Busta Rhymes will invade Hanover this Sunday, returning to Dartmouth for the first time since his spring 1999 performance in Leede Arena. It will be the second stop of a 30-date tour in support of his new album, "Genesis."
The album currently occupies the no. 26 slot on the Billboard Top 200 chart and features the hit single "Break Ya Neck." It departs from Busta's previous efforts in that it reads more like a complete album than a collection of a few singles. Rhymes also collaborates with Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and P. Diddy on "Genesis."
Standouts from the release include the Neptunes-produced "As I Come Back" and his reworking of Public Enemy's "Shut 'Em Down." The funky "Ass on Your Shoulders" is another gem on the 20-track rocker.
The Brooklyn native got his start in rap when he moved to Long Island at the age of 12 and started rapping with future partner MC, Charlie Brown. Calling themselves the LONS (Leaders of the New School), the duo won a hip-hop contest sponsored by Public Enemy and began recording at the super-group's studios.
Busta's debut album, "The Coming," was received with warm reviews in March of 1996. Powered by the smash single, "Woo-hah!!! Got You All in Check" and his amazingly rapid delivery, Busta quickly made a name for himself in the music industry.
His second album, "When Disaster Strikes" debuted at the number-three spot on the charts and established Rhymes as one of the biggest stars in rap.
"E.L.E. " The Final World Front," was a darker and more apocalyptic effort that offered fans a different view of the superstar.
The trend of gloomy and sinister releases continued with 2000's "Anarchy." Busta said of his anarchistic views in a 2000 interview with MTV, "I just think the current state that we're in is anarchy. Whether it's just mentally, or what we're living in literally."
Busta has expanded his repertoire since the last time he visited Leede. Appearing in films such as "Finding Forrester" and "Shaft," he has established himself as a viable force in Hollywood.
"I want to establish something new and fresh, that people can appreciate and love just as much [as my music], if not more so," he said in a recent interview with NY Rock.
He will continue to act, with upcoming roles in "Halloween: The Homecoming" starring Jamie Lee Curtis and the Ray Liotta cop film, "Narc."
2001 was a successful year for Busta after a tumultuous 2000, when he was put on five years probation after the NYPD found a gun in his car. Rhymes turned things around last year with his signing to Clive Davis' new record label, J Records, in February, his appearance at MTV's 20th Anniversary Celebration in September and finally with the release of "Genesis."
Georgia newcomer Bubba Sparxxx will open for Rhymes this Sunday. Sparxxx burst onto the rap scene late in 2001 with the release of his debut album, "Dark Days, Bright Nights." His single "Ugly," which features samples from Missy Eliot's "Get Ur Freak On," stayed on the charts for multiple weeks and propelled the album to its peak position at number two on the Billboard Top 50.
Tickets are on sale in Collis for $19 to Dartmouth undergraduates and $25 to the general public.
