Genesis
Arguably the most idiosyncratic MC in contemporary rap, Busta Rhymes flaunts his musical genius on his J Records debut. "Break Ya Neck," an uptempo headbanger produced by the goodDr. Dre, features Busta flipping his trademark rapid-fire delivery over some postmodern beats. TheNeptuneslace Busta with some spacey heat-seeking rhythm tracks on "What It Is," featuring Kelis, while on "As I Come Back" Busta unleashes some potent dungeon-dragon roars and Jamaican-patois-inflected rhymes. Pedigreed knob twiddlers Pete Rock and Diamond D drop by to provide the dreadlocked wonder with some crisp beats and the first lady of the Flipmode Squad,Rah Digga, rips up some rhymes on "Betta Stay Up in Your House." Busta's clearly ditched the apocalyptic postmillennial musings heard on his last three studio albums for a more party-themed sound. Sure, he dabbles in a little bit of dorkery by enlisting the talents ofP. Diddyon "Pass the Courvoisier," but all in all his eclectic rhymes and the plethora of wildly unpredictable beats makesGenesisa keeper.--Dalton Higgins