Picked up the cd cuz I saw the video for Sun Shower on his other album and liked it. Kinda went off these reviews when I made the purchase, crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. Not one good track on the cd - his voice started to really get on my nerves as well (like lenny kravitz doing busta rhymes). First time I've bought a CD without hearing it first hand - do yourselves a favour and make sure you hear a few tracks before buying this one.

Now, don't let the review title fool you - Busdriver, born Regan Farquhar, is anything but mainstream and you most likely will not find his CD at major retailers. But with the raw talent, speed, and lyricism displayed on this album, one can only speculate why the mainstream hasn't discovered him yet. Perhaps it's because he isn't content with the generic topics of sex, cars, money, and women, the rapping of which will almost guarantee you entrance into the unholy realm of mainstream hip-hop. Though it may get you easy money, you will lose credibility with real fans and instead become the favorite artist of confused teenage girls who hum your songs during class and think you're the greatest thing that ever happened to music. No, Busdriver is not like that. His lyrics are somewhat thought-provoking and quite tongue-twisting (as he often speeds his rhymes up past the understandable limit), leaving the listener amazed as the album comes to a close. In the world of hip hop, Busdriver is definitely above-average in both the mainstream world and the underground scene.

The best part of this album is his ability to easily spit out rhymes that speed way past the norm - even faster than the supposed "Fastest Rapper In The World", Twista. If you thought Twista was fast, then you'll still be blown away by Busdriver's skills. Better yet, his lyrics are infinitely more interesting than Twista's or any other related rapper, for that matter. One stand-out track is "Imaginary Places" (also featured on Tony Hawk's Underground) in which Busdriver weaves together a strange anecdote of metaphorical phrases and messages telling the listener to piss of their parents. Some may find this rather juvenile, but in reality, it's quite the opposite; only the most mature of artists could write lyrics of such abstractness. Something else that struck me was the absence of curse words - sure, they're definitely there sometimes, but not in abundance like most rap artists, and it makes Busdriver much more listenable in that he isn't cussing just for the sake of cussing as many artists do. He also has a strange abstractness about his flow that makes it hard to predict what he'll do next; will he start rapping along with the melody, or will he slow down? You can only speculate as the album flows on. Some of the track don't even feature Busdriver at all, but instead audio clips of buses and real busdrivers with beats going in the background, as well as freestyle called "Stylin' Under Pressure" which was recorded at a fast-food restaurant.

Bottom line: if you're disgruntled with the direction that mainstream rap is headed these days, then pick up this album and let yourself be instilled with a small bit of hope that they are still talented rappers somewhere out there. From start to finish, this album is a winner among rap fans and even people who despise rap, merely because it doesn't follow any pre-conceived formula and refuses to conform to the generic stylings of mainstream rap. The only reason this album received four stars is because it can get old after too many listens, once you've figured out the songs and the randomness isn't so random anymore. Other than that, this is definitely a keeper.

9/10

busdriver is an insanely talented man. he reminds me a bit of mike patton in terms of voice, but his roots are clearly in jazz and hip hop. he raps with kind of a bizarre rhythm and vocabulary. his voice is not hip hop in the traditional sense but he has a definite sense of timing and makes his offbeat delivery work to his advantage. his subject matter is equally bizarre and appealing, just look at his song titles " post apocalyptic rap blues","single cell ego"? hes clearly not living in the same hiphop universe as most of his comtemporaries, not even in the underground. he does take on things like style copycats(along came a biter) and also takes a firmly anti gun stance as well as a harsh social commentart on the track "gun control"

if you dig deltron, aesop rock, or anticon, give this a listen. you might like it.

This is the best ever but it does have some bad good for kids 12 and over

(insert the title here.)
Underground, LA MC- Busdriver really has put together a great album.

His lyrics come at you with a furry - speeding up and slowing down like a battle rapper or spoken word artist.

The beats are really good. A lot of jazz samples - flutes, saxes, oboes (yes, oboes), etc. It sounds like a masterpiece of instruments and beats.
Also, DJ- D-Styles does a great job of scratching it up on this one.

Busdriver is a very entertaining lyricist, but don't expect an education from his lyrics. He is entertaining, not educational. (Not an insult, just the truth.)

Also, his collaboration with 2Mex on the track "Truth of Spontaneous Human Combustion" was spectacular. I wish that he was one more than 1 verse on the album.
(But if you like 2Mex and Busdriver, than check out 2Mex's album - SWEAT LODGE INFINITE. Busdriver is all over it.)

Finally, the cool artwork is done by the famous graffiti artist - Mear One, who has also done artwork for DJ Hive, Freestyle Fellowship, Abstract Rude, Limp Bizkit (:( ), etc.