So I Made A Decision
It’s odd, really. This is a Busta Rhymes track, but it’s not Busta I remember when I think of the song, it’s that laid-back piano beat (almost certainly John Legend, who is featured on this track) and Legend’s cool voice singing the hook (even though Mary J Blige AND Jamie Foxx sing before him).
But then I listen to it, and I realize how good his verses are. He’s a beastly MC, even if I don’t like most of his work, and it’s an interesting change to hear him rapping low-key. I mean, even in other tracks with slow-ya-roll beats, there’s a certain aggressiveness to the way Busta approaches it. But not here, here you can really here the way Busta accents each and every word and there isn’t any snarl to it (don’t get me wrong, Busta’s snarl is one of Hip Hop’s best, right up there with Ludacris and a few other choice MCs). Some of the change in tone may be the actual volume of the vocals: they’re a little quieter in “Decision” than some of his other tracks.
This realization led me to another, a ‘decision,’ if you will: this track isn’t his. Sure, this is his track in the literal sense, perhaps most of it was even done under his direction, but this track no longer belongs to him. Why? Because there are so many voices here that this track ceases to be about any one of them.
Normally, I hate these sorts of tracks (with two exceptions: “Yes We Can” that featured Hollywood as a whole, and rap tracks that have more than 5 rappers – any less and it’s just someone trying to capitalize on big names). That this track no longer belongs to him is only an issue until you really understand what this track is all about, and the chorus is pretty clear about it:
“I made a decision, despite all the things that we go through,
I’m going to take more time with you, and be a friend indeed
I made a decision, that everything will be alright
Going to stay strong and keep it tight, I’ll be there indeed.”
I’m not going to go into the deeper meaning of this track, because I’m not really sure it has one and I don’t want to take a pompous misstep. I don’t often keep up with Hip Hop’s beef, much less it’s close friendships, so it’s hard to tell if Busta really feels this way about all the people he brought in on the track. My guess is that he does about some but not all.
Honestly, from a production standpoint, I would take both Blige and Foxx off the track. To me it would feel much more authentic with just Busta, Common, and Legend on the track. Blige and Foxx have the unfortunate side-effect of somehow making this song sound a little less sincere. Maybe I’m wrong; maybe they’re all great friends, in which case this preponderance of voices is understandable.
Despite it, “Decision” is a track that feels better and better with every listen. Take special note of Common’s verse.
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