The TDE rapper delivers his first verse of the year on the latest single off the incoming ELE2 .
Hours out from the release of his new album, Busta Rhymes is offering one last glimpse at Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God.
On the latest single from the anxiously-anticipated project, “Look Over Your Shoulder,” the Brooklyn rap legend links with Kendrick Lamar over a Jackson 5 sample and buoyant bass licks, each repping their respective generations with poise and potent penmanship. The track marks Kendrick’s first verse of 2020 (though he did contribute ad-libs to Reason’s “Show Stop.”)
In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music today, Busta revealed the track had been in development for years. “2017 is probably around when the song actually got done,” the rapper explains. He adds, noting the difficulty and nerves in releasing his first album of the streaming era, “I’m just saying this to say the patience in this process and during this journey of recording this album was probably one of my greatest weapons because these songs wouldn’t all be on the same project if I was putting out an album every year, or even every two years.”
“Look Over Your Shoulder” is the third single from Busta’s upcoming album to arrive ahead of its release, following the Vybz Kartel-assisted, “The Don & The Boss” and the sleek Anderson .Paak collaboration, “YUUU.” But those only account for a sliver of the lengthy 10th studio album from Busta. Extinction Level Event 2 will feature contributions from Pete Rock, Rapsody, Q-Tip, M.O.P., Rakim, Mary J. Blige, and the late Ol Dirty Bastard, amongst others across its 22 tracks. The album was announced just last month by Chris Rock, who also appears throughout the album, specifically, on the intro and at the tail-end of the latest single.
You can hear Busta Rhymes and Kendrick Lamar trade bars on the new song, “Look Over Your Shoulder,” below. Hold tight for the official release of ELE2 this evening and scroll on for the album’s full tracklist.
Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God Tracklist:
1. E.L.E. 2 Intro (Feat. Chris Rock, Rakim, Pete Rock)
2. The Purge
3. Strap Yourself Down
4. Czar (Feat. M.O.P.)
5. Outta My Mind (Feat. Bell Biv Devoe)
6. E.L.E. 2 The Wrath of God (Feat. Minister Louis Farrakhan)
7. Slow Flow (Feat. Old Dirty Bastard)
8. Don’t Go (Feat. Q-Tip)
9. Boomp!
10. True Indeed
11. Master Fard Muhammad (Feat. Rick Ross)
12. YUUUU (Feat. Anderson .Paak)
13. Oh No
14. The Don and the Boss (Feat. Vybz Kartel)
15. Best I Can (Feat. Rapsody)
16. Where I Belong (Feat. Mariah Carey)
17. Deep Thought
18. The Young God Speaks
19. Look Over Your Shoulder (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)
20. You Will Never Find Another Me (Feat. Mary J. Blige)
21. Freedom? (Feat. Nikki Grier)
22. Satanic