1998 Rewind: Remembering Busta Rhymes’ Extinction Level Event

I’ve been very vocal about my love for the year 1998 – I believe it’s one of the last great years in R&B and hip-hop history. Since 2023 marks 25 years since those magical 12 months, 1998 Rewind will look back at some of the best (and most underrated) albums of that time.

All year long we’ve been reminiscing on my favorite year in music, and to wrap up this retrospective, James Moore takes a break from his usual No Limit stanning to help me celebrate Busta Rhymes. Extinction Level Event still holds up as one of Busta’s best albums, and we’ll tell you why.

Share your memories of when you first heard ELE.

James: Busta had built up his brand as an electrifying artist with his animated videos for “Woo Hah,” “Dangerous,” and “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See.” The video for “Gimme Some More” was out for about a month and a half when the album dropped, on my birthday.  Me and my cousin would always have each other buy particular albums for our birthdays.  Around that time it was DMX and Busta, if they had something dropping we had to get that.  So I knew that’s what I was getting.

Edd: Back in college, I’d hang out in our little restaurant on campus called The Grill. For my old heads, just picture The Pit from A Different World. The Grill would always a great place to check out the latest videos – it’s where I saw Mya and Sisqo dancing around for the first time, a young Ja Rule was screaming HOW MANY WANNA DIE WITH ME, and of course, a manic mini-Busta Rhymes running around in Hype Williams’ fish eye lens causing mayhem. The insane visuals, along with the cool flip of the theme from Psycho, instantly made me a fan and I couldn’t wait to cop the album when it dropped later in the year. And when I finally got my hands on it, I was not disappointed. Just like the apocalyptic album cover portrayed, ELE was sonic insanity. I was already a big Busta fan prior to its release, this album made me a fan for life.

Aight, let’s talk about your pick for best song.

James: “Everybody Rise”

Perfect introduction. An indication of the energy level and intensity that you would hear throughout the rest of the album.

Edd: “Gimme Some More”

Anything in my top four could have been No. 1 depending on my mood. But there’s something so … Busta about “Gimmie Some More.” The rapid-fire delivery, the incredible sample, the insanely catchy hook, the hilarious video – it’s everything we love about Bussa Bus.

Busta was the king of 90s videos. Which one was the best here?

James: “Gimme Some More”

Classic Hype Williams fish eye lens video and Busta being over the top with exaggerated cartoonish characters.

Edd: “What’s It Gonna Be?!”

I know “What’s It Gonna Be” seems like the obvious answer but I can’t fault James for going with “Gimmie Some More.” The frantic energy is a perfect fit for the track. But Busta and Janet’s weird T-1000 foreplay is iconic for a reason, and it’s gone down as one of the most memorable videos of its era. Sure, sometimes it looks a little too much like a Playstation 2 cutscene in 2023 eyes, but the chemistry between Janet and Busta makes up for it all.

Which song should have been a single?

James: “Iz They Wildin Wit Us & Gettin Rowdy Wit Us?”

“Iz They Wildin Wit Us & Gettin Rowdy Wit Us?” is no-brainer following the tank running over the industry with a 24 album run.  Not to mention that Mystikal’s album dropped the same day.

Edd: “Everybody Rise”

Good lord, there was NO DOUBT which song James was gonna go with. That man never misses an opportunity to jump on that raggedy tank. Although Busta did a great job with single selection on this album, I wouldn’t have minded a full rollout for “Everybody Rise.” Not sure how well it would have performed on radio but it for sure would have melted every club speaker into battery acid. The call and response alone would cause mass hysteria. Honorable mention to “Against All Odds” – again, I don’t see it as a radio hit but it would have made for a very fun video.

The production on this project is top-notch. But which beat is best?

James: “Everybody Rise”

The viral clip from the Nottz/Bink beat battle exemplified the feeling you heard after that Intro.

Edd: “Everybody Rise”

Absolutely, “Everybody Rise” is the winner here. The fact that Nottz could use simple piano keystrokes  to set the stage for a regional Royal Rumble is proof of this beat’s power. Though it’s very simplistic on the surface, it hits with force of an atomic bomb. Nottz was Oppenheimer behind those boards.

Let’s talk hooks! Which is your favorite?

James: “What’s it Gonna Be?!”

Sexy lyrics from the legend Janet Jackson with Busta’s smooth ad-libs.

Edd: “What’s it Gonna Be?!”

I REALLY wanted to show love to “Tear the Roof Off” – especially the way Busta’s inflections bring so much energy to the track. But I can’t in good conscience ignore Janet’s sultry hook for “What’s It Gonna Be.” And yes, Busta’s oversexed adlibs are the cherry on the freaky sundae. It’s just too good to ignore.

Let’s talk about Busta the artist – is he underrated, overrated or properly rated?

James: Underrated.  It’s hard to get it now, post-“Look at Me Now,” but the energy was always crazy.  He’s been around since the early Tribe days and had a steady climb through Genesis and managed to keep popping up on remixes for another 10 years or so after that.  Going back to this album after listening to so many mediocre recent releases is a shock to the system.

Edd: I’m glad to see Busta getting his flowers these days – this year especially – but overall his career has been vastly underrated. Check the resume – launched his solo career after being the standout artist in Leaders of the New School; absolutely stole the show in guest verses for the next two decades; starting with his star-making turn in A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario”; was the mastermind behind 90s stalwarts like “Woo-Hah” and “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See”; became the undisputed king of rap visuals in the late 90s; and his double-time rap flow became stuff of legend for a new generation of fans on “Look At Me Now.” But y’all know how rap goes – it’s a “what have you done for me lately” industry, and Busta’s relative inactivity in the 2010s shortchanged his legacy. I’m glad the world is catching back up to his greatness.

Where would you rank Extinction Level Event in Busta’s discography?

James: No. 1 for me.  I would say that this was his creative peak.  Good blend of commercial production with the boom bap, Swizz Beatz to Nottz & Diamond D.  Superstar features that weren’t reaches.  He maintains his flavor whether it’s a smooth song, hard hitting neck snapper, or a party song.  ELE was the peak before he took a dip with Anarchy.  He would regain his momentum with Genesis & The Big Bang, but this one is top tier.

Edd: Busta has a pretty solid array of albums, especially in his early run. But ELE does what The Coming, When Disaster Strikes and even the underrated Big Bang fail to do – it feels like an event. James is right about the album’s array of sounds – smooth R&B collabs, raucous club bangers and even rampaging over rock classics like Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” That’s what makes this album feel like one big apocalyptic party. Busta will always been known for his boundless creativity, but he was never as imaginative and unhinged as he was during the ELE era. It’s his best album by far and another underappreciated gem in an underappreciated year for hip-hop.

Who are you siding with, James or Edd? Let us know below.