and how he would say it.

     Like his dreads, the mystique of Busta Rhymes is gone today, most likely due to the fact that he released some five to seven albums consecutively, on an annual basis. Sure, each of these records had those classic Busta moments, but no longer were we as excited to hear him, like we were in the dungeon dragon days, when we got our fix in small, 16 bar doses. After an exhausting career on Elektra, and a brief, two-album stint with J Records, Busta Rhymes now resurfaces under Dr. Dre’s Aftermath banner, hoping to reinvent himself once again, with The Big Bang.

     Now under the watchful eye of Andre Young, Busta’s latest is packed with the heavy piano stabs and big symphonic crescendos we’ve grown to love from the good doctor. The opener, “Get You Some” juxtaposes a raw, hypnotic harp section and stadium handclaps, with big keys of ebony and ivory, while Busta launches into a barrage of braggadocio, with Q-Tip and Marsha of Floetry accenting the hook. This is Dr. Dre’s production mastery at work. Dre also delivers the so seductive sounds of “How We Do It Over Here”, however Missy Elliot’s redundantly delivers a hook almost too similar to last season’s Busta club banger, “Touch It”. Later on “Don’t Get Carried Away”, we find Busta and a show-stealing Nas, sharing a typical Dre beat of the Eminem or G-Unit variety, but it works here, regardless.

    Despite that Dre only produces a handful of tracks on the album, his “additional production” credits carry throughout much of the rest of the album, keeping the Aftermath sound in tact. “Been Through The Storm” (feat. Stevie Wonder) is a beautifully produced gem by Sha Money XL and Dre, which offers a rare glimpse into Busta’s personal life, revealing bits and pieces of his upbringing. Taking it up a notch, the DJ Green Lantern and Dre-assisted, “In The Ghetto” (feat. Rick James) finds Busta at his best, delivering a breathless flow, just like we like it. “Goldmine” finds Busta sharing drug tales with a reinvigorated Raekwon, over Erick Sermon’s rolling basslines and Dre’s trademark pianos and strings. Don’t remember too much crack talk in the LONS days, however.

    But The Big Bang is not without it’s duds. Dilla’s posthumous contribution, “You Can’t Hold The Torch”, is a lazy reworking of A Tribe Called Quest’s “Lyrics To Go”, where Bus and Q-Tip ramble on about how the game “just ain’t the same,” yet this lazy beat jacking doesn’t do much to push things in a positive direction. The god-awful “I Love My Bitch” (feat. Kelis and Will.I.Am), is a ridiculously stupid song that exemplifies exactly what Tip and Busta are complaining about on the previous track. “They’re Out To Get Me”, produced by and featuring D12′s Denaun Porter drags on, while the syrupy “I’ll Do It All” begs for a Mariah Carey hook, but instead settles for LaToya Williams. Closing song, “Legend Of The Fall Offs”, is a mean spirited, venomous dis at someone (Leaders?), ending the album off on a sour note.

     What can be said in defense of the album, though, is that the sound captured on The Big Bang is different. Dr. Dre oversees the whole thing, and it’s evident, injecting his sound into the majority of it. The inclusion of off-kilter joints such as the DJ Scratch produced “New York Shit” and the stripped down Timbaland curveball “Get Down” are appreciated. But let’s face it, The Big Bang is Busta’s eighth album. He isn’t really doing anything here that we haven’t heard him do before, except providing a little bit more consistency than usual. ?