According to my rating history, I'd listened to this, but I had no memory of it whatsoever, so with 'Liberation 2' dropping, I thought I'd give it a play. Talib comes with his usual enjoyable flow, but the production at times leaves something to be desired and there are some hooks that I can't deal with. 'Happy Home' is one example which is a shame as the verses are likeable. I don't like 'Engine Running' either. 'The Function' is just okay. 'Soul Music' is boring. It does nothing. The finale track, 'What Can I Do' is the only one I do remember hearing before. It has the best production on the album as it never sits still. The souly 'Funny Money' is another highlight. For only 30 minutes and 9 tracks, I don't think the quality is consistently high enough to be deserving of hovering near 4/5. Around a 3 out of 5 effort. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★ Best Tracks: Funny Money, Over the Counter, What Can I Do

Original review: Overall, this is a solid album and as far as the inconsistent Busta goes, it's probably up there for the most tracks with replay value partly due to Dre providing some good production, that sound a bit like what Jay got on Kingdom Come. 'Don't Get Carried Away' with Nas is one such Dre beat, and is the standout with Nas stealing the show. Nevertheless, like every Busta album, the problem is that there are too many tracks that don't do a lot for me. It's worth a listen if you're a fan, but as the rating shows, not all will like. He is one of the many talented veterans in the rap world, but he is still yet to make an outstanding album front to back. -------------------- 2023 revisiting review: After basically dropping an album every year from '96-'02, Busta took some time off before this hit the shelves in '06. From the start, the haunting chorus and production by Dre on the opener is dope. Swizz gives us something original, but not that great, with 'Touch It' before the thumping 'How We Do It Over Here'. From there, it's almost all good music and it would be hard to argue against this being Busta's most consistent project. It's also probably his most consciously-minded lyrically. It drops off with 'Get Down' and 'I'll Do It All' towards the end of the album, but they are the only real average moments. 'I Love My Bitch' could be mentioned as well, as it does feel somewhat out of place on this album, but it's catchy enough to not dislike. Whether it be the unexpected Stevie Wonder and Rick James features or just the producers bringing their A game, there is something to like in almost every song. The production, executive produced by Dre and Busta, is more enjoyable, and includes some bangas like the ones I mentioned plus 'Don't Get Carried Away' with a great Nas feature. It's worth mentioning two songs that didn't make the album. 'I'll Hurt You' features Eminem and is produced by Scott Storch and Dr. Dre. Em and Busta flow over the fast violins making it sound like a unique song. I don't think we get the best Eminem here though. The more soulful 'Where's Your Money?' is the other, that features Ol' Dirty Bastard. Both songs would have been worthy additions to the album. In the old days, Busta filled his CDs to the brim and they probably would have been included but perhaps with Dre at the helm, he was talked into more quality control. They both purportedly received a lukewarm response when they leaked which may have been why neither were included. There aren't enough amazing moments to rate this higher, but there is a lot to enjoy and I find more here in the second tier of songs than I originally did. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Get You Some, How We Do It Over Here, New York Shit, Goldmine, Don't Get Carried Away, Legend of the Fall Offs

August has created a handful of some of my favourite R&B songs, but there is nothing here nearing that level and there are some moments I hate like the features on 'Weekdays'. Too many songs have the same kind of sound too. As I've said many times, if you are only going to come with a small amount of music, the quality needs to be high and I think the listener should be less forgivable that they may be with a longer album. 2-2.5 / 5 Best Tracks: Myself, Never Fold, Party

As I continue to revisit Busta's discography, this is another one I've underrated a touch, but there are many songs that I won't be saving for later. It begins with a shorter than usual apocalyptic 'Intro' than we've been accustomed to from Busta and then kicks off with the title track, produced by J Dilla, that is one of the better songs on the album. The next is enjoyable as well, but the quality drops as the tracks run until the third Dilla song, the lo-fi sounding 'Turn Me Up Some'. 'Make It Clap' is catchy before a run of 4 chick/sexually themed songs. Three don't work too well before the hit 'I Know What You Want' shines with Mariah. Following that, it changes up completely with the banga 'Riot' and the following 'Hop' is also fairly hard. From there, 'The Struggle Will Be Lost' is okay, the chorus of 'Till It's Gone' makes that one of the better songs and it finishes with the remix of 'Make It Clap' that is more well known that the original. This is a definite drop off from 'Genesis'. There are too many average songs and only one or two that are anything special. Beats: ★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: It Ain't Safe No More, Turn Me Up Some, Make It Clap, I Know What You Want, Riot, Hop, Till It's Gone, Make It Clap (Remix)

I had this rated at only 2/5. As i revisit it, I probably find more I like, but I could understand getting halfway through this and turning it off. It kicks off with some typical Busta Rhymes introductory energy on 'Salute Da Gods!!' but quickly drops off with Jay Dee's 'Enjoy da Ride'. The Swizz Beatz 'We Put It Down for Y'all' gets mildly interesting with the beat change but not long after it reverts back to the poor production it started with, and again, is mostly unlikeable. Next Scott Storch comes with 'Bladow!!' where you can hear his signature sound and it's an improvement. 'Street Shit', by Just Blaze, sounds a bit like a Swizz Beatz beat with Busta riding the beat well on the verses. The next Jay Dee contribution, 'Live It Up', could really have used some more change up in production between the verses and chorus as there is none. 'Fire', produced by none other than Busta Rhymes himself, features a chaotically energetic beat. It's okay. I guess this has become a track by track review. 'All Night' is weak but 'Show Me What You Got' is one of the best tracks so far with Jay Dee redeeming himself. Again, the hook is a bit disappointing though. 'Get Out!!' feels like Jay's 'A Hard Knock Life' with the Richard Wolfe Children's Chorus being sampled on the hook. The legendary Large Pro then brings the production for 'The Heist' featuring Raekwon, Ghostface & Roc Marciano. It's one of the better tunes. The storytelling 'A Trip Out of Town' and 'How Much We Grew' get boring. 'Here We Go Again' isn't my cup of tea. Just Blaze didn't bring his best to this album. The following 'We Comin' Through' and 'C'mon All My Niggaz, C'mon All My Bitches' aren't giving me much enthusiasm to write anything about them. The tail of the album from the rap-rock Lenny Kravitz featured 'Make Noise' is decent that also includes the hard MO.P. assisted 'Ready for War, that is one of the album's best, and the DMX and Jay-Z track, 'Why We Die', is enjoyable, but doesn't live up to those names. And finally, 'Anarchy' is one of my favs here. Busta made a mistake by filling most of his albums to the brim. 'The Coming' aside, they are somewhat of a slug to get through with this being the biggest offender from his first four LPs. The lack a big single or classic Busta tune, that his other albums had up until this point, and that the next few would have as well, is the main issue here. I think his previous album, 'E.L.E.' may have had more skips but it had higher highs. My original rating of 2/5 was harsh, but I can't increase it by much. Beats: ★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Tracks: Salute da Gods!!, Bladow!!, Show Me What You Got, Get Out!!, The Heist, Ready for War, Anarchy