Rhymes is back on the block, with a new record label, about to "Picasso a new picture" for us with this new 20 track tour de force featuring guest slots by Rah Digga, P.Diddy, Jaheim, Kokane, Kelis, Flipmode Squad *and the diva herself, *Mary J.Blige.

Yet again, when it comes down to sheer rapping, Rhymes mastery of the medium makes me feel that everyone else is playing catch-me-up, but there is plenty of melody and catchy instrumentation also slung in the mixing pot, redolent of Dre's albums. (... and then when I read the sleeve notes I see that Dre produces several of the tracks here)... I tried to pick out some stand-out tunes...perhaps the crystal clear wordplay of the title track,'Genesis', or maybe the modern re-working of the Public Enemy classic 'Shut'Em Down', done as a tribute to Chuck D for being an inspiration.... or maybe I could say that my favourite was the Eminem-plus-turbocharger rhyming of 'Truck Volume', or the machine gun speed-rapping of the single,'Break Ya Neck'... but then I can't forget the question-and-answer style of 'Betta Stay Up In Your House' * or the rap-meets-house craziness of *'Make It Hurt'...

A hip hop aficionado friend of mine once said that purist rap is about the word and the rhyme, the poetry of it all, and that musical embellishments are merely there to provide a beat. Much of what we hear these days relies heavily on it's backing track, with the words almost seeming to take second place, and in that context Busta Rhymes stands out like a sore thumb, a believer in the word... a weaver of rhyme tapestry...

...and so off I go with my high artistic praise, but then... just as the album closes, my ears are filled with the intro to the last track 'Bad Dreams', which has the off-his-face Busta throwing up all over the girl he's trying to have sex with, falling asleep and having a nightmare....

...and I'm crying with laughter.

...though perhaps nowadays the 'Clown Prince of Hip Hop' might be better deserving of the title 'Clown KING'