Blessed (Busta Rhymes album)
Encyclopedia
Back on My B.S. is the eighth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by rapper Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...

. It was released on May 19, 2009.

Background

The album was originally going to be called Before Hell Freezes Over, but went through several name changes (including Back on My Bullshit, and B.O.M.B.) before being finalized as Back on My B.S.. The release date has changed many times, mostly due to Busta Rhymes' release from Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Slim da Mobster, with former acts including Busta Rhymes, Game, Raekwon,...

 and Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...

. The album was originally supposed to come out as early as December 4, 2007 but went through many projected release dates before an official release date of May 19, 2009.

Guests

During an interview with MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...

 Busta Rhymes mentioned that he will be working with longtime collaborators as well as some people he's never had the chance to work with before. He said:

During an interview with FLOW 93.5
CFXJ-FM
CFXJ-FM is a Canadian radio station in Toronto, Ontario, which uses the on-air brand FLOW 93.5. It first aired in 2001 as Canada's first urban music station...

 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...

 stated that he would appear on a track which would also feature Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...

. Kardinal Offishall did not appear on the album, but Akon did.

At a private listening session in Manhattan, Busta announced that guest appearances would include Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...

, Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...

, Common
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....

, Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. Scherzinger is perhaps best known for being the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls....

, Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...

, T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....

, Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...

, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...

, The Game
The Game (rapper)
Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name Game, formerly The Game, is an American rapper and actor. As a member of G-Unit, he rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, which earned him two Grammy Award nominations...

, Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...

, T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...

, and Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...

.

The first single was originally going to be "Watch Ya Mouth
Watch Ya Mouth
"Watch Ya Mouth" is a street single for Busta Rhymes' latest album, Back on My B.S.. The track features and is produced by Swizz Beatz. The Song is not featured on the album....

" featuring Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...

, but then it was changed and will not appear on the album and was dubbed as a street single. "Don't Touch Me (Throw da Water on 'em)
Don't Touch Me (Throw da Water on 'em)
"Don't Touch Me " is a promo single for rapper Busta Rhymes' album Back on My B.S.. It was produced by Grind Music for The Hitmen. The song samples "I Can Give You Love" by 60s/70s soul band The Diplomats . The official remix features Reek Da Villain, Spliff Star, Lil Wayne, Nas, The Game, and Big...

" then became the first single, but was changed and simply became a promo single. Although not confirmed to be on the final release of the album, Rhymes teamed up with Travis Barker
Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker is an American musician, producer and entrepreneur, most noted as the drummer for the American pop punk band Blink-182, as well as the alternative rock band +44, the rap rock band The Transplants, and the alternative rock band Box Car Racer. He was a frequent collaborator with...

 for one of the latter's underground hit "rock remixes", with the homemade YouTube video having more views than the official single video.

Linkin Park also collaborated on the second promo single "We Made It
We Made It (song)
"We Made It" is a promo single by rapper Busta Rhymes' featuring the rock band Linkin Park. The song was to be on Busta Rhymes's eighth studio album Back on My B.S., but was then cancelled off the tracklist because the album was released on a different label as "We Made It" was Busta Rhymes's last...

". The video was shot April 15, 2008. The video for "We Made It
We Made It (song)
"We Made It" is a promo single by rapper Busta Rhymes' featuring the rock band Linkin Park. The song was to be on Busta Rhymes's eighth studio album Back on My B.S., but was then cancelled off the tracklist because the album was released on a different label as "We Made It" was Busta Rhymes's last...

" premiered on BET and Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...

 on April 29, 2008.

Pharrell did 3 tracks with Busta Rhymes for his new album, one including "G-Stro" "G-Stro" will not appear on the album, but will appear on the Fast & Furious soundtrack. Only one made the final cut.

Busta Rhymes premiered the video for "I Got Bass" on November 24 and has cameos from DJ Scratch, Bangladesh, Fabolous
Fabolous
John David Jackson , better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper of African American and Dominican descent. He grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Part of his early popularity arose from his hit single "Can't Deny It" in 2001, from his debut...

, Alfamega, Swizz Beatz and the Flipmode Squad
Flipmode Squad
The Flipmode Squad is a production crew and musical group, founded and fronted by rapper Busta Rhymes. The first Flipmode album debuted in 1998 with The Imperial, Rampage and Rah Digga went on to record solo efforts...

.

Hip Hop producer/singer Ron Browz collaborated on the song "Arab Money
Arab Money
"Arab Money" is the first official single from Busta Rhymes' eighth studio album Back on My B.S. The song features and is produced by Ron Browz. It discusses the influx of wealth in the Middle East, particularly in Dubai...

". The music video debuted on BET's 106 & Park
106 & Park
106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...

 on December 2. It features cameos from Rick Ross
Rick Ross (rapper)
William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...

, Spliff Star
Spliff Star
William A. Lewis Raised in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, he is of Trinidadian descent, better known as Spliff Star, first appeared alongside Busta Rhymes as the Flipmode Squad in 1996 on his album The Coming....

, DJ Drama
DJ Drama
Tyree Cinque Simmons better known as DJ Drama is an American hip hop artist and the official DJ for Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I.....

, Jim Jones
Jim Jones (rapper)
Joseph Guillermo Jones II , better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper and original member of The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is Co-CEO of Diplomat Records...

, Juelz Santana
Juelz Santana
LaRon Louis James , better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He appeared on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma"...

, DJ Khaled
DJ Khaled
Khaled bin Abdul Khaled , better known by his stage name DJ Khaled, is an American record producer, radio personality, DJ, and record label executive. He is a radio host for the Miami-based urban music radio station WEDR and the DJ for the hip hop group Terror Squad. In 2006, Khaled released his...

, Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...

, Sean Paul
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques , who performs under stage name Sean Paul, is a Jamaican pop rap and reggae singer.-1973–1996: Early life:...

, Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
DeAndre Cortez Way , better known by his stage name Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, entrepreneur, and internet personality....

, Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...

, Ace Hood
Ace Hood
Antoine McColister, better known by his stage name Ace Hood, is an American rapper. He is signed to DJ Khaled's label We the Best Music Group and Def Jam Recordings...

, Shawty Lo
Shawty Lo
Carlos Walker , better known by his stage name Shawty Lo, is an American rapper, founder of D4L Records, and member of hip hop group D4L. His first solo album, Units in the City, was released on February 26, 2008...

, Paul Wall
Paul Wall
Paul Michael Slayton , better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper. He is currently affiliated with Swishahouse Records, having released several albums under the label as well as...

 among many others. The first part of the official remix of "Arab Money" was leaked on November 27. It features Diddy
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...

, Ron Browz, Swizz Beatz, T-Pain, Akon and Lil Wayne. The second part was leaked on December 13 and features Ron Browz, Rick Ross
Rick Ross (rapper)
William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...

, Reek Da Villian
Reek da Villian
Tariek Williams , better known as Reek da Villian, is an American rapper, protege of rap veteran Busta Rhymes and former member of the rap group Flipmode Squad. Reek is currently signed to Busta Rhymes' new label Conglomerate Records.-Early life:Tariek Williams was born in Roosevelt, Long Island,...

, Spliff Star
Spliff Star
William A. Lewis Raised in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, he is of Trinidadian descent, better known as Spliff Star, first appeared alongside Busta Rhymes as the Flipmode Squad in 1996 on his album The Coming....

, N.O.R.E.
N.O.R.E.
Victor Santiago, Jr., best known by his stage name N.O.R.E. or Noreaga , is an American rapper of Puerto Rican descent...

 and Red Cafe
Red Cafe
Jermaine Denny , better known as his stage name Red Café, is an American rapper. He was born to Afro-Guyanese parents and is signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik, Diddy's Bad Boy Records and DJ Clue's Desert Storm label.-Biography:...

. The third part was leaked on December 20 features Ron Browz, Juelz Santana, Jim Jones and Jadakiss
Jadakiss
Jason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...

. All three are the official remix of "Arab Money."

A video for "Respect My Conglomerate
Respect My Conglomerate
"Respect My Conglomerate" is a single off rapper Busta Rhymes' Back on My B.S.. It is also featured as a bonus track off of Jadakiss' The Last Kiss. The track features Jadakiss and Lil Wayne and features backing vocals by guest vocalist Debby Coda...

" has been shot and the song has been released as a promo CD single. The song is also rumored to be the official third single. However, the video version features Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...

 in place of Young Jeezy
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...

. The track is featured as an iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

 bonus track on Jadakiss' The Last Kiss.

Upon release, both "We Made It
We Made It (song)
"We Made It" is a promo single by rapper Busta Rhymes' featuring the rock band Linkin Park. The song was to be on Busta Rhymes's eighth studio album Back on My B.S., but was then cancelled off the tracklist because the album was released on a different label as "We Made It" was Busta Rhymes's last...

" with Linkin Park and "Don't Touch Me (Throw da Water on 'em)
Don't Touch Me (Throw da Water on 'em)
"Don't Touch Me " is a promo single for rapper Busta Rhymes' album Back on My B.S.. It was produced by Grind Music for The Hitmen. The song samples "I Can Give You Love" by 60s/70s soul band The Diplomats . The official remix features Reek Da Villain, Spliff Star, Lil Wayne, Nas, The Game, and Big...

" were not included on the final version of the album.

Due to its graphic nature, the track "Kill Dem", which features Pharrell and Tosh, is not speculated to be a single. However, the song has received airplay on New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 radio stations.

The fourth single is "World Go Round", featuring Estelle. The video of the song has been shot and released.

The album is notable for being the Busta Rhymes' first solo album in 11 years not to feature production from J Dilla
J Dilla
James Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...

.

Reception

Critical response to the album was overall mixed. According to Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

, the album scored a 60 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

 wrote an unfavorable review, saying,"All things considered, Busta should probably try including a little less B.S. the next time he comes back." Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...

 also wrote a negative review, stating that, "More often than not, Busta is content to recycle well-worn material, hoping that enough polish and guest-star participation will wick away the album's dusty content. They don't, leaving B.S. as nothing more than filler". The album was named the most "disappointing album" of 2009 by Hip-Hop news website HipHopDX. However XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...

, a hip-hop magazine, gave the album a high rating of XL, stating that, "Bussa-Bus stays true to form, meshing the same witty concepts and dope production he has been known for his entire career".

Sales

The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, selling 56,000 copies. The album has sold over 250,000 as of January 2010. It is Busta's only album not to go at least Gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...


Track listing

The track listing was confirmed by two major retail sites.
Ed Richardson - A&R Manager for Universal-Motown

Release history

Region Date
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

May 18, 2009
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

May 19, 2009

External links

  • www.bustarhymes.com
  • Back on My B.S. at Metacritic
    Metacritic
    Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

  • www.ruffnecksoulja.com
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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