BY: DIGITAL WAX MEDIA STAFF 

 

We are but a few short weeks into 2025 and it has been quite the year for music already, marked by releases from cultural and stylistic cornerstones such as Ringo Starr and Neil Young – artists who helped to define the very genres in which they operate. One could say the same of the hip-hop genre with regard to the one and only Busta Rhymes, who has returned with a new EP, Dragon Season… The Awakening.

 

Busta Rhymes is one of the more difficult figures to define within the scope of hip-hop. The man’s longevity and influence demand respect, and bar-for-bar he could devour most other MCs in his sleep. His signature highly animated delivery distinguishes from his contemporaries, and he has been directly affiliated with hip-hop giants such as the Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, and in more recent years, Timbaland and Pharrell. Yet, in spite of all this, many would submit that Busta Rhymes has yet to release a project that could truly be deemed a “classic” within the culture.

 

The criteria for what constitutes a classic album varies wildly among listeners and critics alike. But the general consensus would appear to dictate that, much like fellow New York lyricist Method Man, Busta has yet to submit a truly cohesive and innovative album that serves as a defining testament of his status as one of the greatest of all time – and make no mistake, Busta Rhymes will inevitably go down in history as one of the greatest rappers ever to pick up a microphone.

 

It is unclear if Busta Rhymes himself is actually at all invested, or even aware of this narrative, and it is unlikely that ongoing discourse amongst hip-hop heads in the online world is going to alter how he approaches a project. This is just as well, as it’s difficult to truly discern just what is “missing” in a discography which, in many ways, has been of fairly consistent quality. This level of quality is sustained throughout the MC’s latest offering.

 

Propelled by Busta’s electric energy and palpable ear for quality production, Dragon Season… The Awakening find’s many of the rapper’s greatest strengths on display. The EP almost has the feel of a mixtape, with song structure and hook-writing seemingly taking a back seat to raw, unrelenting bars. While some listeners, particularly those with a penchant for more modern rap and trap-based content, might take issue with the lack of singalong choruses and discernible melodies, it seems safe to assume that Busta Rhymes’ core audience will be delighted to gobble up the rapid-fire lyrical blitzkrieg of the New York legend’s delivery throughout the project.

 

The EP serves as a continuation of an ongoing renaissance of sorts for veteran hip-hop acts, with pioneering artists such as Nas and LL Cool J having recently delivered some of their highest quality releases  in their 40s and 50s, respectively. One noticeable aspect as members of the elite of hip-hop – a relatively young cultural phenomenon by comparison to say jazz or even rock & roll – is the unavoidable drop in vocal pitch of these artists as an natural result of age.

 

Busta in particular was fairly high-pitched in the earlier stages of his career. Hearing his feature on 1997’s “Victory” alongside that of the then already-low pitched Notorious B.I.G., the contrast is quite palpable. Fast forward seven years to the Dr. Dre-helmed The Big Bang and one can detect a drop in pitch, which lent a sense of maturity to the project itself. In the present day, with the release of Dragon Season… The Awakening, the vocal timbre of the 52-year-old rapper has dipped yet again, with the bars manifesting in a gravelly, menacing snarl that evokes mental images of the metaphorical dragon from which the project takes its title.

 

Busta Rhymes is in fine form with Dragon Season… The Awakening, seldom stopping for breath as he delivers dart after dart of lyrical fury aimed at naysayers, competitors, and just about anyone else within earshot. Much has been made over the decades with regard to lyrics in hip-hop which appear to encourage violence of any sort either directly or indirectly. These types of lyrical frameworks are often allegorical, however, and speak to the competitive nature of genre and surrounding culture. For what it is worth, there is no small portion of the listening community who would rather hear exaggerated yarns of metaphorical “assault” and the like in complex and interesting rhyme/cadence patterns than to endure yet another lazy, sloppily executed verse about cars and women over the same beat we’ve been hearing on every marginally popular record for the past ten years – you know the one I’m talking about.

 

This sort of thinking comes to mind in one of the most impactful of the EP’s cuts, “Unleash Me,” on which Busta insists that artists, “drop another classic, stop trying to remix ‘em.” The implications of such a statement are debatable given the status of the, “has he dropped a classic?” debate as it pertains to Busta himself. But it’s promising to hear someone seeming to speak up with regard to the tendency of artists, specifically in contemporary rap, to eschew pursuing the creation of impactful and innovative material in the name of recycling an already recycled version of a recycled version of a track the just wasn’t that interesting to begin with. Say what you will about the results, but it’s nearly impossible to deny the degree of engagement and effort that goes into a Busta Rhymes project, and that alone is warranting of immense respect in this day and age.

 

None of this is to imply that the EP release has gone or will go entirely without fanfare. With a career as extensive and unique as that of Busta Rhymes, one develops an organic following over time. Two single releases preceded the release of the EP itself, those being the project’s primary attempt at a “dance” or “club” number, “Do the Busabus, along with the aforementioned “Unleash Me.” Both of these cuts were performed in promotion of the album before a live studio audience on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where Busta dusted off his ballistically quick feature verse from Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” which ruled the airwaves for a time in… 2011? Has it really been 15 years?

 

While, Dragon Season… The Awakening likely won’t be cracking Billboard’s Top 5 any time soon, and that’s okay. This project doesn’t feel as though it were manufactured with the intent of bringing in new listeners or necessarily raising the profile of its lead artist. What the record does do is reiterate what we already knew: Busta Rhymes is an absolute beast, and perhaps that’s all we need him to be. The man’s body of work is consistently good throughout several decades, his delivery is inspired as ever, and with projects like Dragon Season… The Awakening, he is working diligently to fill a vacuum in hip-hop of wordplay, dynamic delivery, and actual attention to craft.

 

This record likely won’t redefine the culture, but who need bother with concern of defining the culture when one IS the culture? When all is said and done, Busta Rhymes will indubitably be remembered as a defining and beloved figure in hip-hop and as one of the all-time greats – classic album or no classic album – and one might argue that that is more than enough.

 

Dragon Season… The Awakening is now available to purchase and stream.