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After a decade at Electra Records, Busta Ryhmes is
looking for a fresh start at J Records, the new label
from former Arista president Clive Davis.
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In naming his new CD, Genesis, Hip-Hop star Busta Rhymes chose a title that seemingly suggests a new beginning and perhaps even a departure from the sound and message of his previous records.
But Rhymes said fans shouldn't worry that he is signaling a major change from the musical style that has brought him immense success.
"Genesis isn't about a departure from who I am (musically) or what I was," Rhymes says. "So you're not going to get something that is completely (different) other than what people know me for. I'm going to show you new things in addition to that. I have to keep people in tune with the consistency of what I represent.
"It just shows more growth," he continues. "I mean, every new time frame is a new part of your evolution as you grow. That's pretty much what you're going to get with the new Busta Rhymes that you haven't received."
Instead Rhymes said the title Genesis is meant more as a statement about making a new start on a business level.
The most obvious move for Rhymes was his decision to leave Elektra Records, the company that helped establish him as one of the most popular and influential figures in Rap during the 1990s. Although there were rumors he would sign with Island/Def Jam Records, in the end Rhymes chose J Records, the fast-rising new label founded by influential record industry veteran Clive Davis after he was ousted from his post of president of Arista Records.
"It was just time to move on," Rhymes said about the label switch. "I was with Elektra for about a decade, so I pretty much explored everything they had to offer and it was time to make a move that would contribute to the next level of my growth."
The fact that over the past year J Records has scored some major successes -- especially in the R&B field -- certainly played into Rhymes' decision. The label has launched the career of Alicia Keys, perhaps the hottest new star in R&B, and has also helped veteran soulman Luther Vandross regain much of the career momentum he had lost during the late '90s with his latest CD, Luther Vandross.
"You know, the company was new and fresh and it felt like (Davis) had a new approach on doing things as far as business was concerned," Rhymes says. "And I just wanted to experience it. It was looking good, it was feeling good. It was relevant to the grand scheme of what I was trying to do."
Of course, with Rhymes it may be hard to exceed the level of popularity he has already achieved.
Born Trevor Smith, the native of Brooklyn (who now calls Long Island home), first surfaced on the Rap scene in the group Leaders Of The New School. That group's two CDs, Future Without A Past (1990) and T.I.M.E. (1993) were critically acclaimed, but failed to make a major impact on the charts.
Instead, what may have done more to set the stage for Rhymes as a solo act was his featured vocal on the 1991 Tribe Called Quest hit "Scenario."
With those credentials on his résumé, Rhymes, with his musical posse the Flipmode Squad in tow, stepped into the solo spotlight with his 1996 solo debut CD, The Coming. Featuring the hit "Woo-Ha! Got You All In Check," it signaled the start of one of the most prolific and successful runs any Rap artist has enjoyed over the past half-decade.
That album introduced Rhymes' as one of Hip Hop's most colorful personalities, with a rapping style that features barrages of gruff-toned, hyper-quick rhymes, a sound that seems to draw its rhythmic cadence as much from Jamaican Dancehall as it does from Hip Hop and a charismatic and manic stage personality that has prompted such varied descriptions as "court jester," "clown prince of Hip Hop" and "Tasmanian Devil on acid."
Rhymes followed up his gold-certified debut with a three more CDs that arrived in rapid succession, each of which delivered hit singles and easily surpassed platinum in sales. When Disaster Strikes (1997) featured the hit "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and topped 1.5 million in sales. The 1998 CD, Extinction Level Event (The Final World Front), and the 2000 release, Anarchy, did nothing to slow Rhymes' momentum, generating hits such as "Gimme Some More" and "Fire."
Between those solo releases, Rhymes also produced the first Flipmode Squad CD, Imperial, made numerous guest appearances on CDs by other artists and launched a busy career in film acting that has included featured roles in Finding Forrester, Shaft and Higher Learning.
The pace of Rhymes' career doesn't figure to slow much in the immediate future, either. Genesis recently cracked the Top 10 on Billboard magazine's album charts behind the single "Break Ya Neck." He's also wrapped up production on a second Flipmode Squad CD, The Rulership Movement, and has finished two new films, Halloween 8 (in which he plays a lead role alongside Jamie Lee Curtis) and Narc, an action drama that also features Ray Liotta and Jason Patric.
"Doing it, man, is really a joy," Rhymes says, explaining the drive that allows him to pursue so many projects, "especially when you start to see the results and the progress that's made when you establish yourself, when you value the ability and the opportunities that you have to share your ability. It's just a love and a passion for it."
Rhymes continues to make music his top priority. But he clearly is serious about developing his chops as an actor as well. Unlike many music artists who get cast in roles as musicians or play characters that relate closely to their musical image, Rhymes has sought out roles that put him in a considerably different light.
"If you want acting, you do acting. Music and acting are two different things," Rhymes says. "I wouldn't want to do (a Rap music role) in a film because there's no change. It doesn't feel like I'm doing something else. You know, I want to be acknowledged in that arena, not as a rapper, but as an actor. I'm already acknowledged as a rapper in the Rap world. And I want to be acknowledged as a credible actor, full of diversity, cutting edge, you know, versatile."
BUSTA RHYMES performs at Bogart's on March 7.
