If you're as good as your guest list, Busta Rhymes is on top.

The gravelly rapper's seventh CD The Big Bang is a veritable VIP lounge of hip-hop royalty, with Missy Elliott, Stevie Wonder, Rick James (via sampling), Q-Tip, Swizz Beats, J. Dilla, Wu-Tang's Raekwon, Kelis, Timbaland, Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, Nas and Dr. Dre (who also happens to be Rhymes' boss at the Aftermath label) showing up in front of the mic or behind the board.

Trouble is, it takes more than a great cast to make a great album. You also need some great songs and inspired performances. And The Big Bang tends to fizzle out in that regard.

A lot of these cuts seem tepid and off-balance -- rhythmically sparse and simplistic but overly arranged and fussily produced. All those guests take attention away from Busta. And even when he does have the mic to himself, he seems distracted -- more subdued and rambling, less hungry and aggressive than before.

Maybe that's Dre's fault; in the liner notes, Busta thanks the NWA icon for teaching him the virtue of patience. Guess that's part of the reason it's been four years since Busta's last disc.

Taking your time is well and good, but when the results are as mixed as this, maybe it wouldn't hurt a brother to get a little more impatient next time around.

Track Listing:

1. Get You Some - Busta Rhymes
2. Touch It - Busta Rhymes
3. How We Do It Over Here - Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott
4. New York S*** - Busta Rhymes,
5. Been Through the Storm - Busta Rhymes, Stevie Wonder
6. In the Ghetto - Busta Rhymes,
7. Cocaina - Busta Rhymes,
8. You Can't Hold the Torch - Busta Rhymes, Chauncey Black,
9. Goldmine - Busta Rhymes,
10. I Love Me B**** - Busta Rhymes
11. Don't Get Carried Away - Busta Rhymes
12. They're out to Get Me - Busta Rhymes
13. Get Down - Busta Rhymes
14. I'll Do It All - Busta Rhymes, LaToiya Williams
15. Legend of the Fall Offs - Busta Rhymes