No matter whether the title's a reference to the increased risk of terrorism in
Busta's hometown circa 2002 ("sh*t is crazy!") or to the fact that rap's most volatile and unpredictable personality is back and bigger than ever,
It Ain't Safe No More continues in the vein of loose-cannon classics like 1997's
When Disaster Strikes and 2001's Genesis. And when he's on, he's better than ever, too; the title track features a
P-Funk singalong and a vivid, synth-heavy production over some of the tightest spitfire raps heard on any hip-hop LP of the new millennium. After a half-hearted melodrama called "What Do You Do When You're Branded,"
Busta returns to what he does best on "Call the Ambulance" -- incapacitating all comers with rhymes as hardcore as they are hilarious. "What Up" is half-Neptunes and half-
Raymond Scott, and the single "Make It Clap" is just the latest classic
Flipmode anthem. Except for a few overblown performances and quasi-epic productions,
It Ain't Safe No More finds
Busta Rhymes with the same sure grip on his distinctive personality. ~ John Bush