New concert DVD sputters, proves disappointing

Despite the promise of something special, the rapper doesn't deliver.
By RON HARRIS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Phoenix, Ariz., audience bobbing their heads in Busta Rhymes new concert DVD, "Everything Remains Raw" (Eagle Rock Entertainment), seems enthused. The rapping Rhymes, on the other hand, appears to be looking for a reason to stay excited, and fails.
Make no mistake, Rhymes is all about mean scowls and energetic fist pumps and all the things record labels like to tightly package for hip-hop mass consumption. But there's something less than sincere about this performance, which sputters.
Rhymes spends the first two and a half minutes trying to convince the viewers they're about to see something really special, then never really delivers. The DJ never lets the beat get rolling on the best songs, and Busta hands off the rap duties on the best song hooks to the crowd.
Hands raised
Taking the stage dressed in matching yellow athletic gear and looking a little like the end of the Lakers bench, Rhymes and hype man Spliff Star persuade the crowd members to raise their hands in the air before launching into "Make It Clap." The audience obliges and Rhymes leads through the song, his hand raised too -- with gold jewelry dripping from it.
During "Woo Ha! Got You All In Check," a fan favorite, Rhymes lets the audience handle the main refrain (he does this constantly throughout the DVD), pointing his microphone at them. It's a letdown for the viewer who would rather hear the artist's own trademark raspy vocals.
The audience filled in so many of the best lines, Rhymes ought to give them a cut of the profits.
Busta, aka Trevor Smith, is known for giving some of the best live hip-hop performances on the planet, having rocked crowds from his home hood in Brooklyn to the Carling Apollo Hammersmith in London. That makes this release all the more disappointing.
Everything on this DVD, including the forgettable bonus footage, remains a little too raw. It may satisfy Rhymes' longtime fans, but few others.
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