''When Disaster Strikes...'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American rapper and record producer

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

, released by

Elektra Electra, also spelt Elektra, was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology. Electra or Elektra may also refer to: Animals * ''Electra'' (bryozoan), a genus of aquatic invertebrates * ''Elektra'' (bug), a genus of insects in the ...

on September 16, 1997. 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 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart. The album was supported by three singles: "

Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" is a song by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album '' When Disaster Strikes...'' on August 12, 1997, by Flipmode Entertainment and Elektra Records. ...

", " Dangerous", and " Turn It Up" – the latter two which found chart success on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The album's

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

, "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See" (notable for its

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

that lampooned the 1988 film ''

Coming to America ''Coming to America'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis, based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, and starring Murphy (in various roles), Arsenio ...

'') earned a nomination for a

Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance was awarded from 1991 to 2011, alongside the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Previously, a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance. In 2003, this award was split into separate a ...

at the

40th Grammy Awards The 40th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1998, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Performers * Will Smith – Men In Black/ Gettin' Jiggy Wit It * R. K ...

in 1998. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA. Its second single, "Dangerous", earned Rhymes a third consecutive nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the

41st Grammy Awards The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, recognizing musical achievements from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill led the ceremony with a record-breaking 10 nominations, becoming the first woman ...

the following year.

Background

Busta Rhymes dedicated the album to late friend and fellow rapper

the Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...

, who had been an inspiration in the making of the album.

Commercial performance

''When Disaster Strikes...'' debuted at number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 165,000 copies in its first week. This became Busta Rhymes's second US top-ten debut on the chart. On October 9, 1997, the album was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for shipments of over one million copies in the United States.

Legacy

Fellow rapper and friend

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

included ''When Disaster Strikes'' in his list of the 100 best

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

albums of all time. 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

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

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Busta Rhymes albums 1997 albums Albums produced by Sean Combs Albums produced by J Dilla Albums produced by Easy Mo Bee Albums produced by Rashad Smith Albums produced by Rockwilder Albums produced by DJ Scratch Albums produced by Agallah Apocalyptic music Elektra Records albums