Busta Rhymes – Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See

Description

“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. The song was written by Rhymes and its main producers Shamello and Buddah. The song was co-produced by Epitome and contains additional vocals by Fabulouz Fabz, who was Rhymes’ road manager at the time.

Its music video is notable for its homage to the 1988 Eddie Murphy film Coming to America. The song contains a sample of the 1976 recording “Sweet Green Fields” by American soft rock duo Seals and Crofts. Rhymes scored a second consecutive nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards.

Background

“Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” is the first song producer Buddah has ever produced. Fellow producer Shamello found American soft rock duo Seals and Crofts‘ 1976 recording “Sweet Green Fields”, and the two came up with the instrumental of the song. After Fabulouz Fabz who was Rhymes’ road manager at the time heard the beat, he showed it to Rhymes.

In a studio session with Puff Daddy, Q-Tip and Fat Joe and his crew, Rhymes played the beat for them and Puff Daddy and Q-Tip told him, “Yo, you need to stop screaming on records all the time. Bitches don’t wanna do that shit all the time. […] Just make a record just being cool, just use your regular voice.” After finishing the song, Rhymes played it for them, “they was […] losing they mind in a crazy way. […] It was the most incredible reinvention to them and the fact that it was they idea…” After only hearing positive feedback, Rhymes stuck to his more calm delivery. He has stated that the song “was the last thing [he] expected to make.”

Composition and lyrics

“Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” was composed in ⁴
₄ time and the key of C♯ minor, with a tempo of 99 beats per minute. It has a duration time of three minutes and twenty seconds.

The song and most notably the intro have Busta Rhymes and his road manager at the time Fabulouz Fabz ad-libbing in a similar way to Puff Daddy, who along with Q-Tip was the inspiration for Rhymes to rely on the texture of his voice rather than the energy his delivery was known for. In the first verse, Rhymes ends each line with a “yo” sound. He has stated that he did so because, “when we used to go out of town, the West Indian dudes to blend in and make themselves seem like they was American, these niggas would just add the word ‘yo.'”

“Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See”