When Disaster Strikes...

{{Infobox album

| name = When Disaster Strikes...

| type = studio

| cover = Busta-Disaster.jpg

| alt =

| released = September 16, 1997{{Cite web|url=https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/busta-rhymes/when-disaster-strikes/|title=When Disaster Strikes... By Busta Rhymes - RYM/Sonemic}}{{deprecated inline|certain=y|date=November 2024}}

| recorded =

| studio = * Soundtrack Studios, New York City

Daddy's House Studios, New York City
Sound Techniques, Boston, Massachusetts

| genre = Hip hop

| length = 76:07

| label = {{hlist|Flipmode|Elektra}}

| producer = {{hlist|8-Off|Buddah|Busta Rhymes|Clarence Dorsey|DJ Scratch|Easy Mo Bee|Epitome|Latief|Omar Glover|Rashad Smith|Rockwilder|Sean "Puffy" Combs|Shamello|Spliff Star|The Ummah}}

| prev_title = The Coming

| prev_year = 1996

| next_title = The Imperial

| next_year = 1998

| misc = {{Extra chronology

| artist = Busta Rhymes solo

| type = album

| prev_title = The Coming

| prev_year = 1996

| title = When Disaster Strikes...

| year = 1997

| next_title = Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front

| next_year = 1998

}}

{{Singles

| name = When Disaster Strikes

| type = studio

| single1 = Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See

| single1date = August 12, 1997

| single2 = Dangerous

| single2date = November 18, 1997

| single3 = Turn It Up (Remix) / Fire It Up

| single3date = May 15, 1998

| single4 = One

| single4date = July 7, 1998

}}

{{Music ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|last=Huey|first=Steve|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/when-disaster-strikes-mw0000025964 |title=When Disaster Strikes - Busta Rhymes |publisher=AllMusic |date=September 16, 1997 |access-date=June 29, 2014}}

|rev2 = Christgau's Consumer Guide

|rev2score = {{Rating-Christgau|cut}}{{cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=busta+rhymes |title=CG: busta rhymes |publisher=Robert Christgau |access-date=June 29, 2014}}

|rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

|rev3score = B{{cite magazine|last=Diehl|first=Matt|url=https://ew.com/article/1997/09/26/when-disaster-strikes/|title=When Disaster Strikes|magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=September 26, 1997|access-date=September 11, 2022}}

|rev4 = NME

|rev4score = 7/10{{cite magazine|last=|first=|date=September 20, 1997|title=Busta Rhymes – When Disaster Strikes|magazine=NME|page=55|publisher=}}

|rev5 = Pitchfork

|rev5score = 8.2/10 {{small|(2008)}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/15763-when-disaster-strikes?artist_title=15763-when-disaster-strikes |title=Busta Rhymes: When Disaster Strikes: Pitchfork Record Review |access-date=June 29, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408234459/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/15763-when-disaster-strikes?artist_title=15763-when-disaster-strikes |archive-date=April 8, 2008 }}
7.5/10 {{small|(2022)}}{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/busta-rhymes-when-disaster-strikes/|title=Busta Rhymes: When Disaster Strikes... Album Review|website=Pitchfork|last=Greene|first=Jayson|date=April 24, 2022|access-date=April 24, 2022}}

| rev6 = RapReviews

| rev6score = 9/10{{cite web |last1=Chandler |first1=Justin |title=Busta Rhymes - When Disaster Strikes... |url=https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_whendisasterstrikes.html |website=RapReviews |accessdate=2 March 2023 |date=14 August 2007}}

|rev7 = Rolling Stone

|rev7score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bustarhymes/albums/album/144257/review/6067357/when_disaster_strikes |title=Rolling Stone : Busta Rhymes: When Disaster Strikes |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=October 22, 1997 |access-date=June 29, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060827181509/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bustarhymes/albums/album/144257/review/6067357/when_disaster_strikes |archive-date=August 27, 2006 }}

|rev8 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

|rev8score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/n136 123]|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|last1=Brackett|first1=Nathan|last2=Hoard|first2=Christian David|date=2004|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-7432-0169-8|language=en}}

|rev9 = The Source

|rev9score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Wilson|first=Elliott|author-link=Elliott Wilson (journalist)|date=November 1997|issue=98|title=Busta Rhymes – When Disaster Strikes|department=Record Report|magazine=The Source|pages=159–160|location=New York}}

| rev10 = Spin

| rev10score = 5/10{{cite magazine |last1=Norris |first1=Chris |title=SPIN Dec 1997 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZsS_O9LQNKAC&pg=PA155 |magazine=Spin |accessdate=2 March 2023 |date=1 December 1997}}

}}

When Disaster Strikes... is the second studio album by American rapper and record producer Busta Rhymes, released by Elektra on September 16, 1997.{{Cite web|url=https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/busta-rhymes/when-disaster-strikes/|title=When Disaster Strikes... By Busta Rhymes - RYM/Sonemic}}{{deprecated inline|certain=y|date=November 2024}} The album follows the same theme as The Coming, the apocalypse. The album, upon its release, received mostly positive reviews, debuted at number three on the official US Billboard 200 album chart, and peaked at the top spot on the Top R&B Albums chart.

The album was supported by three singles: "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See", "Dangerous", and "Turn It Up" – the latter two which found chart success on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album's lead single, "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See" (notable for its music video that lampooned the 1988 film Coming to America) earned a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA.{{cite book |url={{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=BHvp8mcJfAoC |page=55 }} |title=Billboard |date=June 6, 2009 |access-date=June 29, 2014}} Its second single, "Dangerous", earned Rhymes a third consecutive nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards the following year.

Background

Busta Rhymes dedicated the album to late friend and fellow rapper the Notorious B.I.G., who had been an inspiration in the making of the album.{{cite AV media notes|title= When Disaster Strikes... |year= 1997 |type= booklet |publisher= Flipmode, Elektra}}

Commercial performance

When Disaster Strikes... debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 165,000 copies in its first week.{{cite magazine|title=Billboard Magazine - November 8, 1997|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7QkEAAAAMBAJ&dq=busta+rhymes+when+disaster+strikes+number+three+debut+first+week+billboard&pg=PA28|access-date=October 10, 2015|magazine=Billboard|date = 8 November 1997|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc}} This became Busta Rhymes's second US top-ten debut on the chart. On October 9, 1997, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over one million copies in the United States.

Legacy

Fellow rapper and friend Talib Kweli included When Disaster Strikes in his list of the 100 best hip hop albums of all time.{{Cite web |last=Kweli |first=Talib |date=September 26, 2012 |title=Talib Kweli - My Top 100 Hip Hop Albums |url=https://talibkweli.tumblr.com/post/32333099896/my-top-100-hip-hop-albums |access-date=March 28, 2023}}

For the 20th anniversary of the album, Busta Rhymes said he’s very pleased about “When Disaster Strikes“:

“I feel extremely great about that album. I feel great about all of my albums, and particularly that album. It was my sophomore jinx album where everybody was like, ‘We don’t wanna hear another album if he doesn’t switch it up,’ ‘Can he do it again?’ All of that talk was happening. But that album solidified my legacy.“https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/busta-rhymes-when-disaster-strikes-20th-anniversary-interview-7965913/

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = When Disaster Strikes... track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length =

| title1 = Intro

| writer1 = Trevor Smith

| extra1 = {{hlist|Busta Rhymes|Omar Glover|DJ Scratch}}

| length1 = 4:45

| title2 = The Whole World Lookin' at Me

| writer2 = {{hlist|T. Smith|George Spivey}}

| extra2 = DJ Scratch

| length2 = 3:26

| title3 = Survival Hungry

| writer3 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Spivey}}

| extra3 = DJ Scratch

| length3 = 3:26

| title4 = When Disaster Strikes

| writer4 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Spivey}}

| extra4 = DJ Scratch

| length4 = 3:25

| title5 = So Hardcore

| writer5 = {{hlist|T. Smith|James Yancey}}

| extra5 = The Ummah (Jay Dee)

| length5 = 4:51

| title6 = Get High Tonight

| writer6 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Spivey|Harry Wayne Casey}}

| extra6 = DJ Scratch

| length6 = 3:51

| title7 = Turn It Up

| note7 =

| writer7 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Al Green}}

| extra7 = Busta Rhymes

| length7 = 4:11

| title8 = Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See

| writer8 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Darrol Durant|Roger Munroe}}

| extra8 = {{hlist|Shamello|Buddah|Epitome{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length8 = 3:14

| title9 = It's All Good

| writer9 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Anthony Long}}

| extra9 = Latief

| length9 = 3:02

| title10 = There's Not a Problem My Squad Can't Fix

| note10 = featuring Jamal

| writer10 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Jamal Phillips|Michael Cleveland}}

| extra10 = Busta Rhymes

| length10 = 5:56

| title11 = We Could Take It Outside

| note11 = featuring the Flipmode Squad

| writer11 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Roger McNair|Cleveland Delaney Jr.|William Lewis|Wayne Notise|Leroy Jones{{ref|b|[b]}}|Rashia Fisher|Spivey|Alan Bergmann|Marilyn Bergmann|Michel Legrand}}

| extra11 = DJ Scratch

| length11 = 4:47

| title12 = Rhymes Galore

| writer12 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Rashad Smith|Rufus Thomas|Jo Bridges|Mack Rice|Tom Nixon}}

| extra12 = {{hlist|Rashad Smith}}

| length12 = 2:33

| title13 = Things We Be Doin' for Money, Part 1

| writer13 = T. Smith

| extra13 = Easy Mo Bee

| length13 = 3:18

| title14 = Things We Be Doin' for Money, Part 2

| note14 = featuring Rampage, Anthony Hamilton, and the Chosen Generation

| writer14 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Angel Aguilar|Carl Dorsey}}

| extra14 = {{hlist|8-Off|Clarence Dorsey{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length14 = 4:56

| title15 = One

| note15 = featuring Erykah Badu

| writer15 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Erica Wright|Dana Stinson|Stevland Morris}}

| extra15 = Rockwilder

| length15 = 4:38

| title16 = Dangerous

| writer16 = {{hlist|T. Smith|R. Smith|Henry Stone|Freddy Stonewall}}

| extra16 = Rashad Smith

| length16 = 3:37

| title17 = The Body Rock

| note17 = featuring Rampage, Sean "Puffy" Combs, and Mase

| writer17 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Sean Combs}}

| extra17 = Sean "Puffy" Combs

| length17 = 5:33

| title18 = Get Off My Block

| note18 = featuring Lord Have Mercy

| writer18 = {{hlist|T. Smith|Notise}}

| extra18 = DJ Scratch

| length18 = 3:58

| title19 = Preparation for the Final World Front (Outro)

| writer19 = T. Smith

| extra19 = DJ Scratch

| length19 = 2:31

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Some versions replace "Survival Hungry" with "Turn It Up (Remix) / Fire It Up" at track 3{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Busta-Rhymes-When-Disaster-Strikes/release/225926|title=Busta Rhymes - When Disaster Strikes...|publisher=Discogs|access-date=April 10, 2016}}

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length =

| title3 = Turn It Up (Remix) / Fire It Up

| writer3 = T. Smith

| extra3 = {{hlist|Busta Rhymes|Spliff Star{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length3 = 3:58

}}

=Notes=

^{{{note|a|[a]}}} signifies a co-producer
^{{{note|b|[b]}}} signifies an uncredited contribution
On US versions of the album, "It's All Good" is excluded from the tracklist.

Charts

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Weekly chart performance for When Disaster Strikes...

! scope="col"| Chart (1997)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|Netherlands|73|artist=Busta Rhymes|album=When Disaster Strikes|rowheader=true|access-date=September 30, 2021}}

{{album chart|Germany4|62|artist=Busta Rhymes|album=When Disaster Strikes|id=29022|rowheader=true|access-date=September 30, 2021}}

{{album chart|UK2|34|date=19970928|rowheader=true|access-date=September 30, 2021}}

{{Album chart|Billboard200|3|artist=Busta Rhymes|rowheader=true|access-date=September 18, 2013}}

{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|1|artist=Busta Rhymes|rowheader=true|access-date=September 19, 2013}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" \|+ 2023 weekly chart performance for When Disaster Strikes... ! scope="col"\| Chart (2023) ! scope="col"\| Peak position
scope="row"\| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ){{cite web \|title=Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 38. hét \|url=https://slagerlistak.hu/album-top-40-slagerlista-fizikai-hanghordozok/2023/38\|publisher=MAHASZ \|access-date=September 27, 2023}} \| 13

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 2023 weekly chart performance for When Disaster Strikes...

! scope="col"| Chart (2023)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

scope="row"| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ){{cite web |title=Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 38. hét |url=https://slagerlistak.hu/album-top-40-slagerlista-fizikai-hanghordozok/2023/38|publisher=MAHASZ |access-date=September 27, 2023}}

| 13

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" \|+ 1997 year-end chart performance for When Disaster Strikes... ! scope="col"\| Chart (1997) ! scope="col"\| Position
scope="row"\| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1997/top-billboard-200-albums\|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=November 3, 2021}} \| 96
scope="row"\| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1997/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums\|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=November 3, 2021}} \| 26

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 1997 year-end chart performance for When Disaster Strikes...

! scope="col"| Chart (1997)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1997/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 3, 2021}}

| 96

scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1997/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 3, 2021}}

| 26

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" \|+ 1998 year-end chart performance for When Disaster Strikes... ! scope="col"\| Chart (1998) ! scope="col"\| Position
scope="row"\| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/top-billboard-200-albums\|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=November 3, 2021}} \| 96
scope="row"\| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums\|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=November 3, 2021}} \| 46

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 1998 year-end chart performance for When Disaster Strikes...

! scope="col"| Chart (1998)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 3, 2021}}

| 96

scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 3, 2021}}

| 46

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for When Disaster Strikes...}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Busta Rhymes|title=When Disaster Strikes|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=1997|certyear=2009|id=8178-3371-2|refname="BPI"|access-date=December 6, 2016}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Busta Rhymes|title=When Disaster Strikes|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=1997|certyear=1997|refname="RIAA"|access-date=March 22, 2017}}