Busta Rhymes & J Dilla- Spazzz Video
Busta Rhymes sounds like he came to “SPAZZZ” with one objective: rap. There is no larger narrative buried in the lyrics. This is a straight lyrical exhibition, built around Busta reminding listeners how dangerous he remains when the focus is bars, breath control, punchlines and cadence. Released August 7 as a Busta Rhymes and J Dilla record, “SPAZZZ” is also being associated with the long-discussed Dillagence 2, the follow-up to Busta and Mick Boogie’s 2007 Dilla tribute mixtape. The lyrics reinforce the point immediately. Busta calls himself a “reincarnate in a boom bap,” tells younger rappers to study him and then spends the rest of the record demonstrating why.
The interesting part is that “SPAZZZ” is essentially three performances in one, with the production changing for each verse. Despite the release being billed under Busta Rhymes and J Dilla, research around the record indicates the second and third sections are produced by Black Milk and Kev Brown, respectively, while Dilla supplies the opening beat. People close to the producers have also identified the three-beat sequence as Dilla, Black Milk and Kev Brown. The first Dilla section is the strongest pairing to these ears. Busta locks into its pocket immediately, sounding especially comfortable as he moves through sports references to CC Sabathia and Chad Ochocinco while constantly changing the shape and emphasis of his delivery. The later switches provide variety, but that opening combination of Busta and Dilla has a chemistry the other sections do not quite match.
Busta does not ease up when those beats change. The second verse becomes more aggressive and erratic, while the third gives him another long stretch to pile internal rhymes, references and boasts on top of each other. By the time he is name-checking Roddy Piper, flipping between images of planes, Vipers and ciphers, and eventually yelling for Kev Brown to turn his microphone back on, the title makes perfect sense. “SPAZZZ” describes the performance itself. This is Busta deliberately pushing his voice and rhyme patterns around three different productions to show how much he still has in the tank.
The video keeps the surroundings comparatively simple. Shot largely in black and white, it moves through three studio spaces, beginning in a stairwell before shifting into the recording room and then what appears to be the studio lounge. Busta performs directly into the camera without much need for a storyline, which fits a record built around emceeing. The strange exception is a faceless blue figure with white eyes who repeatedly appears against the otherwise monochrome imagery. Whatever he is supposed to represent is not especially clear, but he gives the visual one surreal element while Busta supplies everything else. “SPAZZZ” works best when it stays focused on him doing exactly what the title promises. Three beats, dense rhymes and an MC who clearly showed up intending to spit.
