Busta interview, release date confirmed, Dre track gets sample clearance issue

[Meho]

It has been 10 years since Busta Rhymes broke from Leaders of the New School, released The Coming, and put you all in check with "Woo-ha!" Since then Busta has simultaneously confused and entertained with a stream of offbeat platinum club-bangers, including "Dangerous," "Make It Clap," and now "Touch It." With a new album about to flood the streets and a new home at Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Busta appears to just be getting things started.

Busta: Yo, what's up?

MP3: Hey what's up man? How you doing?

Busta: I'm good.

MP3: It's an honor to talk to you today.

Busta: Thank you. I appreciate you bro.

MP3: I'll fire right into the questions. So I suppose a hot one is when can we expect The Big Bang to drop?

Busta: My favorite question. June 13th. The release date of The Big Bang is officially locked in to be dropped and released on June 13th. Once again, The Big Bang will be in the streets June 13th, and I'm extremely excited about that date.
MP3: And "Touch It" is just blowing off the charts. It's been on there for 30 weeks now. What can we expect next as the album prepares to hit the streets?

Busta: Well the new single is called "I Love My Chick."

MP3: Right, with Kelis.

Busta: With Kelis and Will.I.Am from Black Eyed Peas. They're both on the record. Will I Am also produced the record, and we just did the world premiere and the video on 106 and Park yesterday. And the video is crazy. My love is just in the video, Gabrielle Union the incredible actor, such a beautiful woman, and she definitely came through for the kid and made this an event, you know what I mean. So you know, it's just real "big bang" thing poppin' off with this Big Bang album, and you know, the album is just so much more intense than what we've been giving you on the singles. We've just been trying to give you a record that's going to make you feel good in a club and bounce and have a good time, and just contribute to balance to the energy of hip-hop [as needed]. You know what I mean? So overall this is real big, and it's exciting to see how much people is really, really showing love to the joints that we've been doing in the street, and I'm just going to continue to run with it to the finish line, you know what I mean?

MP3: Yeah, definitely. So I want to ask you, you made the leap from RCA to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment...

Busta: Thank god!

MP3: Yeah, how does that feel? Do you feel more at ease with Aftermath?
Busta: It's the best s*** in the world. The best situation I have ever encountered. I've extremely been excited about everything that's been happening because the support system is so tremendously major. And for the most part, man, it's just...it's just [indiscernible] over these years to finally be a part of a machine man that really knows what to do with Busta Rhymes the brand and with hip-hop music, you know what I mean?

MP3: It's been 10 years since the release of The Coming.

Busta: Yeah, it's my 10-year anniversary as a solo artist.

MP3: Did you...back then when you were just coming out of Leaders of the New School and working on The Coming, did you foresee yourself becoming the Busta Rhymes that you are today?

Busta: I mean it was definitely all in the plan. You know, whether or not I was able to accomplish that successfully or not, that was always up in the air, but you know, the plan was once I got the opportunity to do my thing by myself, it was definitely to take it to a level that superseded everything that I was even able to fathom, you know what I'm saying? You know, being that I'm now trying to be living that dream, it's a whole 'nother ballgame man--new goals are set now.
MP3: How do you feel that you as an individual have changed over the last decade since the release of The Coming?

Busta: I mean I'm a man now. I was a man then, but I'm a grown man now, you know what I'm saying? You know, it's a different thing when you're like 21, 22 years old.
MP3: How do you feel that that grown-man perspective has guided you in the realm of hip-hop?

Busta: I mean it just allows you to not make...you develop a better sense of judgment, you know. Your decision-making process is a lot more accurate, and you start to really figure things out because you get a better understanding on things. You see things clearer. You know, time and experience establishes understanding, and understanding is the best part in every situation. You know what I mean? Once you understand something clearly you know how to move appropriately, you know how to deal with the situation accordingly, and you also know how to reach your fullest potential in any one of those situations once you understand it and understand how to deal with it. And for me, growing and evolving and encountering things and experiencing--being able to survive the test of time--it has allowed me to endure so much that, you know, I'm at a place where my understanding is so vivid and so clear when it comes to this music thing that I'm feeling like a guru and a master of my craft at this point. You know what I'm saying?

MP3: You are truly a master of your craft, and it's phenomenal how hot you still are. I'm curious, though, at some point do you foresee yourself stepping out of the vocal booth and going into a more executive position? Like doing something like Jay-Z did?

Busta: I mean, I don't feel like I'm going to do that anytime soon. I'm definitely going to be stepping up to the executive arena a lot more, but I'm going to be doing that simultaneously while I'm still being an artist, the same way Dr. Dre is doing it. He's still an artist, he's still a producer, and he is like one of the top executives in the game. And you know, that's the thing that I enjoy because I love the music so much that I don't think that I'm going to walk away from it completely unless I'm just not inspired to do it anymore. But for the most part the executive role is something that also contributes to the greatness of the accolades that you receive and the success that you're able to accomplish, because the smarter you are as an executive and as a businessman, the more you know how to strategize ways to campaign your project as far as your music is concerned and other artists' music is concerned that's coming through your brand or through your guidance as an executive. And you know for me, man, I enjoy seeing other people win, especially when they're a part of my team.

MP3: You mentioned Dre being a true master and multidimensional artist. I understand that he's on the microphone, on The Big Bang. Is that true?

Busta: Yeah, as of right now it's looking like it's up in the air because we have a sample clearance issue on the song that we did together. But we did a song together called "Imagine," and he's spit one of the most fiery 24-bar verses on this record, and the concept of the song is based on...imagine if hip-hop never existed, what would we be doing, who would we be? You know what I'm saying? And it's definitely one of the hottest records on the album as of right now, and God willing the sample goes through for us, man, because if it doesn't, I don't think I have enough time to really explore any other options with the production, because the album is being mastered as we speak. And I have to turn in the album next week Tuesday, so it's like, if we don't get to figure out what the sample clearance is saying between today and Monday, you know, I won't know for sure if that song will be making the album. But if in the worst case scenario it doesn't make the album, I'm going to still leak it to the street, you know what I mean? And make sure that the world still gets to hear how me and Dre shook a leg in the studio.
MP3: Speaking of leaking, I know that some of the tracks off of The Big Bang were actually leaked. How do you feel about file sharing and people getting access to your music before the street date?

Busta: Well the only song that we really had a problem with on that level was a song that I had called "I'll Hurt You," and it was a song that was supposed to be with me and Eminem, but the version without Eminem got to the street before the version with Eminem did, but we put both of them out there because...actually I put the Eminem version out there anyway because people already heard the version that was incomplete by accident, so I was just like...let's just put the Eminem version out there too so that the streets can just hear what the record would have been and just capitalize off of the excitement that people has with their impatience. Which in one sense is a good thing because it shows you that people are really anticipating the s***, and they're growing impatient, and the more thirsty that people become for the project, the more, you know, it excites me and inspires me to go in and put my s*** together and smash the studio up so that mother******* could be, you know, closer to that release date than further.

And you know, the harder your s*** is, the quicker your release date gets secured. You know what I'm saying? If you ain't doing your job in the studio, then you got to stick in the studio, you got to stay in there until you get it together. So all of that s*** just contributed to the excitement and buzz because once them songs got leaked, then you know, mother******* are excited to hear the next thing, so that's when "Touch It" ended up coming. And then when we came with "Touch It," you see what that s*** did. That just blew out the proportions. It blew out the frame and s***. So now we got the new single. After we put out "Touch It" with all of the different remixes, and then we combined it, we combined the remixes and we put out one version of all three remixes with a video, that s*** blew up, and then we just came with the new single, "I Love My Chick," with this phenomenal video that I'd rather call a mini movie, cause the s*** is just out of control, man. And Gabrielle Union came through for the kid and, you know, made the look a tremendously big one for me. So right now, man, we just going to keep going uphill until we at the top of the mountain, trying to be the king of the rap game.
MP3: I know you've got a birthday coming around the clock. Is that true?

Busta: Yeah, May 20.

MP3: And if I'm correct, you're going to be 34. Is that right?

Busta: Absolutely.

MP3: Now, I'm a 33-year-old man, and I grew up with your music, and I know that there are a lot of people out there, some younger kids, who you are their elder statesman. And I'm wondering if you have some words of wisdom for the kids out there who want to be at the level of Busta Rhymes some day?

Busta: The only thing that I could say is be patient. Patience is the best weapon. Sometimes things that come too quick you lose just as quick as you get it. So endurance is the most important thing, because a lot of the times when we take time to get things you're really being conditioned for the greater rewards to come later on, you know what I mean, so that you know how to receive your reward and maintain it and keep it and handle it and appreciate it when you finally do get it. You know what I mean? So never get too discouraged when you start feeling like things are taking too long to happen, because sometimes it's probably the way it's supposed to happen, so that you can just be that much more prepared when it's your turn to really get on. So it's a double-edged sword, but at the end of the day, that endurance level is extremely important. So just stick with the grind, be patient, stay focused, and as long as you are very passionate about what you're trying to do, you should start seeing how much you receive back as a reward, you know, the thing that you put into it.

MP3: Well, I thank you for your infinite words of wisdom.

Busta: Appreciate you homey. Thank you very much, man.

MP3: I look forward to hearing your album, man.

Busta: Thank you very much.

MP3: All right, peace.

Busta: Peace big homey.

By Chris Rolls
Conducted May 22, 2006, 12:00 AM

http://www.mp3.com/features/stories/4600.htm

[Rebel]

props... but this sample clearence thing is worriying me...

[Dj Eskimo]

dope interview, i really hope that track makes the album tho 

[Dargine]

Sounds like another "Nightmare".

[Lord Funk]

Well, I'd pretty much assume 'Imagine' won't make the final cut

[QuietTruth]

Propz for the interview.

[eazye]

Propz for the interview.

[gav09]

Props nice interview! Lets just hope that imagine makes the album!

[Jip]

looks like dre's been sampling alot

so wheres your money could deffinatley be dre

[Mygla]

as long as it doesn't become another Mr. Officer i' won't complain...

[Vegasmac25]

props on the article.I really hope this track makes it cause it would be nice to hear Dre n Bust on the same song.

[Trauma-san]

Well, if "Imagine" samples what I might 'Imagine' they're trying to sample, I doubt that it'll get cleared, because the particular woman I'm 'Imagine"ing would have to clear the sample wouldn't in my wildest "Imagine"ation clear the sample.