Inside the place was decorated in a 50's style with white Krypton fiberglass and white leather furniture atop red carpeted floors. There was a red felt pool table that seemed about the size of someone's bedroom. After putting to rest the last cell phone call and Motorola 2-way, we sat down and talked about (no, not the new CD) car audio of course. Although we felt a bit overwhelmed by the ostentatious, gaudy and way over-the-top environs we kept our priorities straight. Busta recounted how as a young ready-to-roar lion he coveted the fine rides with top-of-the-line audio gear that he saw in this magazine. We can't detect a trace of insincerity when he says that he can't believe he finally is in Car Audio print. We can't imagine how this compares to selling millions of records and having a lasting influence on fans... So we reiterate: no trace of insincerity! Wyclef and Rockwilder in the book also played a role in the timing of his appearance on the March cover. They are his friends, close associates, and they made the cover and, well, he hadn't. "God bless the child..." No suspense on that front, he was getting the cover.
From Studio to VehicleWhile most people boom a system for all to hear, Busta said his car audio systems are primarily for his listening pleasure. Being a musician he spends a lot of time in a studio, and naturally he's used to that sound. For Busta nothing is close to what he gets there than the music he hears in his vehicles. It has become the extended listening studio on the go for the day-to-day referencing of his and other artists' music (outside of hip-hop, he likes listening to Lenny Kravitz and the Gorillaz, for instance). He knows that if his sound is booming at average volume levels in someone's car that the recording and mix were done proper. That's why he also has a cassette player in the G500. Not only is it a convenient medium, but Busta also figures that if the music comes off with the force he put into the material then it can only sound better on a finer format. Call it low-grade testing for high-end results.
The above hints at Busta's analog tendencies. There's certainly warmth in the analog sound that he feels is essential in music recording. Pat and Vinny of Tower Audio Recording share his passion for the analog flavor and have been working with him since the early days. Basically, they know exactly what he wants and set up everything for Busta so that when he comes in to the studio it's all set to go. They worked with him on the latest and greatest, "Genesis", which hit the streets Nov. 27th. The new CD marks another beginning for Busta that reflects some changes in this talented man's life. Having watched him and listened to his music over the past decade one knows that the changes are all "upward and onward", demarcating, if you will, the evolution of an artist.
An Interview with Busta Rhymes
CA&E: Tell me about your drive coming up from Florida. What were you doing down there?
Busta: We was down there to promote my album. It's coming out November 27th and it's called "Genesis"
CA&E: So when I saw you in L.A. you told me you had been into reading Car Audio magazine when you were growing up.
Busta: Yeah, I used to see stuff in that book that I used to wish one day that things I saw in that book would belong to me. It's kind of crazy that I'm in a time frame in my life years later, so many years later, where I'm getting a shot at being one of the guys that owns something that I can finally put in the magazine and have people coming up and see my stuff and be like, "I wish I could own [stuff] like Busta Rhymes got in the book." Just like I was doing when I was seeing other people in [Car Audio]. It's just crazy how the world works sometimes. You get something that just happens in life for you that are the real wishes you lived by as a shorty that eventually comes through at some point or another. This is definitely one of those for me, man.