Why isn’t there a fatwa against Busta Rhymes by now?
I’m not saying there should be, but given the sensitivity of some Islamic communities and Busta’s latest single, it doesn’t seem too far from the realm of possibility.
Busta, born Trevor Smith, is releasing his eighth studio album, “Back on my B.S.,” on March 24.
The fact that Busta has only been in the public eye negatively recently (DUI, steroid allegations), there’s a lot riding on this new album for him. So what does he do? He releases the opus, “Arab Money.”
For those of you who haven’t already had the pleasure, I’ll attempt to describe the magnificence. The beat is courtesy of producer du jour Ron Browz (of “Pop Champagne” fame), and is a mostly harmless repetitive thump, with fat synths that whomp up and down a minor scale, signifying the “music of the East,” as usual. This ties in with the lyrical concept, which finds Busta comparing his wealth to that of sheikhs and oil barons in the Middle East, complete with a hook sung in Arabic. Oh no, wait. It’s faux-Arabic. And it’s in Auto-Tune.
Given that the ol’ hip-hop concept well has been close to bone dry for the past couple of years, I have to commend Busta for finding a new central metaphor to hang his rhymes on. In theory it’s pretty creative. Rappers have the technique of wealth similes down to a science. Rappers have long been referring to themselves as CEO’s, so who richer to compare yourself to? Our friends from the House of Saud, of course, who might indeed be wealthier than some American luminaries. At least that’s what espionage thrillers tell me.
Aside from the relative originality of the concept, it’s ridiculous and borderline offensive.
The foremost offense here is clearly the hook. To the untrained ear, or someone who hasn’t obsessed over the song like me, the hook sung by Ron Browz through an especially irritating version of the Auto-Tune software might sound like actual Arabic. But if you listen closely, it’s gibberish, in the natural minor scale, of course. When asked in an interview about what the hook means, Ron Browz himself chuckled at his own masterful creation and said that it means that “we gettin’ this money.” This issue becomes all the more confusing when the remix to the song features real Arabic on the hook. Adding to the confusion is the fact that Busta Rhymes considers himself a Muslim. Whether that means a traditional Muslim, Nation of Islam member, or Five Percenter is anyone’s guess. However, I’d lean toward Five Percenter.
So why would Busta betray his chosen faith’s language in favor of complete gibberish? Is Arabic too much for the consuming public to handle? I don’t think so, if the remix has Arabic on it. Regardless of Busta’s motives, it’s pretty clownish and borderline offensive.
Imagine, if you will, that the song was “Chinese Money,” and that the hook was faux-Chinese instead. There would be an enormous uproar. But maybe that’s because everyone knows what faux-Chinese sounds like, thanks to Rosie O’Donnell on “The View.” Because Arabic is a less heretofore parodied language, I think people just don’t realize it, especially for a song that hasn’t become that popular in the first place.
Aside from the issue of the hook, the rest of the song is less offensive racially and more just plain offensive in how boneheadedly stupid some of the imagery is, especially when coupled with the music video. In the video, Busta and Spliff Star are wandering the desert, whereupon they are welcomed into a sumptuous casbah by a swarthy host. Busta boasts how he gambles with Arafat, and how the club’s security is on camelback. This whole song manages to combine the worst of materialistic rap with some fantastic Middle East stereotypes. On top of that, the dance is clowntastic: You point one way for a four count, point the other way for a four count, and then shake your fists palms-out next to your temples.
Given that Busta himself probably has respect for the culture that apparently gave him his religion, it doesn’t really make sense that he would clown on the Middle East as hard as he does here. The other option is that he doesn’t realize that what he’s doing isn’t just a carefree homage. And after repeated listenings and viewings, I’ve started to see it that way. The very idea that a mainstream rapper mentions “Malaysia, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia,” in a rap is proof that Busta’s more worldly than average. And it could help kids with their geography.
I think the other thing that’s surprising is that more people aren’t upset about it, given today’s climate of political correctness. However, this could just be an indication that Busta’s single hasn’t gained much traction in the minds of listeners. Or maybe people are just happy that people from the Middle East are being cast in a positive light for once and not just as terrorists in Hollywood movies. Now Arabs are a class of people to admire for their wealth. It’s a start.
I guess I just wish the risks that Busta were taking were sonic rather than gimmick. This was a man who at one point could have a No. 1 UK hit where he rapped at light speed over a sample from the score of the movie “Psycho.”
Now he’s resorted to goofy concepts instead of the raw technical prowess that he was once known for.
If you wish Busta stepped away from Arafat’s blackjack table and reconsidered his rapping style, then e-mail Ayres at jayres@media.ucla.edu.