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. Bustaās 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 āBorn Justice God Allahā 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: āI used to work as a stock boy at a department store called Cheap Johnās,ā he says. āI knew that I couldnāt 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.ā Why?
āThey 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 āthis is definitely not the thing for me to continue to be doing.āā
Busta adds, āI 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 ā¦ to just apply myself creatively, and the opportunity finally came one day when I was downtown.ā 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: āMt. Airy Grooveā 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 Bustaās 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 āAll of sudden Iām hearing people in the streets talking about hos Bustaās back. In my mind, he never left, and thatās why I wanted to fuck with in the first place. Heās got that drive, and he never stops trying to top himself. Anybody who knows Busta knows that heās 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.
Everybody Rise
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Virginia, Atlanta, everybody rise! Come on!
N.C., L.A., Texas, Detroit, Chicago, Miami
N.O., Cleveland, rise! Come on!
Denver, Boston, Nashville, Seatle, Albany
Kansas city, everybody rise! Come on!
Buffalo, St. Louis, New Haven, Kentucky
Oakland, Phoenix, Vegas, everybody rise! Come on!
I'll be that live motherfucker from the Flipmode squad
That readjusts this shit properly and hits you real hard
Then we affect with hard shit that sounds so beautiful
(Why now?) Couldn't find a better time more suitable
To send out a signal and round up all my niggas recruitable
Type of nigga to torture your ass, stick some shit in your cuticle
Wait a minute, let me talk to all my niggas at hand
I'm'a hit all of my niggas, y'all just follow the plan
Just get money and capitalize and hold on your stash
Fuck the slouches, we keep it moving and no looking back
A lot of lost motherfuckers stuck on what they gonna be
They ain't gonna be me, gotta get it before the year 2G
To all my niggas, let them do your thing and get yours quick
Whole plan, the whole shabang, nigga fuck the bullshit
I meant this, ever relentless, for dropping these bombs
Getting paid for securing shit for my seed and my mom
For my physical ,and my entire flipmode squad
My whole gang is fertilized, my mom's peaced to the gods
Hold it down for live niggas in the name of hip-hop
Off with another path where niggas are made to struggle and starve
Fuck that! I'm here to fight for mine, adapting your ass
If you or the government try to do away with my cash
One of the most extraordinary that comes from a place
When your man will stab you in the back and smile in your face
Take all entire niggas off the face of the earth
And do away with all them niggas before I get to them first
So throw it, niggas don't get it and run right through it
Get with, is to all of my niggas who know how to do it
Survival of the most fit for real niggas, no doubt!
Get what's yours from out this fucker before your time run out
And get what's yours from out this fucker before your time run out
Welcome all you motherfuckers to a global event warning
Here has now come the dawn of the new millennium
The extinction level event
All my motherfuckers stay tuned!
N.C., L.A., Texas, Detroit, Chicago, Miami
N.O., everybody, rise! Come on!
The opening lines of the song, "New York, Jersey, Philly, B-more, D.C.," are a part of Busta Rhymes's call to action to all cities in the United States to rise up. In the following lines, Busta Rhymes shouts out to various places from North Carolina to Los Angeles, Texas, Detroit, Chicago, and Miami to encourage them to rise up. 'Everybody Rise' is about getting people to come together and rise above their struggles, no matter where they come from. The message is to unite for a common cause and become your own savior. It is not only the story of the African American experience, but of every person who has faced adversity.
Busta Rhymes wants his listeners to be prepared to face the challenges that come with the new millennium that lies ahead, which is also referred to as the "extinction level event." He uses the metaphor "torture your ass, stick some shit in your cuticle," in the second stanza to say that he is willing to go to any extent to protect his money and loved ones. He encourages everyone to capitalize and make money and not to look back. In the process, he acknowledges that not everyone will achieve success, but that the ones who do have to fight to maintain that success.
'Everybody Rise' is a song that exhorts people to come together, remember their struggles while letting go of their past mistakes, and strive for a better future. By encouraging residents of different cities across the United States to come together, the song creates a sense of unity and collective strength. It is a call to arms for everyone to rise above their obstacles and achieve success.
Line by Line Meaning
New York, Jersey, Philly, B-more, D.C.
Calling out to everyone in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. to come together
Virginia, Atlanta, everybody rise! Come on!
In addition to New York, calling out to Virginia and Atlanta, urging everyone to rise together as one
N.C., L.A., Texas, Detroit, Chicago, Miami
Repeating the message to all cities, including North Carolina, Los Angeles, Texas, Detroit, Chicago, and Miami
N.O., Cleveland, rise! Come on!
Including New Orleans and Cleveland in the call to rise together
Denver, Boston, Nashville, Seatle, Albany
Continuing to call out to cities, including Denver, Boston, Nashville, Seattle, and Albany
Kansas city, everybody rise! Come on!
Including Kansas City in the call to rise together
Buffalo, St. Louis, New Haven, Kentucky
Including Buffalo, St. Louis, New Haven, and Kentucky in the call to rise together
Oakland, Phoenix, Vegas, everybody rise! Come on!
Continuing to call out cities, including Oakland, Phoenix, and Las Vegas, to come together
I'll be that live motherfucker from the Flipmode squad
Referring to himself as that lively individual from Flipmode Squad
That readjusts this shit properly and hits you real hard
Being able to fix things properly and deliver it with force
Then we affect with hard shit that sounds so beautiful
Creating powerful content that still sounds pleasing to the ear
(Why now?) Couldn't find a better time more suitable
Asking why now and claiming there's no better time than the present
To send out a signal and round up all my niggas recruitable
Sending out a message and gathering all his able friends
Type of nigga to torture your ass, stick some shit in your cuticle
Describing oneself as the type of person who can inflict pain and hurt you in unexpected ways
Wait a minute, let me talk to all my niggas at hand
Pausing to speak to all his close friends
I'm'a hit all of my niggas, y'all just follow the plan
I'll contact all my friends and they should follow the plan
Just get money and capitalize and hold on your stash
Encouraging everyone to earn money, capitalize on their wealth, and hold onto their savings
Fuck the slouches, we keep it moving and no looking back
Disregard the lazy people, continuing to move forward and not dwelling on the past
A lot of lost motherfuckers stuck on what they gonna be
Observing that many are lost, unsure of their future
They ain't gonna be me, gotta get it before the year 2G
Asserting that they cannot replicate him, and they need to be successful before the year 2000
To all my niggas, let them do your thing and get yours quick
Encouraging his friends to be themselves and succeed quickly
Whole plan, the whole shabang, nigga fuck the bullshit
Focus on the overall plan, disregard the nonsense
I meant this, ever relentless, for dropping these bombs
Reiterating that he holds true to his words and will continuously create impactful content
Getting paid for securing shit for my seed and my mom
Making money to provide for his family and future generations
For my physical, and my entire flipmode squad
Taking care of his physical health and the well-being of the entire Flipmode Squad
My whole gang is fertilized, my mom's peaced to the gods
His entire gang is strong and his mother has passed away
Hold it down for live niggas in the name of hip-hop
Representing and honoring hip-hop culture and living rappers who continue to create and perform
Off with another path where niggas are made to struggle and starve
Rejecting the idea that people should have to struggle and starve to succeed
Fuck that! I'm here to fight for mine, adapting your ass
Rejecting the previous statement and asserting that he will fight for his success and adapt as needed
If you or the government try to do away with my cash
Referring to anyone, including the government, who tries to take his money away
One of the most extraordinary that comes from a place
Describing himself as an exceptional person who comes from a certain area
When your man will stab you in the back and smile in your face
Commenting on how individuals can be untrustworthy and deceptive despite appearing friendly
Take all entire niggas off the face of the earth
Threatening to eliminate those he perceives as a threat
And do away with all them niggas before I get to them first
Asserting that he will eliminate those individuals before they can cause any harm
So throw it, niggas don't get it and run right through it
Throw caution to the wind, others may be ignorant or unrealistic
Get with, to all of my niggas who know how to do it
Addressing his friends who know how to navigate and succeed
Survival of the most fit for real niggas, no doubt!
Survival is for those who are prepared and capable, no question
Get what's yours from out this fucker before your time run out
Encouraging everyone to claim their stake in the world before it's too late
And get what's yours from out this fucker before your time run out
Reiterating the previous sentiment
Welcome all you motherfuckers to a global event warning
Welcoming everyone to an important global event
Here has now come the dawn of the new millennium
The dawn of the new millennium is upon us
The extinction level event
Potentially referring to some catastrophic, world-ending event
All my motherfuckers stay tuned!
Urging everyone to stay tuned and be alert
N.C., L.A., Texas, Detroit, Chicago, Miami
Repeating the list of cities to rise up, previously mentioned
N.O., everybody, rise! Come on!
Including New Orleans in the previous call to rise together
Lyrics Ā© Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: David Camon, Dominick Lamb, Trevor Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind