The Big Bang

Busta Rhymes’ outsized personality has always been the thing that put him over the top. But on his first album for Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label, he doesn’t sound too sure of who he is. The Big Bang is heavy on big-deal guests (Missy Elliott, Stevie Wonder, Rick James, Nas) and producers (Dr. Dre, Swizz Beatz, will.i.am, Timbaland), which insures that it sounds pretty goddamn good even as Busta undergoes an identity crisis. One track (“I Love My Bitch”) he rhymes like Kanye, the next (“Don’t Get Carried Away”) like 50, but you can’t help walking away wondering, “Where the hell is Busta?”