To fans’ surprise, Busta Rhymes has reassembled the Flipmode Squad for their first project in almost 30 years. The Hip Hop collective last released a studio album in 1998 with The Imperial.
“I will never stop tellin’ y’all the blessings don’t stop, so we will never stop! Brand new Flipmode Squad album is coming. Twenty-six years later! Stay tuned, s**t ‘bout to get a different type [of] dangerous out this b**ch! Album title coming soon! Everyday it’s more smoke,” he captioned a March 8 Instagram post teasing new music. In the accompanying video, Busta is seen in the studio smoking a cigar as he presses play on the heat that fans can expect to hear when the project is wrapped.
In the comments, his supporters wrote messages like, “I was always a Busta Rhymes fan. These young ones need to know the foundation. I’m just so happy to see the originators still kicking knowledge in today’s world. [I] couldn’t ask for any more, y’all did y’all part.” Another person wrote, “Can’t wait to hear Busta Rhymes and the Lord Have Mercy link up and tear it down.”
Not that anyone has doubts about Busta’s lyrical prowess, but in the untitled track, he raps, “This legacy is real, you read it up in The Post/ How you gon’ tell us how to win like we need anotha’ coach/ We form a Voltron, and you know we doin’ the most/ We celebrate this reunion while we making a toast.” Rah Digga is also heard sliding on the new record.
The Flatbush emcee dropped his most recent solo project, BLOCKBUSTA, in November 2023 with guest appearances from Chris Brown, Burna Boy, Kodak Black, Coi Leray, BIA and more. Around that same time, he announced his tour plans, with 21 stops slated for Hollywood, Miami Beach, Detroit and Dallas, to name a few. Kick-off was expected to take place on March 13 in San Francisco, with the final performance on April 21; however, the show won’t be hitting the road after all.
Earlier this week, Billboard confirmed that the tour was unexpectedly scrapped. Though very much active on social media, Busta has not addressed the matter; instead, he is steadily keeping fans fed with his numerous features and now building anticipation for Flipmode’s new album.