This year is the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop and this week I’m going to focus on my all-time favorite rapper Busta Rhymes, and the songs you missed out on.
The rapper had so many great hits, like “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” “Pass The Courvoisier Pt.2,” or “What It Is,” but today, we want to talk about the songs that all of you slept on, and should have made into massive hits.
Part of the problem came in how and when Busta was producing his best songs. “As I Come Back,” for example, was released in late 2001, on the heels of huge hits like “What It Is,” and “Break Ya Neck.” But if you’ll remember, September 11 happened that year, and even though the single dropped in November, the country was still struggling.
“Everybody Rise,” meanwhile, was released in 1998, and the world wasn’t quite sure what to do with Busta just yet. He had two rap number 1s around then with “Dangerous,” and “Turn It Up (Remix) / Fire It Up.” Mainstream charts also loved those tracks, but “Everybody Rise” wasn’t pushed as a radio single.
And then there’s a track like “Call the Ambulance,” which was on the 2002 “It Ain’t Safe No More” album, which only got some love thanks to Mariah Carey. “I Know What You Want” was a radio hit, but the first single “Make It Clap,” failed, and pretty much nothing else from the album was a single, including “Call the Ambulance,” which was the best.
There were a lot more songs that should have had success, but when it comes to Busta Rhymes, his entire catalog is strong. But I’ve narrowed it down to these five songs, when it comes to the songs you all slept on the most, and should have been more commercially successful.
