Busta Rhymes "E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event)" - 20 Years Today

[smokeurobinson]

This was Busta at his zenith. Classic album cover signaling the end of the world. Onyx, Group Home, Canibus and many others were stressing that Y2K hype but Busta was leading the charge, really trying to convince the hip hop world that it would all be over once the year 2000 hits.

When u are active duty military u have to ask for a pass if u leave the city limits. Late 98 I was either getting passes or saying "fukk it" and leaving without a pass at the last minute knowing I'll be back way before 7am formation on Monday morning. It was one of those "fukk it" fridays and I drove the 7 hours to nyc. When i got within the citys' radio waves I heard "Gimmie Some More" the first time on Hot 97. First thing I thought was it sounds like a faster version of Jay Zs "nikka what, nikka who"










Funny skits...Great sequencing. On ELE, Busta proved he wasn't a gimmick , perfecting his craft by his 3rd album. We got to see Mystikal and Busta do a song and it was heat. The Ozzy Ozborn song was cool. Tear da Roof Off/Party Is Goin' On Over Here" video combination. Swizz and DJ Scratch. The perfect mix of veteran and new school.






ELE is the album were Busta won all those grammys. The debate still stands wether this album or his 2nd album is his magum opus. We also have to acknowledge the Hype Williams/ Busta video combo was and always will be GOAT Hype Williams combo with Missy coming in 2nd place. The Janet video is just further confirmation. Bustas' album would sell 1 million but he'd get a video budget of 2 million for this video. This is a moment in the record business we will probably never see again.

 

[jaguar paw]

Busta is a beast

 

[OHSNAP!]

Mediocre ass album, you got some bad taste OP

that Janet cut was a massive flop actually, most expensive music vid ever at that point plus huge marketing costs...Busta's label (Elektra?) prolly gave him a ass beating after that

 

[OHSNAP!]

Onyx, Group Home, Canibus and many others were stressing that Y2K hype but Busta was leading the charge, really trying to convince the hip hop world that it would all be over once the year 2000 hits.

https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/46930464/you-dumb-fukk.jpg

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Maybe my favorite Busta album.

One of the GOAT first 3 track runs ever by introducing us to one of the most slept on producer/rapper combos of all time in Nottz and Busta.

 

[smokeurobinson]

Mediocre ass album, you got some bad taste OP

that Janet cut was a massive flop actually, most expensive music vid ever at that point plus huge marketing costs...Busta's label (Elektra?) prolly gave him a ass beating after that

E.L.E. also spawned three singles that attainedBillboard chart success, including the Janet Jackson-featuring "What's It Gonna Be?!", which became Rhymes' highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist, reaching number three. It also hit number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks andHot 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.



That Janet video was all over MTV and BET. And it was the biggest video from the album. How can a flop be everywhere, be the biggest video and get grammy nominated? U sound like u weren't around when that video dropped. FOH

 

[Morose Polymath]

The Burial Song from this album is the GOAT outro to me

 

[SunZoo]

Mediocre ass album, you got some bad taste OP

that Janet cut was a massive flop actually, most expensive music vid ever at that point plus huge marketing costs...Busta's label (Elektra?) prolly gave him a ass beating after that

Even if that was the case, the song was dope as fukk and the album is too IMO.

 

[flah_neon]

 

[OHSNAP!]

E.L.E. also spawned three singles that attainedBillboard chart success, including the Janet Jackson-featuring "What's It Gonna Be?!", which became Rhymes' highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist, reaching number three. It also hit number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks andHot 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.



That Janet video was all over MTV and BET. And it was the biggest video from the album. How can a flop be everywhere, be the biggest video and get grammy nominated? U sound like u weren't around when that video dropped. FOH

PAYOLA, aka marketing costs, paying off the video/radio stations (and surely billboard too) ain't cheap, dummy boy. If the album went 3x platinum+ and the single 2x plat+, they would have made a profit. Not like this

 

[OHSNAP!]

Even if that was the case, the song was dope as fukk and the album is too IMO.

Different strokes n all dat. Album had some heat no doubt

 

[jshani]

i feel like Busta had some epic ass album titles (The Coming , When Disaster Strikes, E.L.E) , but his albums never really touched on the topics

 

[ORDER_66]

I liked E.L.E. but I prefer Anarchy more...

 

[smokeurobinson]

PAYOLA, aka marketing costs, paying off the video/radio stations (and surely billboard too) ain't cheap, dummy boy. If the album went 3x platinum+ and the single 2x plat+, they would have made a profit. Not like this

First u said it was a flop then when the reciepts came out and had u looking stupid all of a sudden its payola.


Gurl Bye.



If u wanna talk about a real commercial flop, Deeply Rooted was flop city, flop state and flop world.

 

[Zero]

I'm not the biggest Swizz fan but Busta laced this something serious