What's It Gonna Be?!

For other uses, see What's It Gonna Be (disambiguation).

For the viral video, see Million Dollar Strong.

"What's It Gonna Be?!" is a song by American rapper Busta Rhymes featuring American singer Janet Jackson. It was released as the fourth and last single from Rhymes' third studio album Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front on March 9, 1999, by Flipmode Entertainment and Elektra Records. The song was written by Rhymes, Antoinette Roberson and its producer Darrell "Delite" Allamby. The song was a commercial and critical success, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top ten of various countries. It also hit number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks charts, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 2000 Grammy Awards.

"What's It Gonna Be?!"
Single by Busta Rhymes featuring Janet Jackson
from the album Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front
B-side	"Tear da Roof Off"
Released	March 9, 1999
Recorded	1998
Studio	Soundtrack Studios, New York City Quad Studios, New York City House of Blues Studios, Memphis, Tennessee
Genre	Hip hop R&B
Length	5:24
Label	Flipmode Elektra
Songwriter(s)	Trevor Smith Darrell Allamby Antoinette Roberson
Producer(s)	Darrell "Delite" Allamby
Busta Rhymes singles chronology
"Da Goodness" (1998) "What's It Gonna Be?!" (1999) "Everybody Come On" (1999)
Janet Jackson singles chronology
"Every Time" (1998) "What's It Gonna Be?!" (1999) "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" (1999)
Music video
"What's It Gonna Be?!" on YouTube

The music video, directed by Rhymes & Hype Williams, was critically lauded, and received four MTV Video Music Awards nominations at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. It is one of the most expensive music videos ever made. The song appears on Rhymes' compilation albums Total Devastation: The Best of Busta Rhymes and Turn It Up! The Very Best of Busta Rhymes as well as Jackson's Number Ones greatest hits album. Jackson included the song as an interlude on her Number Ones: Up Close and Personal tour and sang it for the first time on the second leg of her 2018 State of the World Tour.

Composition

"What's It Gonna Be?!" was composed in ⁴
₄ time and the key of C♯ major, with a tempo of 116 beats per minute. It has a duration time of five minutes and twenty-four seconds.^[1]

Commercial performance

The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and Hot Rap Tracks charts. It also reached number five on the Rhythmic Top 40. It was a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and South Africa. It was a moderate success in Europe, reaching the top forty in most countries. The song sold 800,000 copies in the United States^[2] and was certified Gold by the RIAA. The single entered at #1 on the UK R&B Singles chart.^[3]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Hype Williams on March 12, 1999. It is one of the most expensive videos ever made, costing upwards of $2 million, and focused largely on special effects. The video begins with a glass of silver liquid moving toward the edge of its resting area, which spills and transforms into Busta Rhymes as a knight in shining armor before he begins rapping. Jackson is portrayed as a dominatrix, in a revealing purple latex suit adorned with cock rings and nail piercings.

The video contains frequent sexual innuendo, visually based on the song's lyrical themes, portraying imagery alluding to wet dreams and stimulated wetness. Jackson appears in a liquid tunnel as Rhymes morphs into a sperm-like creature and floats towards her. A marching band of miniature Rhymes passes through the tunnel's walls as Rhymes transforms into one himself, before morphing again to rise through the tunnel's ceiling. Electric sparks fly as miniature versions of himself pour like raindrops onto Jackson's breasts. Towards the finale, Rhymes and Jackson are united as their bodies rub up on each other. The remaining scenery then combusts as they continue transforming into a silver liquid. The video ends with "Hot Shit Makin' Ya Bounce" playing on the speakers.

Track listings

US 12" vinyl maxi single

• A1. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (LP version – dirty) – 5:28
• A2. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (instrumental) – 5:28
• A3. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (LP version clean – edit) – 4:19
• B1. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (LP version – clean) – 5:28
• B2. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (instrumental) – 5:28

Germany 5" CD single

1. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (Soul Society remix) – 3:56
2. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (LP version clean – edit) – 4:04
3. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (Micky Finn D&B remix) – 5:59

US 5" CD single

1. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (LP version clean – edit) – 4:09
2. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (LP version clean) – 5:29

UK cassette single

• A1. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (LP version clean – edit) – 4:09
• A2. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (Soul Society remix) – 3:53
• B1. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (LP version clean – edit) – 4:09
• B2. "What's It Gonna Be?!" (Soul Society remix) – 3:53

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "What's It Gonna Be?!" Chart (1999) Peak position Australian Singles Chart[4] 65 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[5] 2 Canada Singles (Nielsen SoundScan)[6] 21 Canada Contemporary Hit Radio (BDS)[6] 27 Germany (GfK)[7] 42 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] 24 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] 29 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 7 Scottish Singles Chart[3] 16 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 58 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 41 UK Singles Chart[13] 6 UK R&B Singles Chart[3] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[14] 3 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[15] 1 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[16] 1 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[17] 40 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[18] 5

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "What's It Gonna Be?!" Chart (1999) Position Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 176 US Billboard Hot Rap Tracks[20] 2 US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[21] 8 US Billboard Hot 100[22] 27 US Billboard Rhythmic[23] 37

Certifications

Certifications for "What's It Gonna Be?!"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[24]	Gold	951,786[25][26]

See also

• R&B number-one hits of 1999 (USA)
• List of most expensive music videos

References

1. "Key & BPM for What's It Gonna Be?!". Tunebat. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
2. "Best-Selling Records of 1999". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 4. BPI Communications Inc. January 22, 2000. p. 63. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
3. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40 - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
4. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 46.
5. "Busta Rhymes feat. Janet – What's It Gonna Be?!" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
6. Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. p. 140. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
7. "Busta Rhymes feat. Janet – What's It Gonna Be?!" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
8. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 17, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
9. "Busta Rhymes feat. Janet – What's It Gonna Be?!" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
10. "Busta Rhymes feat. Janet – What's It Gonna Be?!". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
11. "Busta Rhymes feat. Janet – What's It Gonna Be?!". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
12. "Busta Rhymes feat. Janet – What's It Gonna Be?!". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
13. "Busta Rhymes | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
14. "Busta Rhymes Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
15. "Busta Rhymes Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
16. "Busta Rhymes Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
17. "Busta Rhymes Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
18. "Busta Rhymes Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
19. "Jaarlijsten 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
20. "Billboard: 1999 Year End Chart-Toppers". Retrieved 2017-03-08.
21. "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs : Page 1 | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2015-01-10.
22. "Billboard Top 100 - 1999". Retrieved 2010-08-28.
23. "Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs Of 1999" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 53. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
24. "American single certifications – Busta Rhymes – What%27s It Gonna Be?". Recording Industry Association of America.
25. "Best-Selling Records Of 1999". Billboard. 22 January 2000. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
26. "Janet Jackson's most downloaded songs in the U.S." JNTSRB. Retrieved April 12, 2019.