“It’s Flipmode bitches!”
The deep and familiar raspy voice was heard in the house speakers but the face was still hidden behind the curtains.
“I said, it’s Flipmode bitches!!” The voice answered back to an unsatisfied response from the crowd. Busta Rhymes was talking to me. I was the bitch. Along with the other hundreds of people packed into the Nokia Theatre downtown. I didn’t mind being Busta’s bitch tonight. To be completely honest, I’d been waiting close to a decade to be called his bitch…in the figurative fan sense (no homo?). You see, Busta was one of my original inspirations growing up. I still remember getting picked up from school and first hearing the insane screaming and rant on Woo-Ha! Got you all in check! I was a fan ever since. Yet somehow as the years went by and my musical tastes grew sharper and more keen, along with my commitment to seeing concerts- Busta never made it to the list. No random run-in’s, no lobby stalking, no free radio wins, no festivals, no Busta. But all that was changing right now, as the curtain rose up and Busta and his hype-man-since-day-one Spliff Starr strutted on stage, it was all happening, right now. It was worth the wait.
From the moment the duo appeared on stage- Spilff and Busta held the audience in their hands like a blunt in rotation. Dressed in a high top hat with a brim along with a matching silky smooth button down, Busta’s energy and Spliff’s back up could only be described as years and years of well rehearsed showmanship and amazingly natural chemistry. This was Busta Rhymes’ first show in California since the New Year, a proper time to begin hitting the circuit to promote his new album, “Back on my BullShit” which drops in April. “We are going to be dissing you tonight if you don’t get into this show Ma’Fucka! All that extra, too cool for school shit is out the window, put your hands up or you will get clowned.” Busta and Spliff demanded the hostile participation from the audience simply because they could. But you couldn’t be mad at the two, they were great! Besides, when Busta says put your hands up, you put your damn hands up. The charm was turned on and off at all the right times during the evening and Busta even acknowledged his mom being with him for tonight’s show. “She was there to sign my first deal when I was seventeen, she been with me since day one!” exclaimed a sweaty Rhymes.
As the night rolled on, Busta began flexing his catalog of hits- occasionally stopping in the middle of audience favs with a simple, “I don’t wanna do that anymore Spliff.” But the crowd wasn’t angry. In fact, the constant batter between Busta Rhymes and Spliff star is a big piece of what keeps you entertained. The stories and ad-libs that set you up for each song are funny- and the two of them have a comedic timing that’s great. Not to mention they are back by the Grade A DJ Roc Raida of the legendary turntablist crew The X-Ecutioners. By the middle of the set it felt more like an intimate evening with Busta Rhymes then just a show with a rapper on stage yelling into a mic and asking the audience to say HO!
One of the more personal moments of the two hour set was during Rhymes’ promotion of his new album. “Nobody in this room is exempt from being affected by this compromised economy right now, and that includes myself. I want this album to be an inspiration for you and for me to get off your ass, back on your hustle, and get the money you need to survive. No need to talk about brandishing jewels and money in your face, just get back on your bullshit.”
With guest appearances from Raekwon the Chef and Xzibit, the evening was packed with a wide range of hits and classics that would satisfy any Hip-Hop fan. More than the music, Busta also shared his sincere gratitude and thankfulness for his friends and family who’ve supported him up to this point in his career. He spoke about BBQ’s and gatherings at Xzibit’s house, along with being named Godfather to Raekwon’s new baby. At the end of the show, Bust even had time to share some libations with the crowd, handing out cups and pouring drinks of tequila, vodka, and cognacs to the masses. He even posed for pictures with a few fans. With all his energy and sweat, Busta Rhyme’s show and catalog easily speak for themselves. But after experiencing my first- and definitely not last show of his- I can say that his honesty, open heart, and humility speak double the volume of any of the man’s repertoire. It’s Flipmode bitches.
A. Landon
www.loudvine.com
