Blockbusta

Blockbusta 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.^[1] Busta Rhymes executive produced the album alongside Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, and Swizz Beatz.^[2] It is his first studio album in nearly 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.

Blockbusta
Studio album by Busta Rhymes
Released	November 24, 2023 (2023-11-24)
Length	62:16
Label	Conglomerate Epic
Producer	Busta Rhymes Pharrell Timbaland Swizz Beatz Anatii BabeTruth Beam Cardiak Ceebeaats Cool & Dre Dez Wright DJ Khalil DJ Ted Smooth Fantom Focus... Hitmaka Khozee Landstrip Chip Lovi Meed Beatz Mike & Keys MyGuyMars Nami Navi Beats OzMoses Arketex Schife SkipOnDaBeat Wheezy
Busta Rhymes chronology
Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God (2020) Blockbusta (2023)
Singles from Blockbusta
"Beach Ball" Released: June 23, 2023 "Luxury Life" Released: September 8, 2023 "OK" Released: November 11, 2023 "Legacy" Released: November 23, 2023

The album was supposed to be supported in 2024 by the Blockbusta Tour, set to begin on March 13 at the SF Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco, California, and ending on April 21 at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York. The tour was later cancelled on March 8th with no explanation. ^[3]

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.^[2][4] The full tracklist was revealed on November 16.^[5]

Critical reception

Blockbusta received a score of 54 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reception.^[6]

Track listing

Blockbusta track listing^[5]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"The Statement"	Trevor Smith Jr. Timothy Mosley Jose Valezquez Jackson Paul LoMastro	Timbaland BabeTruth	2:34
2.	"Remind 'Em" (featuring Quavo)	T. Smith Quavious Keyate Marshall Carter Britz	Fantom	3:21
3.	"Beach Ball" (featuring Bia)	T. Smith Bianca Landrau Tyshane Thompson Christian Ward Jordan Holt-May Edgar Ferrera	Beam Hitmaka Landstrip Chip SkipOnDaBeat Enoch Harris III[a]	2:24
4.	"OK" (with Cool & Dre featuring Young Thug)	T. Smith Jeffery Lamar Williams Marcello Valenzano Andre Lyon Lovi Delano Baker Maximilian McFarlin Elin Zamora	Cool & Dre Lovi Zamora[a] McFarlin[a]	4:06
5.	"Could It Be You" (featuring Blxst and Yung Bleu)	T. Smith Matthew Burdette Jeremy Biddle Salaam Remi Jermaine Cole Miguel Pimentel	OzMoses Arketex Zamora[a] McFarlin[a]	3:06
6.	"Luxury Life" (featuring Coi Leray)	T. Smith Coi Leray Collins Kasseem Dean Brian Potter Dennis Lambert Drü Oliver William Thomas August Moon	Swizz Beatz Busta Rhymes	2:18
7.	"Big Everything" (featuring DaBaby and T-Pain)	T. Smith I. B. Lewis Joseph McVey Chad Butler Jay Jenkins Shawn Carter Bernard Freeman Leroy Williams Jr.	Busta Rhymes Schife	4:01
8.	"Roboshotta" (featuring Burna Boy)	T. Smith Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu Pharrell Williams	Pharrell	2:05
9.	"Tings"	T. Smith P. Williams	Pharrell	3:07
10.	"The Return of Mansa Musa" (featuring Swizz Beatz and Blackway)	T. Smith Dean Manu Dibango Yaw Sintim-misa	Swizz Beatz	3:25
11.	"Stand Up" (featuring Jnr Choi)	T. Smith Momodou Junior Choi Michel Sotolongo Stevie Wonder Claude Francis	Busta Rhymes Navi Beats Ceebeaats	3:46
12.	"Open Wide" (featuring Chris Brown and Shenseea)	T. Smith Christopher Brown Chinsea Lee Anathi Mnyango Sintim-misa	Anatii	2:47
13.	"Hold Up"	T. Smith Mosley Dylan Clearly-Kell Dylan Ismael Teixeira	Timbaland Dez Wright Nami	2:13
14.	"The Hive" (featuring Giggs)	T. Smith Nathaniel Thompson	Meed Beatz	2:49
15.	"Homage" (featuring Kodak Black)	T. Smith Bill Kahan Kapri Wesley Glass	Wheezy Outta Here	3:09
16.	"Legend" (featuring Morray)	T. Smith Morae Ruffin Adrian Montes Kenneth Gamble Leon Huff	Khozee	3:52
17.	"Slide"	T. Smith Teddy Mendez P. Williams Charles Hugo Wynton Learson Marsalis Karen Young Michael Tyler Joseph P. Longo Walter Kahn	DJ Ted Smooth	3:42
18.	"Legacy" (featuring Cie, Trillian, and Rai)	T. Smith Cacie Smith Trillian Wood-Smith Mariah Miskelly Michael Ray Cox, Jr. John Groover Khalil Abdul-Rahman Hazzard Lamar Daunte Edwards S. Carter Moon Jonathan Burks Inga Marchand J. Smith	Mike & Keys DJ Khalil MyGuyMars	4:12
19.	"If You Don't Know Now You Know Pt. 2" (featuring Big Tigger)	T. Smith Darian Morgan Carl McCormick Bernard Edwards Jr.	Cardiak Focus…	5:19
Total length:				62:16

Note

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer.

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 (OCC)[7]	27
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[8]	24
US Billboard 200[9]	42
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10]	10

References

1. Williams, Kyann-Sian (October 25, 2023). "Busta Rhymes announces surprise release of new album 'Blockbusta'". NME. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
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.
3. Saad, Nardine (March 8, 2024). "Busta Rhymes cancels 2024 Blockbusta tour less than a week before launch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
4. Kaufman, Gil (October 24, 2023). "Busta Rhymes Announces 'Blockbusta' Album, Exec Produced By Timbaland, Pharrell, Swizz Beatz". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
5. Saponara, Michael (November 16, 2023). "Busta Rhymes Taps Chris Brown, Kodak Black and More for Blockbusta Tracklist". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
6. "Blockbusta by Busta Rhymes Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
7. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
8. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
9. "Busta Rhymes Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
10. "Busta Rhymes Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2023.