I need a glass of twater.

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[6.00]

Brad Shoup: Busta’s been feast-or-famine for a while now. This one’s yet another single that sounds fine on paper: sounds of unusual provenance, Rhymes’ close-miked spring stormcloud of a voice. He raps in snatches, like he’s dispensing non sequiturs; he’s veering as much bounce as dancehall. I’m a pop guy, so I probably would’ve swapped out the boiling water for an entire song with that ascending fanfare. Better to move others than yourself.
[5]

Anthony Easton: That bubbling sound, like water in a bong, is a fantastic introduction. So too is how it leads into a clarion call, and then the phrase “done with that” — it makes the whole sexy intro bit sound slightly more complicated. 
[6]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: It’s easy to forget Busta is of Jamaican origin, as his machine-gun stylings are usually taken over bursts of patois. “Twerk It” reminds us that he can slip into an exaggerated deejay with ease and that it sounds great – it also reminds us that Bus-a-Bus doesn’t need to say anything interesting anymore, as his voice is mostly used as a percussive instrument at this point. Pharrell – who’s previously blessed the artist with alterna-world bangers like “What It Is” and (yes!) “Light Your Ass On Fire” – cranks up the weirdness, soundtracking Busta’s syllabic growls with a lurching take on footwork or juke, crafting a rhythmic offshoot from previous experiments like 2008’s “Everyone Nose Remix”. As the resident Neptunes stan at TSJ, I have to take the time out to say that Skateboard P is having a very good, very strange year. Busta’s very fortunate.
[8]

Crystal Leww: God, I’m just thinking of a dark, sweaty dance floor and hearing that “twerk it, twerk it, twerk it, twerk it…” and I’m grinning. 
[7]

Edward Okulicz: “Twerk It” is so aqueous that its beat’s impact is dulled — it’s hard to twerk underwater. Busta’s voice has always worked better with corners to bounce off — here, the lack of sharp edges means the track never gets moving. As it is, it’s a collection of amusing but less than thrilling noises (and voice) in which Busta sounds a bit overshadowed, something I didn’t know that was even possible.
[5]

Alfred Soto: A throwback to the late nineties when Busta stretched his taffy-like growl into unexpected comedic shapes, which is more than I can for the pops and click track. Upped a notch for the French accent.
[5]

Daisy Le Merrer: Busta & Pharrell get points for trying, for once, but it’s really not as hot in there as they wish it were.
[6]