Busta Rhymes

While he's responsible for one of hip-hop's most memorable catchphrases ("Woo hah! I've got you all in check"), Busta Rhymes is more than just a mic-wielding court jester. He's one of the game's true icons — a livid and lively presence, whether he's placed before Psycho's swirling string section ("Gimme Some More"), a synthetic and shifty drum circle ("Dangerous"), or a sly Daft Punk sample (the robotic "Technologic" swipes of "Touch It") that crossed filtered French-house with street-hardened rap two years before Kanye West's own Punked-up single, "Stronger."

Busta's solo career continues to shine in our Next Steps, but it's balanced by his other recurring role — scene-stealing guest MC.

When he's on his own (the spare, alien synths of "Holla," the manic piano melodies of "Fire"), Busta Rhymes is more than capable of electrifying a cut, thanks to a thunderstorm style that's impossible to ignore. Toss him on a track with another MC, though, and things get real interesting. On one level, the nasally verses of Q-Tip ("Ill Vibe," which sounds like a total Tribe Called Quest throwback) and extra smooth delivery of Mos Def ("Do It Now") serve as fitting foils to Busta's rail-jumping rhymes, and on the other, fellow eccentrics, like Redman ("Da Goodness") and Lil Wayne ("La La"), up the insanity level to unforeseen heights.

But to truly understand Busta Rhymes, you need to know his entire history, which we skim through in our Deep Cuts.

Busta Rhymes was just 17 when he formed the highly influential Long Island group Leaders of the New School. With a sound that's much more old school (see the trunk-rattling boom-bap beats of "What's Next" and "Syntax Era") than his solo material, the Leaders were actually part of the Native Tongues clique that included such future Busta collaborators as A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, De La Soul, and Common. Speaking of A.T.C.Q., our Deep Cuts makes Busta Rhymes seem like its unofficial fourth member, bringing some booming hardcore hip-hop grit to the jazzy backing tracks of "One Two Sh*t," "Steppin' It Up," and a classic "Oh My God" remix.

Hip-hop certainly has its fair share of rhyme slayers and sample-stacking beat conductors. That said, not everyone's a character of Busta Rhymes' caliber. Listen to his work from the past 15-plus years and you'll quickly learn just how unparalleled Rhymes is — that he's wilder than a wooly mammoth, as explosive as a rock star, and caught somewhere between a track-commanding reggae toaster and a script-flippin' MC. In other words, there's a reason why Chuck D gave Busta his name in the early '90s, and why the blustery rapper got a solo deal after a brief but hot-blooded appearance on "Scenario." He's as unpredictable as that volatile voice of his suggests — potent but never overpowering, even when placed alongside the golden pipes of Janet Jackson ("What's It Gonna Be"), Robin Thicke ("Wanna Love You Girl"), and Stevie Wonder ("Been Through the Storm").