In his review of Snoop Lion’s reggae reinvention Reincarnated for the New York Times, writer Jon Caramanica noted “Busta Rhymes runs circles around Snoop on the bonus track ‘Remedy’ — his would be a reggae album worth hearing.” We couldn’t agree more. We’ve always rated Busta for his unique way of bringing dancehall flavor to hip-hop. Check our Busta’s Biggest Bashment Tunes Toppa Top 10 list for some classic examples, to see what we mean.
Still, everything about Busta’s patois-inflected new single “Twerk It” produced by Pharrell took us for a loop. For one thing, it’s called “Twerk It.” (Initial reaction: Busta is doing a twerk song? No, Busta, no.) Who’d guess based off that info that the now YMCMB-signed Busta would rap the whole thing in a Jamaican accent, dipping into patois while a rude gyal begins the whole thing talking about Yuh dun no, this time when we come in we come fi flatline everything inna dis bumboclaat til clash done!!!!!!
For real, Pharrell?
While we’re definitely pleased with the route Busta took, the response on hip-hop blogs has been overwhelmingly negative. Stream “Twerk It” and tell us what you think.