Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front

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"I'd had success with two albums, and I felt like I didn't have to prove anything to other people anymore. But I had to prove something to myself. I did things that nobody had been able to do before, such as having Janet Jackson and Ozzy Osbourne on the same album. I caught [producer] J Dilla at the best time. Nobody else got him as good as me." – Busta Rhymes [1]

Reception

The album received generally favorable reviews. At the 42nd Grammy Awards, the album earned three nominations, one for the album itself in the category of Best Rap Album, a Best Rap Solo Performance nomination for "Gimme Some More" and a Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group nomination for "What's It Gonna Be?!" with Janet Jackson. [2]

In August 2020, Busta Rhymes announced a sequel to the album, Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God , which was released on October 30, 2020. [3] [4]

Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front
Busta-ELE.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 15, 1998
Recorded1998
Studio
Genre Hip hop
Length70:28
Label
Producer
Busta Rhymes chronology
The Imperial
(1998)
Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front
(1998)
Anarchy
(2000)
Busta Rhymes solo chronology
When Disaster Strikes...
(1997)
Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front
(1998)
Anarchy
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Christgau's Consumer Guide Rating-Christgau-neither.png [6]
Entertainment Weekly B [7]
Mixmag Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [9]
RapReviews8/10 [10]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Source Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Urban Latino Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number twelve on the official US Billboard 200 album chart, remaining on the chart for thirty-two weeks. [14] E.L.E. peaked at the number two spot on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, peaking inside the top fifty for thirty-five weeks. [15] In the United Kingdom, E.L.E. entered at number fifty-four on the official UK Albums Chart, charting for seven weeks. [16] On January 8, 1999, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping 1,000,000 copies. [17]

Album cover

The album, and cover were influenced by popular disaster movies around the time of the album's release in 1998, primarily Armageddon and Deep Impact . Busta Rhymes explained that the cover was inspired by the disaster movie Deep Impact, showing his image of an asteroid hitting New York City. [18]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [19]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."There's Only One Year Left!!!" (Intro) 
  • DJ Mr. Stanneke
2:39
2."Everybody Rise"3:02
3."Where We Are About to Take It"
3:08
4."Extinction Level Event (The Song of Salvation)"
3:36
5."Tear da Roof Off"3:38
6."Against All Odds" (featuring Flipmode Squad)4:20
7."Just Give It to Me Raw"3:03
8."Do It to Death"3:29
9."Keepin' It Tight"
4:29
10."Gimme Some More"2:41
11."Iz They Wildin wit Us & Gettin' Rowdy wit Us" (featuring Mystikal)
  • Darrell "Delite" Allamby
  • Kenny "Flav" Dickerson
3:41
12."Party Is Goin' on Over Here"2:34
13."Do the Bus a Bus"5:00
14."Take It Off"
3:09
15."What's It Gonna Be?!" (featuring Janet Jackson)
  • Smith
  • Allamby
  • Antoinette Roberson
  • Darrell "Delite" Allamby
5:26
16."Hot Shit Makin' Ya Bounce"
3:34
17."What the Fuck You Want!!"3:17
18."This Means War!!" (featuring Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath)
5:04
19."The Burial Song" (Outro)5:04
Total length:70:28

Notes

Charts

Chart (1998)Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [20] 34
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [21] 45
UK Albums (OCC) [22] 54
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [23] 7
US Billboard 200 [24] 12
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [25] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (1999)Position
US Billboard 200 [26] 49
US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums [27] 14

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [28] Gold100,000*
United States (RIAA) [29] Platinum1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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