Born to parents Geraldine Green (1947) and Trevor George Smith Sr, and he has a younger brother, Paul Smith. His parents divorced when he 10 years old. Busta’s time during the year of 1983 was that of change, his parents got divorced and his way of thinking was altered, during that year he also changed his religious beliefs and re-named himself ‘Born Justice God Allah’ because of the supreme sorts of names that he now believed in and looked up to. He discovered hip hop music through listening to the Zulu Beats Radio Show, something influenced him from that show and three years later he would form a group. Busta also went to school in the United Kingdom, where he lived in Blackpool, Preston and Morecambe. Ended up graduating from George Westinghouse High School in downtown Brooklyn.
As a youngster he played basketball, football and soccer.
His Panamanian baby-sitter, Aunt Mitzi, made him listen to all the rap radio stations. So, He would sit there at 2 in the morning rapping when he was supposed to be sleeping. I just couldn't be too loud or Mitzi's poodle would start dancing around and barking. One night, the poodle barked and Mitzi took my radio away. So he said, "I don't need that radio. I'll write my own rap songs." Busta Rhymes later became part of a B-Boy crew with mainly latinos, a couple of white kids, and Busta, the only black one. When he was about 10 years old after he moved from Brooklyn to Long Island, where he became a member of the crew when it was a big contest happening which the leader of the crew, Johnny Juice watched. Busta just came up to him like, "Are you Johnny Juice?" and Johnny answered like "Yeah." and he said he wanted to be down with this crew. He started poppin' and Johnny said he was dope so he said "We're about to do this contest" and they wanted to put him down with them, but he didn't know the routines. But they put him down anyways and they lost the contest because they didn't know where to put him in the routine. The next contest they had was more of a battle, for the crown of best b-boys in Long Island and they had their crew there and they won. Busta destroyed these other guys, when he was poppin. Johnny Juice says "even if you listen to his rhymes now, you can tell by the way he rhymes and the way he moves around he's really dope on the popping shit".
Before his leap to stardom, Rhymes, was a rambunctious middle-class kid from Long Island who wrote "rap poetry" and dropped out of high school to pursue a music career. "I really thought he'd be a dancer," says his mother, Geraldine Green. "At family cookouts he would win all the dance contests. He was always a showman." He reminds his worst job: “I used to work as a stock boy at a department store called Cheap John’s,” he says. “I knew that I couldn’t really wrap my head around doing that kind of work. Even if your heart is not in something, your mind has to at least be able to be willing to do it. So, I took the job and I worked for about two weeks, and then I quit.” Why?
“They just had me doing too much. I had to line up the roach sprays on the shelves and make sure they were all in order, facing the same way, with the logos facing the front. The dishwashing liquids, the detergents, the boxes that they came in when they came from the actual shipping companies that they were manufactured at. After I lined them up on the shelves, I had to cut up the cardboard boxes, fold them up neatly and tie them up so that they could do the recycling thing with them. After a couple paper cuts too many, and hands that were calloused and ashy and bruised, I said ‘this is definitely not the thing for me to continue to be doing.’”
Busta adds, “I used that as inspiration to go into the studio all the time when I had a free moment. After work, during my lunch break, traveling back and forth to work … to just apply myself creatively, and the opportunity finally came one day when I was downtown.” At 17, Rhymes landed a six-figure record deal.
LONS signing with Elektra
His first name as a rapper was Chill-o-ski, but he thought it was a corny name, and Chuck D from Public Enemy gave him a new name, Busta Rhymes. He got the name from an american football player from the eighties, George "Buster" Rhymes, and people always asked him to "Bust-a-rhyme", so the choice was easy. In the end of the eighties he met Charlie Brown at Turtlehook Middle School and they formed Leaders of the New School with Dinco "The rhyme scientist" D and Milo In De Dance (aka The Cut Monitor). They were on Rush Management. They was signed to Elektra Records December 12th 1989. First Recorded Appearance: “Mt. Airy Groove” from the Rubaiyat compilation, Elektra 1990. A&R Dante Ross heard about Leaders of the New School from Hank Shocklee [Bomb Squad] and Chuck D [Public Enemy] and them.He says "I knew they were one of their burgeoning groups and I also knew they didn't have a record deal. I heard they were performing and I went to check them out. I had just got my A&R gig at Elektra. I went there, saw them perform, grabbed them right after the performance and told them they had a record deal if they wanted one. LONS released 2 albums, "A future without a past" in 1991, and "T.I.M.E." in 1993. In 1992 Busta's girl was pregnant, but the baby died right after he was born, and Busta had big personal problems after that, but he got great support from his group members. In 93 they where divided because of ego in the group.
A couple of other things that made him well known before his solo career was a couple of cameo performances, among them A Tribe Called Quest's remix of "Scenario" with Leaders Of The New School, and the "Flava in ya ear remix" with Craig Mack and Rampage.
It took Busta three years before he released an album for Elektra, in 1996 he released "The Coming" with the hits "Woo hah! Got you all in check" featuring Rampage and "It's a party" featuring Zhane. while recording his debut album, he left the studio to check on his new SUV. He'd recently purchased the Toyota Land Cruiser, a giant vehicle that gives the impression of driving on an elevated track, for $40,000. Rhymes took the elevator down and came out on Broadway, in lower Manhattan, at 11:30 p.m. His ride was gone. Furious, he marched back inside and closed the door in the recording booth. "There was nothing I could do at that point, so I just vented that angry energy into three songs," he says. Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check, one of the tracks he completed by morning, went on to become a street anthem and crossover hit, his first ever.
There was a short gap between the release of Busta’s first album and his second album, but it came sooner than people imagined it to. Busta was sceptical about bootleggers copying the new album so for reviewing purposes he only sent out album samplers. In 1997 he released his second album, "When Disaster Strikes", and after that, his popularity exploded. 1998 became a very good year for Busta, he started his own clothing line, BUSHI designs, and released his third album "Extinction Level Event (The final world front)" and Flipmode Squad's debut "The Imperial". Flipmode Squad at that point included Busta Rhymes, Rah Digga, Spliff Star, Rampage, Baby Sham & Lord Have Mercy.
1999 became a year with problems for Busta, he had to visit the courthouse a couple of times because of child support, and police stopped his car and found an unregistered gun. He lost the case about child support, and he got a 5 year probation for the other case. Now Elektra started to shut him down with less studio time and promotion for his next album. Busta didn't like that, and took his squad over to J Records in 2001 after his fourth release in 2000, "Anarchy".
J Records
His first album at J was "Genesis", with the hits "What it is" featuring Kelis, "Break ya neck" & "Pass the courvoiser part 2" featuring Pharrell and P. Diddy. Now he is CEO for Flipmode Records. In november 2002 he released his most fervent album so far, "It Ain't Safe No More" with the singles "Make it clap" featuring Spliff Star, and a remix of it featuring Spliff Star and Sean Paul. Other achievements in 2002 was the movie roles he had in "Halloween: Resurrection" and "Narc". In 2003 his SUV was shot up with 6 bullets while he was in the Violator offices, that happened just a month after a couple of people shot inside their offices. The collaboration with Mariah Carey & Flipmode Squad named "I know what you want" on "It ain't safe no more" became Busta's biggest hit so far.
Aftermath
In February 2004, Flipmode Squad joined Aftermath Records, New members was added to the squad: M. Dollars, Labba and former Blackstreet Chauncey Black joined them. In March he got a six month probation sentence after pleading no contest to a charge that he assaulted a woman during a concert in Fall River, Massachusetts, in December 2002.
In November 2005 the first official single off the album "Touch it" was released to radio. The video premiered in December. He is now the father of four children (born in 93, 99, 00 and 02). In February, while making the second video for "The Big Bang"- the "Touch it remix" ft. Mary J. Blige, Missy, Rah Digga, Lloyd Banks, Papoose and DMX, one of his bodyguards, Israel Ramirez, who recently started working security for Busta as his jewelry handler, was shot and killed shortly after midnight outside of the Kiss The Cactus Production studio in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, NY. According to eyewitnesses, the shooting was a result of an argument that began inside the studio and continued outside.
The Aftermath chief Dr. Dre said before the release of The Big Bang that ”All of sudden I’m hearing people in the streets talking about hos Busta’s back. In my mind, he never left, and that’s why I wanted to fuck with in the first place. He’s got that drive, and he never stops trying to top himself. Anybody who knows Busta knows that he’s always gonna come with heat." His third video from "The Big Bang" was released 10th May, "I love my bitch". The video features actress Gabrielle Union and the Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am, who produced the song, but Kelis who is featured on the song, was not in the video. The single also features Kelis, but she's not featured in the video. Also changed is his appearance, as he has cut off his trademark dreadlocks as part of a personal renewal. "Eight years of court appearances later and I was awarded custody of my children," he explained. "My hair was remindful of the unnecessary rocks in my career and life. So it was time to shed the locks... I've got my career and family right." "The Big Bang" was released 13th June. The fourth video was released in July, "New York shit" and the fitth video came out in August, "In the ghetto". The album was certified Gold in that month too. This month he was also charged with an assault after the Amsterjam Music Festival on Randalls Island, and he was ticketed after police saw him talking on his mobile while driving past a Manhattan police station.
On January 3rd 2007 he turned himself in to police custody after he allegedly attacking someone on Boxing Day. Lt. John Grimpel said a man told police that Rhymes, had punched and kicked him repeatedly after an argument over money. On May 3rd was arrested on a drunk driving charge by police in New York City. Officers stopped Rhymes at about 12:40 a.m. because the sport utility vehicle he was driving had overly tinted windows, officers then smelled alcohol on the rapper's breath and he was subsequently arrested. was released on $7,500 bail, set by Judge Tanya Kennedy. After a 8th May court appearance, he was free to drive. Rhymes' lawyer said a judge ruled against a prosecution motion to suspend the rapper's license following the driving-while-intoxicated arrest. He also turned down a plea deal that day that would have sent him to jail for one year, the Manhattan district attorney's office said.
Bus appeared in a Super Bowl finale commercial for Pepsi Max Diet in February. Busta Rhymes pleaded guilty on 23rd January to assault, two driving infractions and weapons possession, avoiding a trial and the yearlong prison sentence recommended by prosecutors. But Judge Larry Stevens disagreed with prosecutors that Rhymes deserved time behind bars. Instead, he sentenced him to three years' probation and 10 days of community service for beating a fan who reportedly spat on his car in August 2006, and then assaulting his driver, Larry Hackett, that December. Rhymes was also fined $1,250 for driving with a suspended license in 2006 and driving while intoxicated in 2007. "I just want to say that I'm very grateful to the judge, I'm very grateful to the system. I believe in the system. It hasn't failed me personally yet," Rhymes, dressed in a crisp black pinstripe suit, said outside the courtroom.
"I'm just glad that all of this is finally behind me and I can go back to doing what I do best - making great music and great films and being a people person," he said.
His 8th solo album "Blessed" was set for a release in July 2008. First he called it "When Hell Freeze Over" then he changed it to "Back On My B.S.", a title Pharrell helped him come up with, last it was changed to "Blessed" in April 08. Rhymes was added to Projekt Revolution 2008 (summer tour), He was joining Linkin Park, Chris Cornell, The Bravery, and Ashes Divide on the main stage. After the first week of touring he had to leave the tour because of business matters; Late July he left Interscope, because they couldn't agree with Busta how to handle the final version of the album.
Motown
In September 08 he his new deal was announced, with Motown/Universal. He then re-titled his album to "Back On My B.S." The first single was released in October 2008, called "Arab Money" featuring Ron Browz. 2 remix videos with different guests were later releases in February 09. The second single, "Hustler's Anthem 09" was released in Febuary too. The third single's video "Respect My Conglomerate" was released in March. "Back On My B.S." was released May 19th 09, and entered the Billboard chart at #5, after a lot of delays; 1st July 08, 9th Dec. 08, 10th Feb. 09, 24th March 09). In June, the video for "If you don't know" was released. The video for "World Go Round" will be released soon.
Czar
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you understand who this man is?
Do you understand how hard he brings it?
Nobody's badder in this motherfucker, nobody!
Look, bitch it's my city, you get smacked silly
Thought it was y'alls, gimmie!
We 'bout to shut shit down, nigga fuck with me
Fuck the place up 'til I turn 160
Now I'm here to switch it up, motherfucker lift it up
Get you niggas drunk 'til you lay in your bead and piss it up
Now I'm back with the coke, it'll make you all sniff it up
And skrrt, skrrt in the wraith, watch me Tokyo Drift it up
Take this loss, all day sauce (take chains off, everything off)
Take it all and I'm out ferment a straight cough
Cocaine boss, all day floss
Found niggas, now we on the ground and we live it up
And drown cases of goose 'til we frown and we spit it up
Got us running through it, got a hundred stupid
Now we 'bout to lose it, y'all ain't wanna do it
Watch the way we make shit up, hit the way we fix it up
Anyway shawty get on her knees and now she licks it up
Red carpet swag on a nigga when they flick shit up
Which part of prices on the coke, you see the bricks is up
So far shorties throw they bra
And I need a lighter to light the perfect cigar
Brand new jacket, brand new car
Leader of the new shit, brand new Czar
Light switch off, Cuban link cross
Shine bright on the evening, diamonds criss-cross
If you ain't out here to find it, time to get lost
In case you niggas ain't know
Bitch I get busy
Like a silverback grizzly, roll up some more sticky
Every hood to every block, brought them home with me
So much snort they nickname me the flow Jimmy
Bags full of Franks, every federal known crispy
The great Bust' Rhymes, you with a few dimes
Just spoke your name up, you gon' live a long time
So when we in this bitch most you niggas get no shine
Invalid niggas (fuck 'em!) stop begging for co-signs
Now this be the douches to have them black and make them do
Shit, bending their back up until they fucking breaking too
Better call a medic, you know my whole aesthetic
Energy kinetic, you better clear the exit
Light switch on, fuck shit up 'til everyone in this bitch gone
Lost grenade bomb, spit that venom to break your legs up and both arms
Volcanic eruption, we tell 'em remain calm
Heavy metal like Metallica, now witness the massacre
Somebody should've told them niggas that they shouldn't come after ya'
Feed the planet to cook up, international trafficker
Now pull up with the sprinters 'cause all of my bitches passengers
So far shorties throw they bra
And I need a lighter to light the perfect cigar
Brand new jacket, brand new car
Leader of the new shit, brand new Czar
Light switch off, Cuban link cross
Shine bright on the evening, diamonds criss-cross
If you ain't out here to find it, time to get lost
In case you niggas ain't know
The lyrics to Busta Rhymes's song Czar are written in a boastful manner, as he declares himself to be the "baddest motherfucker" in the world. He emphasizes his dominance over his city, claiming that nobody is badder than him. The lyrics depict a violent and chaotic scene, with Busta Rhymes encouraging his listeners to "fuck shit up" and "take it all." He also references drug use, including cocaine and "bags full of Franks."
Throughout the song, Busta Rhymes uses a variety of metaphors and rhyming wordplay to create a sense of momentum and energy. He boasts about his ability to "make shit up" and "hit the way we fix it up." He also references his wealth and success, with mentions of brand new jackets, cars, and diamond jewelry.
Overall, the lyrics to Czar present a hyper-masculine and violent persona, emphasizing Busta Rhymes's dominance and power. The aggressive tone and emphasis on material wealth and drug use reflect common themes in hip-hop music.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't no place in the world where Busta Rhymes ain't the baddest motherfucker, you understand?
Do you understand who this man is? Do you understand how hard he brings it? Nobody's badder in this motherfucker, nobody!
Look, bitch it's my city, you get smacked silly
I run this city, so if you step out of line you're gonna get laid out
Thought it was y'alls, gimmie!
You thought this city belonged to you, but now it's mine
We 'bout to shut shit down, nigga fuck with me
We're gonna tear shit up and anyone who opposes us will regret it
Jail music for riots, gas 'em up 50
Our music is so hard that it could cause a prison riot, and our energy is so high it'll fuel it even more
Fuck the place up 'til I turn 160
We're gonna party hard and do whatever it takes to turn this place upside down
Now I'm here to switch it up, motherfucker lift it up
I'm here to bring a new vibe and elevate this whole scene
Get you niggas drunk 'til you lay in your bead and piss it up
We'll party so hard and drink so much that you'll pass out and piss yourself in bed
Now I'm back with the coke, it'll make you all sniff it up
I'm bringing coke to the party and everyone's gonna be snorting it
And skrrt, skrrt in the wraith, watch me Tokyo Drift it up
We'll speed through the streets in our luxury car and channel our inner Tokyo Drift
Take this loss, all day sauce (take chains off, everything off)
You'll lose everything in this party - your money, your jewelry, even your clothes
Take it all and I'm out ferment a straight cough
I'm taking everything and leaving you with nothing but a cough from all the partying
Cocaine boss, all day floss
I'm the boss of this party, and I'm showing off all day long
Found niggas, now we on the ground and we live it up
I found my crew for this party, and we're gonna have the time of our lives
And drown cases of goose 'til we frown and we spit it up
We'll drink so much Grey Goose that we'll be sick and unhappy by the end of the night
Got us running through it, got a hundred stupid
We're going so hard that we're acting recklessly and without thought
Now we 'bout to lose it, y'all ain't wanna do it
Things are about to get even crazier, and those who couldn't handle it should never have come
Watch the way we make shit up, hit the way we fix it up
We're the masters of improvisation and can fix any party problem
Anyway shawty get on her knees and now she licks it up
We've got women up on their knees and doing whatever we say
Red carpet swag on a nigga when they flick shit up
We're so cool and smooth that even when the paparazzi take our photo, we look amazing
Which part of prices on the coke, you see the bricks is up
Don't ask about the price of our coke. You can tell from the amount of bricks we have that it's expensive
So far shorties throw they bra
The women at this party are so wild and crazy they're throwing their bras
And I need a lighter to light the perfect cigar
I'm enjoying the luxuries of this party, including smoking a perfect cigar
Brand new jacket, brand new car
I've got everything I need for this party - new clothes, new ride
Leader of the new shit, brand new Czar
I'm the leader of this new era of hip-hop, a new king on the block
Light switch off, Cuban link cross
We're turning off the lights and getting ready to party hard with our gold chains
Shine bright on the evening, diamonds criss-cross
Our diamonds are shining so bright they're lighting up the night
If you ain't out here to find it, time to get lost
If you're not ready to party and have a good time, you should leave
In case you niggas ain't know
In case you forgot, we're the kings of this party and this whole scene
Bitch I get busy
I'm a hard worker and I get shit done
Like a silverback grizzly, roll up some more sticky
I'm as powerful and fierce as a grizzly bear, and we're smoking even more weed
Every hood to every block, brought them home with me
I've brought together people from every neighborhood and block to party with me
So much snort they nickname me the flow Jimmy
We're snorting so much coke that I've earned the nickname 'Flow Jimmy'
Bags full of Franks, every federal known crispy
We've got bags full of money, and every bill is crisp and new
The great Bust' Rhymes, you with a few dimes
I'm the great Busta Rhymes, and I'm with some beautiful women
Just spoke your name up, you gon' live a long time
I've mentioned your name, so you're gonna be famous and respected for a long time
So when we in this bitch most you niggas get no shine
When I'm at this party, no one else gets any attention or recognition
Invalid niggas (fuck 'em!) stop begging for co-signs
Those who are unable to succeed in this industry should stop looking for validation from others
Now this be the douches to have them black and make them do
I'm in charge now, and I can get anyone to do whatever I want
Shit, bending their back up until they fucking breaking too
I'm pushing people to their limits until they can't handle it anymore
Better call a medic, you know my whole aesthetic
People are gonna need medical attention after partying with me, that's just how intense it gets
Energy kinetic, you better clear the exit
My energy is contagious and intense, and you should leave if you can't handle it
Light switch on, fuck shit up 'til everyone in this bitch gone
We're turning the lights back on and partying so hard that everyone leaves
Lost grenade bomb, spit that venom to break your legs up and both arms
We're like a lost grenade bomb, unleashing venom on the party and causing chaos
Volcanic eruption, we tell 'em remain calm
Our energy is like a volcanic eruption, but we're telling everyone to stay calm and enjoy the ride
Heavy metal like Metallica, now witness the massacre
Our music is as powerful and intense as Metallica, and we're about to take over this party
Somebody should've told them niggas that they shouldn't come after ya'
They should have known better than to try and compete with us
Feed the planet to cook up, international trafficker
We're so powerful we could feed the whole planet and we're involved in international trafficking
Now pull up with the sprinters 'cause all of my bitches passengers
We're rolling up in our luxury sprinter van with all of our women as passengers
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Trevor George Smith Jr., Jamal Grinnage, Eric Murray
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@busyworksbeats
This man came back STRONG
@cambricmusic
He never left
@KandiiCeo
if you like him youll love ( UMBRELLASEANCE.....YOUTUBE HIM
@josephblanchard6248
Wussup BWB! Been following your work/channel for a couple years now, and you have the most best and informative channel on all of YouTube when it comes to production and making beats overall tbh.*
@drummerboyarnold3174
yes
@chinothedreamgiver1629
He never left.
@misterwonder7991
I'm really glad to hear Busta Rhymes speak my native language "wolof"; the national language of Sénégal, West Africa in a dope video.
@lademoiselletop5737
Proud
@austinpatterson1897
Ashr
@austinpatterson1897
Ashe