As promised, Busta Rhymes closed out a week of news and excitement with the release of “The Don and The Boss,” the first single from his highly anticipated tenth studio album E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event) 2: The Wrath of God. Driven by an ominous beat, the song finds both Busta, The Don, and featured artist Vybz Kartel, The Boss, in peak trash-talk mode, reaffirming their status as kings of the rap game and the dancehall, respectively. The track also serves to set the tone for the forthcoming album: “Busta Rhymes a di champion. You could neva find a betta option,” he states plainly at a top of a verse delivered fully in Jamaican Patois.

Produced by Schife, who has previously worked with the likes of DJ Khalid, Gucci Mane, and Rick Ross, “The Don and The Boss” becomes Busta’s third collaboration with Vybz Kartel over the course of their decade-long brotherhood. And adding to the mystic around Kartel’s career, both previous collaborations – “Wine & Go Down” and “Girlfriend” – were released while the dancehall megastar was incarcerated. The artist known to his fans as “The Worl’ Boss” has dominated the dancehall scene in the U.S. since his 2010 single “Clarks,” made him a mainstay even in Hip-Hop DJs’ playlists. Sadly, he has been unable to revel in that success, as he is currently serving a life sentence for a 2014 murder conviction. Kartel has always maintained his innocence and continues to appeal his sentence, with the full support of his fans and collaborators.