The Skinny: Hip-hop’s most beloved, animated emcee tore down B.B. King Blues Club in New York on March 10, in what was one of his most electric performances to date. Busta is promoting his upcoming album, Back on My B.S., which is due out in early May.
The Highlights:
1. Busta Declares New York Hip-Hop Ain’t Dead. Of course, Busta is always electric live, having been groomed in the early ‘90s when dope live performances were still high on rapper’s priority list. Last night, though, after taking several shots of both brown and light liquor (yikes!), he ripped up the stage, showing why he is one of the best live acts in hip-hop, period. He brought out MOP, Uncle Murda, Maino and Red Café for hyperactive cameos, before announcing that henceforth, they will collectively be known as the Conglomerate, along with hype man/rapper, Spliff Starr, and will appear in one another’s videos.
2. Juelz Santana Shows up for Ron Browz’s Set. Ron Browz is a dope producer. As an emcee, he’s an acquired taste. But the crowd loved him and when he brought out Juelz Santana for a collabo, they went bananas.
3. Beanie Man Makes Surprise Appearance. Toward the end of the show, Beanie Man helped Busta out with his biggest hit, “Put Your Hands (Where My Eyes Can See),” and absolutely killed it. Sim-simma!
The Wackness:
1. The press. When Juelz Santana hit the stage, the press felt the need to swarm the stage, encircling the rapper to the point where the crowd couldn’t even see what was happening on stage.
2. The lateness. Of course, hip-hop has never been known for its timeliness, but the wait in between Ron Browz’s performance and Busta actually hitting the stage nearly put the crowd to sleep, and definitely left them with empty cups by the time he finally appeared.
