Busta Rhymes was already a star before his debut album came out, but he was mostly seen as a kind of human special effect, his hoarse voice and frantic/explosive delivery best deployed in single-verse doses. But heard at album length, he reveals himself to be a phenomenally witty and erudite lyricist, piling omnivorous cultural references on top of hilarious punchlines with a splash of apocalyptic prophecy thrown in. What’s more, his delivery is masterful. He doesn’t ride the beat, he wrestles it to the floor, lurching and lunging at the listener, his own multitracked backing vocals serving as an alternate rhythm. Plenty of prominent East Coast rappers make guest appearances — Q-Tip, Redman, Keith Murray, Busta’s former compatriots in Leaders Of The New School — but nobody has the stones (or self-delusion) to try and outdo him on his own turf.