In commemoration of its 25th anniversary, a super deluxe edition of The Coming featuring remixes, instrumentals and acapellas was released to all streaming platforms on April 16, 2021, by Rhino.[4]
Background and recording
"I was like the first artist to really start rhyming on everyone else's record. And I was doing that because it was a quick way to feed my kid. That’s what was going on until, you know, I got to a place where I felt comfortable enough with doing a solo album."
The Coming serves as Busta Rhymes's first solo album after the break up of his former group Leaders of the New School. As his group had just broken up and he had his first son, he needed an source of income to provide a secure life for his son. He then got offered an Elektra Records solo deal by Dante Ross and Chris Lighty but was hesitant about accepting the deal due to his concerns regarding if he would be able to captivate listeners for the length of an entire album by himself. To get more comfortable with recording without his former group Leaders of the New School, he then appeared on numerous other artists' records. He did so to experiment with and find his own sound. His guest appearances at the time included A Tribe Called Quest's "Oh My God" and Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)", among others. Rhymes contributed hugely to the ongoing trend of guest appearances in hip hop.[2]
The initial recording sessions began in late 1994 in Los Angeles, where Rhymes was shooting for the movie Higher Learning, directed by John Singleton. When shooting ended, he also flew to Atlanta where he worked with record producer Dallas Austin in his new recording studio D.A.R.P. (Dallas Austin Recording Projects). Rhymes was worried about his responsibility and the future of his family, unsure whether he was capable of making a debut that would serve as the foundation of his solo career. Back in New York City, he moved between three recording studios, The Music Palace, Chung King Studios and Soundtrack Studios, to record music. After he sourced beats, he would write solely in the studio, afraid to lose lines or ideas for flows. Everything, including arrangements, concepts, choruses and verses, was written down on paper. Most of the time, he worked alone in the studio, with no one to hype him up before or after he got in the booth.[2]
"He was creating a sound that nobody else was doing. I loved it, and it reminded me of that hard-slapping, creative way of sampling records that Q-Tip was already doing, and Large Professor, Pete Rock, and Preemo. But he sounded closer to Q-Tip more than anybody else. Tip was one of my favorite producers at the time, and Dilla sounded like a young, iller version of Q-Tip. That was it. I just fell in love with his work."
Up until this point, Rhymes had problems with recording a full album on his own and sought help from his frequent collaborator, the rapper Q-Tip.[5] Rhymes was mentored by Q-Tip, who gave him advice, motivated him and played a role in choosing the direction for the album.[2] With his help and after several months of frustration, he finally came up with the idea that would become the skit after "It's a Party".[5] In 1995, Q-Tip also introduced Rhymes to then-unknown record producer J Dilla, who was known as Jay Dee at the time and had his biggest credits on hip hop group the Pharcyde's second studio album Labcabincalifornia.[2] Dilla went on to produce two tracks on the album, "Still Shining" and "Keep It Movin'", as well as numerous other tracks by Rhymes in the following years.
Rhymes recorded a track for the album called "The Ugliest" with the rapper the Notorious B.I.G. over a beat by Dilla. The rappers Method Man and Nas were also set to appear on the track which because of scheduling conflict did not come about. Because of subliminal disses about 2Pac by Biggie, the song was ultimately not included on the album. Biggie's verse would later be reused on "Dangerous MC's", a posse cut on the posthumously released 1999 album Born Again, also featuring Rhymes, Mark Curry and Snoop Dogg,[2] while the song itself was released in a new form on Rhymes' 2003 mixtape "Surrender".
Rhymes dedicated the album to the memory of his first and late son, Tahiem Jr, and friends Ratto, Big Joe and Love.[6]
Concept and title
Describing the concept of the album's title, Busta Rhymes said, "The Coming, I just felt, was such a general yet specific statement that the level of meaning is so powerful... The coming of what? When is it coming? How is it coming? Where is it coming from? Why is it coming?"[7]
Cover art
The cover art of The Coming was shot by Dean Karr. It displays a framed image of Rhymes with his mouth stretched wide, screaming. His locks are fanned out wildly behind his head with a white dove perched above him. The cover art is blurred and foggy.[8]
Music and lyrics
As Rhymes was not comfortable with including lyrics about his personal life and struggles, the album was very short on autobiographical or personal topics and lyrics.[2]
The "epic," "extended and extremely busy" intro of The Coming[9] contains two beat change ups and "commentary on wack rappers and the state of the rap game" from Rhymes.[10] Rhymes "dedicates [the last] portion [of the song] to all the 'niggas that keep falling', as a clever ODB vocal snippet plays behind him, emulating the sound of a man screaming as he falls from extremely high heights to his death."[9] The appearances of Flipmode Squad members Lord Have Mercy and Rampage on the track have been described as a "cartoonishly monstrous prologue".[10] The "first real song" on the album,[9] "Do My Thing", features a "funky, heavy-bass beat" by producer DJ Scratch. Rhymes' verses on the track have been described as "ridiculously witty." The track ends with a short skit that "re-iterates how Busta feels about wack rappers,"[10] as Rhymes can be heard "whipping" somebody for "talking shit," and copying his lyrics. The skit has been removed from digital versions of the album.[9] The "grimy, nocturnal" instrumental with "heavy drums" of "Everything Remains Raw" was produced by Easy Mo Bee.[10] Many of Rhymes' lyrics on the track track were previously used on his freestyle on Funkmaster Flex's 1995 mixtape The Mix Tape, Volume 1: 60 Minutes of Funk.[9] Both the previous track, "Do My Thing", and "Everything Remains Raw" have been said to "provide no distractions and illuminate how Busta's humor and knowledge can seep through a track while simultaneously highlighting his great rhyming".[11]
Over the "energetic, stripped-down instrumental" of "Abandon Ship" produced by Rhymes, he and his cousin Rampage "showcase their chemistry on the mic with one hyped-up, razor-sharp lyric after another". The song's refrain has been described as "catchy-as-hell." After "Abandon Ship" ends, an excerpt of Galt MacDermot 1969 song "Space", which gets sampled on the following track, can be heard. This interlude "helps to bring the energy down from 'Abandon Ship'". The fifth track and lead single "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check" features "cleverly-written" lyrics with a "manic delivery" over an "infectious" instrumental by Rhymes and Rashad Smith.[10] Rhymes builds the chorus around a line from the 1980 Sugar Hill Gang song "8th Wonder".[5] For each of the three verses, the last word in each lyric rhymes with one another. The "groovy," "clearly tailor-made for radio airplay" instrumental for R&B crossover "It's a Party" was produced by Easy Mo Bee and featues R&B duo Zhané, who "provide some smooth, seductive lyrics [...], while Busta plays the guy who lyrically flirts with them in-between their short verses and chorus".[10] The song is followed by a skit featuring a "quick throw away verse," as most of the verse contains Rhymes ad libbing, and multiple shoutouts to Saddam Hussein.[9] The skit was the first track recorded for the album [5] and has been removed from digital versions of the album.[9]
The "dark jazz textured backdrop" of "Hot Fudge" produced by the Vibe Chemist Backspin finds Rhymes "calming down just enough to sound sinister and slightly scary"[9] as he raps lyrics that have been described as a "stream-of-consciousness."[10] The song is followed by a skit about a Jamaican woman getting oral sex, "with no intentions of paying her sexual partner back the one she owes him."[9] The "moody" and "nocturnal" instrumental of "Ill Vibe" was produced by the featured Q-Tip and has been described as having a similar sound to his group A Tribe Called Quest's 1996 album Beats, Rhymes and Life. Rhymes' uses his "'last word on each bar sounds the same' formula", reminiscent of his single "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check" "but in a less-manic fashion,"[10] while Q-Tip "pops in to drop science." The chemistry between Rhymes and Q-Tip has been described as similar to that of Method Man and Redman.[12] In the next track, "Flipmode Squad Meets Def Squad", Def Squad members Jamal, Redman and Keith Murray engage against Flipmode Squad members Rampage, Lord Have Mercy and Rhymes in a rap battle with no chorus or hook over a backdrop produced by the Vibe Chemist Backspin.[9] The song is Rhymes' "attempt to create another memorable posse record on par with 'Scenario' [by A Tribe Called Quest featuring Leaders of the New School, the group Rhymes was a part of] and [...] 'Headbanger' [by the Hit Squad, the group from which the Def Squad emerged]" and serves "as the formal introduction" of Rhymes' Flipmode Squad.[11]
The "spacey, synth-assisted production" of "Still Shining" by producer J Dilla goes right "into a short but sweet acknowledgment of Busta's own lyrical talents as an MC." The chorus interpolates one of Rhymes' lines on the remix of A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario". In an interlude between "Still Shining" and the following track "Keep It Movin'", Rhymes "verbally scar[es] the shit out of his LONS [Leaders of the New School] peers to get themselves out of their retirement comfort zone to get to the studio." On "Keep It Movin'", he "attempts to re-create the chemistry between himself [and Leaders of the New School members] Charlie Brown, Cut Monitor Milo and Dinco D" over a J Dilla beat that samples Ohio Players' "Ecstasy".[10] The "bluesy" instrumental of following song "The Finish Line" was produced by DJ Scratch. The song contains Rhymes rapping about the untrue lifestyle of a man and explains how it "will soon lead to his demise." It is noted as the most serious song on the album. In the outro, "The End Of The World", Rhymes re-uses one of the beats from the intro and uses it to "show gratitude to his supporting fans and offers up a few parting words about using your time wisely." The track is followed by a short skit in which a man can be heard, "who's apparently on his death bed full of regret for not using his time wisely and accomplishing all things he wanted out of life. Then [...] the man slips into death, travels through the 'dark tunnel' [...] [as a] portion of the medieval classic "O Fortuna" plays, while a distorted devilish voice laughs, which suggests that the regretful man went to hell." The outro has been described as "putting a super dark ending on what was mostly a light-hearted listen."[9]
"It's a Party" featuring American R&B duo Zhané was released as the second official single from the album on June 25, 1996.
"Do My Thing" was released as the third and last official single from the album in 1997, outside of the United States. The song was previously issued as a promotional single.
Promotional singles
"Everything Remains Raw" was released as the first promotional single from The Coming on February 27, 1996, as the B-side to the album's lead single "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check.
"Do My Thing" and "Abandon Ship" featuring Rampage the Last Boy Scout were released together as the second and third promotional singles from the album in 1996. "Do My Thing" would later be released as an official single from the album.
"Ill Vibe" featuring American rapper Q-Tip was released as the fourth and last promotional single from the album on June 25, 1996, as the B-side to the album's second single "It's a Party" featuring Zhané.
Daryl McIntosh of Albumism wrote that "the heart and soul of the album is found on songs where Busta doesn't have to stand out amongst a large group [...] like "Everything Remains Raw", […] and "Do My Thing". [They] provide no distractions and illuminate how Busta's humor and knowledge can seep through a track while simultaneously highlighting his great rhyming ability." He added that "The Coming did everything you could ask for from a debut album. It lived up to, if not exceeded, the expectations of a young artist who had captured the world's attention as a standout group member and coveted collaborator. It spawned radio hits, club bangers, and underground gems for hardcore listeners. It was boastful, colorful, and had a celebratory feel, all of which helped make hip-hop appear fun again […]. Even a casual observer […] had to take notice of the guy whose voice was deeper and louder than everyone else, an emcee who wasn't afraid to put on a big hat or bright colors to accentuate his colorful personality." He went on to say that "The Coming was one of the best solo rap performances of 1996 and it stands as one of the all-time great debut LPs in hip-hop. Busta's first verse, first single, and first album all stand as testaments to the fact that he is one of hip-hop's elite artists and the perennial main event.[11]
"Everything Remains Raw" and "Abandon Ship" contains samples of "(Don't Want No) Woman", written by Lee Michaels, Bartholomew Smith-Frost, Percy Mayfield, and Ray Charles, as performed by Lee Michaels; and contains samples of "Space", written and performed by Galt MacDermot.[10][better source needed]
"It's a Party" contains samples of "Fun", written by Regi Hargis and performed by Brick; and "Hydra", written by Grover Washington Jr., Brandon Barnes, and Brian McKnight, as performed by Grover Washington, Jr.
