Codeine is to Future what lyrical bars are to Busta.
I loved the original Abstract and The Dragon, so seeing this continuation come through years later is a treat. Although Q-Tip isn’t present on this record, which is somewhat of a minus, his absence is thankfully not the product of beef rather Q just wanting a bit of a vacation.
The production is still really solid and I don’t know any Hip Hop fans that would necessarily scoff at the idea of having more verses from Busta. Where some older artists like Em really can’t hide age creeping into their flow, Busta still sounds young and hungry. I guess dragons just age really well.
As for lyrics, Busta does to this tape what he watched Mook do to Lux at Total Slaughter. Every verse is either funny, aggressive, or lyrical. Whatever lane he takes a track down, he does so with unbridled energy and effort. I even loved the track with da rudeboy Sean Paul that followed one of the three skits of Busta and Q just shooting the shit and being hilarious. Chance also laid what might be my favorite verse from him on this project.
Overall there’s nothing to really criticize about this tape, any Busta fan will love it and even if your tastes are narrow in terms of Hip Hop styles, there’s enough variety on this tape to satisfy any fan’s palette.
You can download the mixtape on DatPiff.
art by your homie, Arthur Banach
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