The rap legend celebrated the release of his new album with a live outing at an NYC landmark.
Busta Rhymes toasted the arrival of his new album, Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God, with Anderson .Paak on The Tonight Show last night.
With a full band in tow, the duo performed their collaborative single, “YUUUU,” for a socially-distanced crowd at NYC’s legendary Apollo Theatre, alongside Busta’s longtime hype man, Spliff Star. The performance was excerpted from Busta’s Youtube Music Nights set from Friday night, where he ran through his hits (including M.O.P.’s “Ante Up” remix, “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” and “I Know What You Want,” amongst others) and a handful of selections from his new project.
Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God was released on Friday, October 30th, featuring a mile-long list of cameos. The album includes appearances from Rick Ross, Mariah Carey, Q-Tip, Rapsody, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and Chris Rock, who serves as a narrator across the project and its various interludes. ELE2 is Busta’s first official release since 2009. He dropped Year of The Dragon in 2012 as a Google Play exclusive and is damn-near impossible to hear in the modern streaming landscape.
And though the new album’s barely a day old, the rapper is already looking ahead to his next project. In an interview with Vulture, Busta claimed there was plenty of material still stashed in the vault, including collaborative material with the late J Dilla. Busta has often referred to Dilla as one of the few producers that shaped his sound. And in late 2007, he paid tribute to the producer with the release of the heavily-circulated Dillagence mixtape.
Watch Busta Rhymes and Anderson .Paak perform “YUUUU” above. Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God is out now via The Conglomerate/EMPIRE. Stream it below on Spotify or pre-order your copy on vinyl today.