{"id":225363,"date":"2026-03-26T13:33:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T12:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/?p=225363"},"modified":"2026-03-26T13:33:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T12:33:02","slug":"busta-rhymes-30-years-since-the-coming-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/busta-rhymes-30-years-since-the-coming-debut\/","title":{"rendered":"Busta Rhymes: 30 Years Since &#8216;The Coming&#8217; Debut"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-path-to-node=\"16\"><span data-path-to-node=\"16,0\">When we look back at the mid-nineties from our perspective in March 2026, it is clear that 1996 was a pivotal year for rap. While the West Coast dominated with <strong><i data-path-to-node=\"16,0\" data-index-in-node=\"160\">All Eyez On Me<\/i><\/strong> and the New York underground was at its &#8220;grimey&#8221; zenith, <strong>Trevor George Smith Jr<\/strong>., better known as <strong>Busta Rhymes<\/strong>, decided to inject some controlled chaos into the game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"17\"><span data-path-to-node=\"17,0\">His path to solo stardom was not planned. After the group <strong>Leaders of the New School<\/strong> (LONS) disintegrated on camera during a 1993 <i data-path-to-node=\"17,0\" data-index-in-node=\"129\">Yo! MTV Raps<\/i> segment, Busta was in a precarious position.<\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"17,2\"> Although he was already recognizable for his legendary &#8220;dungeon dragon&#8221; verse on the &#8220;Scenario&#8221; remix, he was actually afraid of a solo career, focusing instead on guest appearances to provide for his family.<\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"17,4\"> However, pressure from the public and mentors like Q-Tip became too great to ignore.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"18\"><span data-path-to-node=\"18,0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nNVAsTjrT9Sp8IluMU-iRAchgZ-73uz9o&amp;si=GJ5D9OB5Yqml8Uv1\"><strong><i data-path-to-node=\"18,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">The Coming<\/i><\/strong><\/a> was recorded between 1994 and 1995, partially in Los Angeles while Busta was filming the movie <strong><i data-path-to-node=\"18,0\" data-index-in-node=\"106\">Higher Learning<\/i><\/strong>, and partially in New York and Atlanta.<\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"18,2\"> What sets this album apart from average releases of that time is its production diversity. Busta assembled a crew that sounded like a dream team\u2014from <strong>DJ Scratch<\/strong> and <strong>Easy Mo Bee<\/strong> to the then-young and relatively unknown <strong>J Dilla<\/strong> (then credited as Jay Dee) within The Ummah collective.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AStHjY_0Xo4?si=ydxAc1UeGSJ-ipTo\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"19\"><span data-path-to-node=\"19,0\">Dilla&#8217;s contribution on songs like &#8220;<strong>Still Shining<\/strong>&#8221; and &#8220;<strong>Keep It Movin<\/strong>&#8216;&#8221; introduced that specific, airy, and unquantized rhythm that would later become his trademark.<\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"19,2\"> On the other hand, Easy Mo Bee delivered that classic, dark New York sound on &#8220;<strong>Everything Remains Raw<\/strong>&#8221; with a twisted accordion sample, providing Busta with the perfect backdrop for his vocal acrobatics.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"20\"><span data-path-to-node=\"20,0\">Of course, it is impossible to talk about this album without mentioning the lead single &#8220;<strong>Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check<\/strong>.&#8221; The song was a global earthquake, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning Busta his first <strong>Grammy nomination<\/strong>.<\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"20,2\"> But more than the song itself, the impact was left by the music video. Hype Williams used a fish-eye lens and vibrant colors, breaking the trend of gloomy, black-and-white videos that dominated the era.<\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"20,4\"> Busta defined his visual style here\u2014hyper-energetic, bordering on a cartoon character, yet with undeniable street credibility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EQzvQO2LcA4?si=GzhuzH8nzlwoyAqm\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"21\"><span data-path-to-node=\"21,0\">The album also served as a launchpad for the <strong>Flipmode Squad<\/strong>. Through tracks like &#8220;<strong>Flipmode Squad Meets Def Squad<\/strong>,&#8221; where <strong>Redman<\/strong> and <strong>Keith Murray<\/strong> joined the cypher, the audience was introduced to <strong>Rampage<\/strong>, <strong>Lord Have Mercy<\/strong>, and <strong>Spliff Star<\/strong>.<\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"21,2\"> It was an introduction to the team dynamics that would mark Busta&#8217;s best years.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"p-rc_e02ab760cbc37c9c-1370\" data-path-to-node=\"22\"><span data-path-to-node=\"22,0\">Thirty years later, Busta Rhymes is still here in 2026, fresh off receiving a star on the <strong>Hollywood Walk of Fame<\/strong> and an inspiring physical transformation.<\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"22,2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nNVAsTjrT9Sp8IluMU-iRAchgZ-73uz9o&amp;si=GJ5D9OB5Yqml8Uv1\"><strong> <i data-path-to-node=\"22,2\" data-index-in-node=\"1\">The Coming<\/i><\/strong><\/a> remains a testament to a time when one of the most talented MCs had to overcome his own doubts to become an icon. The album officially <strong>went platinum in January 1999<\/strong>, though Busta claims it reached that status much earlier.<\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"22,4\"> Regardless of the numbers, its influence on the sound and image of hip-hop is immeasurable.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When we look back at the mid-nineties from our perspective in March 2026, it is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":225368,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[146,833,834],"class_list":["post-225363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dig-of-the-day","tag-30th-anniversary","tag-busta-rhymes","tag-the-coming"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/viber_image_2026-03-26_13-26-23-766.avif","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pG6fW-WCT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225363"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225369,"href":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225363\/revisions\/225369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackouthiphop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}