Busta Rhymes drops some serious fire about Eminem and teases a new track where he defends Marshall’s legacy.
The recent episode of All the Smoke featured Busta chopping it up with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, dropping untold stories about Biggie, Jay-Z, Tupac, and the origins of speed rapping.
He also dished on iconic collabs with Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, and of course, there was some Eminem love. Busta went IN on anyone disrespecting Slim Shady, specifically calling out Dr. Umar for his comments. Here’s what Busta had to say:
I don’t think nobody could fuck with Eminem. I’m sorry, Dr. Umar, stop it. You’re wilding. And there is a lot of shit that Dr. Umar says that I agree with, but this is a particular one where you’re way off the kilt. Eminem is the truth.
But Busta didn’t stop there. He teased a new track where he had to check another artist for their Eminem take.
I’ve got a song coming out with an artist that I had to address about his testimonial and opinion on Eminem. I had to check him on his own song in rhyme form. So y’all stay tuned for that. I’m a huge fan of the artist that I made a record with. But the beautiful thing that makes these moments special is when you can be honest on these records. So, don’t put yourself in a situation and then ask me to rhyme with you ’cause I’m going to check you. And you can’t argue with me because I’m the fucking elder statesman and the timeless great!
Looks like Slim Shady has a dedicated defender in Busta’s corner.
Then Busta listed a whole bunch of his favourite MCs, including Kendrick, Talib Kweli, J. Cole, and of course, Eminem. To illustrate his point about respecting artists who evoke emotions in him, Busta dropped a story about his joint with Em, “Calm Down”.
Apparently, the song started as a normal collaboration, but things got crazy fast. Both artists went into a full-blown lyrical showdown, with Busta and Em topping each other’s verses back and forth, completely ignoring radio play and focusing on pure, unadulterated hip hop.
[Eminem] brings the best out of me. I did a song with Eminem called “Calm Down”. I sent it to him, 16 bars. He sent me back 48. You are not doing that to me on my own record. I sent back 54 bars. He sends me back 62. I sent back 68. Who are we making a song for at this point? We ain’t making no song for a consumer. We’re just battling on a record for seven minutes. They ain’t playing it in the club. They are not going to play it on the radio. We might get satellite radio spins. We might get some blogs talking about this because it’s an eventful moment. But we turned a record that could have been a radio joint into a me and you straight raw hip hop “fuck the rules” moment. Because we love it so much.
Busta summed it up perfectly:
The competitive nature we both have forced us to bring the best out of each other.
This love of the craft, this passion for hip hop, is what turned “Calm Down” from a radio hit into a lyrical masterpiece.
This interview is a must-watch for any hip hop fan. Busta Rhymes dropping knowledge, defending Eminem’s legacy, and reminiscing about classic rap moments – what more could you ask for?
Watch the video below:
