Blockbusta

Blockbusta
Studio album by
Busta Rhymes
ReleasedNovember 24, 2023 (2023-11-24)
GenreHip-hop
Length62:16
Labels
Producers
Busta Rhymes chronology
Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God
(2020)		 Blockbusta
(2023)		 Dillagence II
(2026)
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 (stylized in all caps) 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. Busta Rhymes executive produced the album alongside Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, and Swizz Beatz. It is his first studio album in over 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 was supposed to be supported by the Blockbusta Tour, set to begin on March 13, 2024 at the SF Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco, California, and end on April 21, 2024 at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York. The tour was later cancelled on March 8, 2024 with no explanation.

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. The full tracklist was revealed on November 16.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic53/100
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarHalf star
American Songwriter2/5
Clash6/10
Evening StandardStarStarStarStar
HipHopDX3/5
The i PaperStarStarStar
RapReviews4.5/10

Blockbusta received a score of 53 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reception.

AllMusic praised the album for containing plenty of "fun and excitement", but felt that many of the tracks were poorly executed, writing: "Busta Rhymes sounds like he's reaching for something different on almost every track and not quite grabbing ahold of any of it." Robin Murray of Clash praised Busta Rhymes for stepping outside his comfort zone, writing that the album contained "moments of real bravery". However, he criticized the album for its lack of cohesion and Busta Rhymes' lack of chemistry with the album's guest artists.

Track listing

Blockbusta track listing
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

Notes

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 (Official Charts)27
UK R&B Albums (Official Charts)24
US Billboard 20042
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)10

References

  1. 1 2 Jones, Grant (December 12, 2023). "Busta Rhymes :: BLOCKBUSTA". RapReviews. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  2. ↑ Williams, Kyann-Sian (October 25, 2023). "Busta Rhymes announces surprise release of new album 'Blockbusta'". NME. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  3. 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.
  4. ↑ Saad, Nardine (March 8, 2024). "Busta Rhymes cancels 2024 Blockbusta tour less than a week before launch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  5. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (October 24, 2023). "Busta Rhymes Announces 'Blockbusta' Album, Exec Produced By Timbaland, Pharrell, Swizz Beatz". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Saponara, Michael (November 16, 2023). "Busta Rhymes Taps Chris Brown, Kodak Black and More for Blockbusta Tracklist". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Blockbusta by Busta Rhymes Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Staff, TiVo (November 24, 2023). "Blockbusta - Busta Rhymes". AllMusic. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  9. ↑ Galindo, Thomas (November 27, 2023). "Review: Busta Rhymes Finds New Grooves on 'Blockbusta'". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Murray, Robin (November 24, 2023). "Busta Rhymes – BLOCKBUSTA". Clash. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  11. ↑ Smyth, David (November 24, 2023). "Busta Rhymes – Blockbusta album review: New York rap giant is still thinking big". Evening Standard. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  12. ↑ Siegel, Alec (November 27, 2023). "Busta Rhymes Chases Trends & Loses His Eccentricity On 'Blockbusta'". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  13. ↑ Bootle, Emily (November 24, 2023). "Blockbusta by Busta Rhymes shows that the hip-hop OGs have still got it". The i Paper. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart on 1/12/2023 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart on 1/12/2023 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Busta Rhymes Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Busta Rhymes Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2023.