When Disaster Strikes [PA] - Rhymes, Busta (CD 1997)

In the tenth grade Mr. Busta entered a performing contest sponsored by Chuck D and Public Enemy. After putting on one heck of a show he co-founded a group called Leaders of the New School. Spending all the time they could at Public Enemy's studio in Long Island, they worked on their skills and soon landed a contract with Elektra Records.


At 17 Busta dropped out of school in order to devote himself to music. Even though they never had great commercial success, the Leaders of the New School had a following in the hip-hop community. The groups two albums, released in 90 and 93, were filled references to an Islamic belief called Five Percent Nation. This offshoot of the Nation of Islam has the belief that five percent of the world's population knows certain truths, while the rest of the people face a soon to come day of reckoning. Besides Busta, people who also buy into this belief are Erykah Badu, Rakim, and Queen Latifah.


As Leaders of the New School started to get popular, Rhymes began contributing his vocals to the work of other artists ,and before long he was on albums by Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, and TLC. But it was his contribution to A Tribe Called Quest's 1991 classic, "Scenario," that got him in the spotlight. Breaking away from the New School group, Busta got into a few film projects and worked on his first solo album. And we all know how well that did.


Track Listing:

1.Intro

2.The Whole World Lookin' At Me

3.Survival Hungry

4.When Disaster Strikes

5.So Hardcore

6.Get High Tonight

7.Turn It Up

8.Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See

9.There's Not A Problem

10.We Could Take It Outside

11.Rhymes Galore

12.Things We Be Doin' For Money Part 1

13.Things We Be Doin' For Money Part 2

14.One

15.Dangerous

16.The Body Rock

17.Get Off My Block

18.Outro


While I try to stay away from the Hip Hop scene as far I as can, I can't. Everytime I turn on the radio, it's there. Everytime my girlfriend hops in the car, I know what I'm gonna have to listen to. I hate most of that garbage they play on the radio like Destinys Child and Joe, but every now and then I hear a song I really like. So After I heard "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See" and "Dangerous" I knew I had to get this CD. And yes, this is the only rap album I have, but I love it.


I use to not be able to stand Busta Rhymes because of all that screaming and stupid faces he makes, but "When Disaster Strikes..." sounds like no other rap album I've heard. One of the reason's I can't get into rap is because I think it all sounds the same, but every song on here sounds different. Every song uses different drums and a different beat. They even rip of an old disco song (I think its called get down tonight?) for "Get High Tonight". Hahaa! I could do without the Intro, but the rest of it is good. Maybe I like it so much because it kinda sounds like Busta was influenced a little by the electronica community on "When Disaster Strikes...". This album is from 97, but it's still one of the few cd's that I never take out of my car.