When Disaster Strikes... Explained

When Disaster Strikes... is the second studio album by American rapper and record producer Busta Rhymes, released by Elektra on September 16, 1997.^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[4]

Commercial performance

When Disaster Strikes... debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 165,000 copies in its first week.^[5] This became Busta Rhymes's second US top-ten debut on the chart.^[5] 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.^[6]

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.“^[7]

Track listing

Notes

• signifies a co-producer
• signifies an uncredited contribution
• On US versions of the album, "It's All Good" is excluded from the tracklist.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2023)! scope="col"

Peak position
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[8]	13

Year-end charts

Chart (1997)! scope="col"

Position
US Billboard 200[9]	96
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10]	26

Chart (1998)! scope="col"

Position
US Billboard 200[11]	96
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12]	46

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1997 (U.S.)

Notes and References

1. Web site: When Disaster Strikes... By Busta Rhymes - RYM/Sonemic.
2. Web site: When Disaster Strikes... By Busta Rhymes - RYM/Sonemic.
3. Book: [{{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=BHvp8mcJfAoC |page=55 }} Billboard ]. June 6, 2009 . June 29, 2014.
4. When Disaster Strikes... . 1997 . booklet . Flipmode, Elektra.
5. Billboard Magazine - November 8, 1997. October 10, 2015. Billboard. 8 November 1997. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
6. Web site: Kweli . Talib . September 26, 2012 . Talib Kweli - My Top 100 Hip Hop Albums . March 28, 2023.
7. https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/busta-rhymes-when-disaster-strikes-20th-anniversary-interview-7965913/
8. Web site: Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 38. hét . . September 27, 2023.
9. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997. Billboard. November 3, 2021.
10. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997. Billboard. November 3, 2021.
11. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998. Billboard. November 3, 2021.
12. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998. Billboard. November 3, 2021.