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.
Just Give It to Me Raw
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Phenomenal swing like the ass on a black chick
Fat dick to all of y'all niggas with wack clicks
Hoping they whip paper like a classic
Low budget black flick
Last victim that I caught was fucking my last chick
She hit me off, nearly made me bust through my plastic
Took the loot that she had stashed in her panty elastic
Try to swindle a nigga by giving me putang
A new thing, chick wanted to fuck me to Wu-Tang
Thug chicks started criticizing my new slang
Started hitting the pussy the song from the wusang
Watch these rap niggas get all inside your guts man
My nuts hang
Shorty stay abusing the love thing
Gotta camouflage my stash and loot like I'm Bruce Wayne
After my money gotta kick the bitch up like Liu Kang
Hey yo
I come to give you a little of what you asking for
Oh what we asking for
Oh yeah
I come to give you a little of what you asking for
Oh what we asking for
Now what you asking for
Just give it to me raw
Now what you asking for
Just give it to me raw
Now what you asking for
Just give it to me raw
Now what you asking for
Just give it to me raw
Okay
Shorty took me on a ride like a cyclone
In my zone
Strutting with an ass and a fly tone
Hold shorty like how I be holding my microphone
We thug romancing to the jazzy sound of a xylophone
Ass backwards I'ma stick you more than a cactus
Lay my thug willy actress across the mattress
Knock it off the earth axis and broken glasses
Continue when she make me bust blackberry molasses
Pussy made me feel like I was drugged up on morphine
My movie screen ass stacking more than we've all seen
Yo, chick 'bout to make me wile on her real hard
A real fraud, fuck I ever fucked with this ill broad
Chick still after my loot, she like, "What, son?"
Don't act dumb scheming on a robbery outcome
Come out from wherever you are and be outdone
Acting like you about something
And you ain't about none
Come on son
Thought the chicken head was a little rude
The wrong move making me whip it out like live dude
Fuck that trick tried to get at my hard-earned stack
Too many times
Gotta put my foot in her ass crack
June for all of my niggas you know shit is all real
A chicken head to fuck your mans and cut him a side deal
Of all your prized possessions if you let her get yours
Bitch we keep it raunchy everything will remain raw
Hey Yo
I come to give you a little of what you asking for
Oh what you asking for
Oh yes
I come to give you a little of what you asking for
Oh what you asking for
So what you asking for
Just give it to me raw
So what you asking for
Just give it to me raw
So what you asking for
Just give it to me raw
So what you asking for
Just give it to me raw
Okay
The lyrics to Busta Rhymes's song "Just Give It to Me Raw" are filled with crass and vulgar language that showcase the rapper's signature style. The song's opening lines set the tone for what is to come with a vulgar comparison to a black woman's behind. Busta then asserts his dominance over "wack clicks" with his "fat dick." He then tells a story of catching his girlfriend cheating and stealing money from him. He takes revenge by having sex with her and stealing back the money she hid in her underwear.
Throughout the song, Busta brags about his sexual prowess and his love of thug life while criticizing those who try to take his money. He boasts about his ability to outsmart women who try to steal from him and his willingness to use violence to protect his assets. The chorus repeats the lines "Just give it to me raw" as a reference to both raw, unadulterated sex and his desire for honesty and authenticity in all aspects of his life.
Overall, "Just Give It to Me Raw" is a representation of Busta Rhymes's bold and unapologetic style. He pulls no punches when it comes to his opinions on women, sex, and the criminal underworld, showing off his confidence and swagger throughout the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Straight bang up your head shit with
Here's some high-energy music that's going to really get you fired up
Phenomenal swing like the ass on a black chick
The music has an incredible rhythm and flow to it, like the movement of a curvy Black woman's behind
Fat dick to all of y'all niggas with wack clicks
I'm dropping some serious rhymes that are going to make weak rappers feel inferior
Hoping they whip paper like a classic
I'm hoping that other rappers try to match the quality of my lyrics
Low budget black flick
The rap game is like a low-budget movie scene, and I'm here to elevate it
Last victim that I caught was fucking my last chick
My ex-girlfriend cheated on me and I confronted the guy, who was my last victim for acting disrespectfully
She hit me off, nearly made me bust through my plastic
My ex-girlfriend gave me amazing sex that almost made me break the condom
Took the loot that she had stashed in her panty elastic
My ex-girlfriend stole money from me and hid it in her panties
She got from out my denim, little venom was fast, kid
She quickly took the money from my pants while I wasn't looking
Try to swindle a nigga by giving me putang
She tried to distract me with sex in order to steal from me
A new thing, chick wanted to fuck me to Wu-Tang
She wanted to have sex with me while listening to Wu-Tang Clan
Thug chicks started criticizing my new slang
Rough women began to critique my new style of rapping
Started hitting the pussy the song from the wusang
I started rapping while having sex, inspired by Wu-Tang Clan's music
Watch these rap niggas get all inside your guts man
Other rappers are going to be envious of my skills and try to imitate me
My nuts hang
I'm confident in myself and my abilities
Shorty stay abusing the love thing
My current girlfriend takes advantage of my love for her
Gotta camouflage my stash and loot like I'm Bruce Wayne
I have to hide my money and possessions like Bruce Wayne does as Batman
After my money gotta kick the bitch up like Liu Kang
If my girlfriend steals from me, I have to kick her out like the video game character Liu Kang
I come to give you a little of what you asking for
I'm giving you exactly what you want in terms of high-energy, quality music
Just give it to me raw
I want raw, unfiltered music that hits hard and speaks to people
Shorty took me on a ride like a cyclone
My current girlfriend is really wild and takes me on a crazy ride
In my zone
I'm focused and feeling the music
Strutting with an ass and a fly tone
My girlfriend has a great body and brings a sexy energy to our relationship
Hold shorty like how I be holding my microphone
I hold my girlfriend close like I hold my microphone when performing
We thug romancing to the jazzy sound of a xylophone
We have a rough, tough relationship but still share tender moments, often accompanied by jazzy music
Ass backwards I'ma stick you more than a cactus
I'll come at you from behind and hit harder than a cactus
Lay my thug willy actress across the mattress
I'll have sex with my girlfriend after our rough, tough antics
Knock it off the earth axis and broken glasses
Our physical activity is so intense that it feels like the world is shaking and objects might break
Continue when she make me bust blackberry molasses
I'll keep having sex with her until I fully finish, even if it takes a while
Pussy made me feel like I was drugged up on morphine
Her vagina was so good that it felt like I was high on drugs like morphine
My movie screen ass stacking more than we've all seen
I have more money and success than any of my peers
A real fraud, fuck I ever fucked with this ill broad
My current girlfriend is shady and fake, and I don't know why I got involved with her
Chick still after my loot, she like, "What, son?"
My girlfriend is still trying to steal from me and acts like she doesn't understand why I'm upset
Don't act dumb scheming on a robbery outcome
Don't play dumb and pretend like you're not trying to steal from me
Come out from wherever you are and be outdone
Show yourself and compete with me, but know that you'll lose
Acting like you about something
Pretending like you're a big deal
And you ain't about none
In reality, you're not anything special
Come on son
Don't even try
Thought the chicken head was a little rude
I thought my ex-girlfriend was acting kind of trashy
The wrong move making me whip it out like live dude
She made the mistake of disrespecting me, causing me to retaliate like a fighter
Fuck that trick tried to get at my hard-earned stack
My ex-girlfriend tried to steal my hard-earned money
June for all of my niggas you know shit is all real
I'm giving a shout-out to all of my real friends who know how the music industry really works
A chicken head to fuck your mans and cut him a side deal
Don't trust promiscuous women who will have sex with your friends and then undermine you in some way
Of all your prized possessions if you let her get yours
She'll try to take everything you care about if you let her
Bitch we keep it raunchy everything will remain raw
We keep things rough and wild, and won't compromise our art for anyone
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kasseem Dean, T. Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind