Blockbusta
Studio album by
Busta Rhymes
ReleasedNovember 24, 2023 (2023-11-24)
Length62:16
Label
Producer
Busta Rhymes chronology
Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God
(2020)		 Blockbusta
(2023)
Singles from Blockbusta
  1. "Beach Ball"
    Released: June 23, 2023
  2. "Luxury Life"
    Released: September 8, 2023
  3. "OK"
    Released: November 11, 2023
  4. "Legacy"
    Released: November 23, 2023

Blockbusta is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released on November 24, 2023 through his own Conglomerate Entertainment label with distribution by Epic Records.[1] Busta Rhymes executive produced the album alongside Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, and Swizz Beatz.[2] It is his first studio album in nearly three years following 2020's Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God and features guest appearances from Quavo, Bia, Young Thug, Blxst, Yung Bleu, Coi Leray, DaBaby, T-Pain, Burna Boy, Swizz Beatz, Blackway, Jnr Choi, Chris Brown, Shenseea, Giggs, Kodak Black, Morray, Cie, Trillian, Rai, and Big Tigger.

The album will be supported in 2024 by the Blockbusta Tour, set to begin on March 13 at the SF Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco, California, and ending on April 21 at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York.

Background

The announcement of the album follows the singles "Beach Ball" featuring Bia, "Murda" featuring Bilal, and "Luxury Life" featuring Coi Leray, which were released throughout 2023.[2][3] The full tracklist was revealed on November 16.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic54/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
American Songwriter[7]
Clash6/10[8]
Evening Standard[9]
HipHopDX3/5[10]
RapReviews4.5/10[11]

Blockbusta was met with mixed or average reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 54, based on four reviews.[5]

Robin Murray of Clash wrote: "with a 19-track span and a colossal guest cast, not everything on Blockbusta lands. There's a feeling sometimes that these collaborations were done separately and then spliced together, with some moments lacking cohesion, or a sense of chemistry. "Homage" with Kodak Black feels flat, for example, while the record's eclecticism prevents Blockbusta from truly coalescing. That said, there are moments of real bravery".[8] Alec Siegel of HipHopDX stated: "aside from a few moments where his trademark live-wire energy shines through, Blockbusta tries too hard to capture the charts and new fans alike, relegating its headliner's usually dominant personality to second fiddle".[10] AllMusic reviewer found the album "is not without its instances of fun and excitement", adding "but for the most part, Busta Rhymes sounds like he's reaching for something different on almost every track and not quite grabbing ahold of any of it".[6] Thomas Galindo of American Songwriter wrote: "rather than sticking to his bread and butter, Busta had his sights set on bold instrumental choices that he didn't mesh well with, trendy samples that came across as tacky, and far too few awe-inspiring or substantive performances. And because of that, Blockbusta fell short of what it claimed to be".[7]

Track listing

Blockbusta track listing[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Statement"
2:34
2."Remind 'Em" (featuring Quavo)
Fantom3:21
3."Beach Ball" (featuring Bia)
2:24
4."OK" (with Cool & Dre featuring Young Thug)
  • Cool & Dre
  • Lovi
  • Zamora[a]
  • McFarlin[a]
4:06
5."Could It Be You" (featuring Blxst and Yung Bleu)
  • OzMoses Arketex
  • Zamora[a]
  • McFarlin[a]
3:06
6."Luxury Life" (featuring Coi Leray)
2:18
7."Big Everything" (featuring DaBaby and T-Pain)
  • Busta Rhymes
  • Schife
4:01
8."Roboshotta" (featuring Burna Boy)
Pharrell2:05
9."Tings"
  • T. Smith
  • P. Williams
Pharrell3:07
10."The Return of Mansa Musa" (featuring Swizz Beatz and Blackway)
Swizz Beatz3:25
11."Stand Up" (featuring Jnr Choi)
  • Busta Rhymes
  • Navi Beats
  • Ceebeaats
3:46
12."Open Wide" (featuring Chris Brown and Shenseea)
Anatii2:47
13."Hold Up"
  • T. Smith
  • Mosley
  • Dylan Clearly-Kell
  • Dylan Ismael Teixeira
  • Timbaland
  • Dez Wright
  • Nami
2:13
14."The Hive" (featuring Giggs)
Meed Beatz2:49
15."Homage" (featuring Kodak Black)
Wheezy Outta Here3:09
16."Legend" (featuring Morray)
Khozee3:52
17."Slide"
DJ Ted Smooth3:42
18."Legacy" (featuring Cie, Trillian, and Rai)
4:12
19."If You Don't Know Now You Know Pt. 2" (featuring Big Tigger)
5:19
Total length:62:16

Note

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer.

Personnel

Musicians

  • Busta Rhymes – vocals
  • Delanie Leyden – vocals (tracks 6, 11)
  • Davine Tuch – keyboards (7)
  • Andrew Potts Jr. – vocals (10)
  • Chioma Eze – vocals (10)
  • James T. Williams Jr. – vocals (10)
  • Maryla Roy – vocals (10)
  • Micah Houston – vocals (10)
  • Ronny Mercedes – vocals (10)
  • Sarah Chidebelu-Eze – vocals (10)
  • Sugarlane Voices – vocals (10)
  • Euglen Tanci – vocals (11)
  • Fonz Figgaz – vocals (11)
  • A.L. – vocals (11)
  • HotBoii Johnny – vocals (11)
  • FametheMovie – vocals (11)
  • Punchline – vocals (11)
  • Choco "GDubs" Reynoso – keyboards (17)
  • Jamal Peoples – keyboards (17)
  • Rai – keyboards (18)

Technical

  • Master Plan – mastering
  • Stan Greene – mastering (all tracks), mixing (1–9, 11, 13–19)
  • Bainz – mixing, engineering (4)
  • Rick St. Hilaire – mixing, engineering (10)
  • Brian Stanley – mixing (12), engineering (2, 3, 12), vocal engineering (2)
  • Gonzalo "GeeFlowCL" Contreras – mixing (18), engineering (10, 12)
  • Delanie Leyden – engineering (1–9, 11–14, 16–19), engineering assistance (10)
  • Dub Shakes – engineering (1, 7, 18, 19)
  • Enoch Harris III – engineering, vocal engineering (3)
  • Jodie Grayson Williams – engineering (4)
  • Jeremy Biddle – engineering, vocal engineering (5)
  • Blxst – engineering (5)
  • Euglen Tanci – engineering (6, 11, 15, 19), engineering assistance (8, 17)
  • Drü Oliver – engineering (6)
  • Mike Larson – engineering (8)
  • Patrizio "Teezio" Pigliapoco – engineering, vocal engineering (12)
  • Serge Tsai – engineering, vocal engineering (14)
  • Derek Garcia – engineering, vocal engineering (15)
  • Treyonce Moore – engineering (16)
  • Paul Joasil – engineering assistance (4)
  • Sonny Charles – engineering assistance (4)
  • Tristan Bott – engineering assistance (7)
  • Michael Choi – engineering assistance (18)
  • Wyatt Sayre – engineering assistance (18)

Charts

Chart performance for Blockbusta
Chart (2023) Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[12] 27
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[13] 24
US Billboard 200[14] 42
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 10

References

  1. ↑ Williams, Kyann-Sian (October 25, 2023). "Busta Rhymes announces surprise release of new album 'Blockbusta'". NME. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Horowitz, Steven J. (October 23, 2023). "Busta Rhymes Taps Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland as Co-Executive Producers on New Album 'Blockbusta'". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  3. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (October 24, 2023). "Busta Rhymes Announces 'Blockbusta' Album, Exec Produced By Timbaland, Pharrell, Swizz Beatz". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Saponara, Michael (November 16, 2023). "Busta Rhymes Taps Chris Brown, Kodak Black and More for Blockbusta Tracklist". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Blockbusta by Busta Rhymes Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Busta Rhymes - Blockbusta Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Galindo, Thomas (November 27, 2023). "Review: Busta Rhymes Finds New Grooves on Blockbusta". American Songwriter. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Murray, Robin (November 24, 2023). "Busta Rhymes – Blockbusta | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ Smyth, David (November 24, 2023). "Busta Rhymes – Blockbusta review: this rap giant is still thinking big". Evening Standard. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Siegel, Alec (November 27, 2023). "Busta Rhymes Chases Trends & Loses His Eccentricity On Blockbusta". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  11. ↑ Jones, Grant (December 12, 2023). "Busta Rhymes :: BLOCKBUSTA – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Busta Rhymes Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Busta Rhymes Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
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