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.
Light Up A Fire
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Check it out
Flipmode Squad, ´98
Raw deluxe, check it out y´all
I be the street kid, the brother your momma freak wit
Put your people on if y´all know how to keep a secret
When I get money you know I like to keep it
Flip mode, will be winners you want to form a team wit
The big money figures, the ones to plot the scheme wit
The brothers who be used to gettin' money frequent
The ones I would always measure up my triple beams wit
Until they start takin' my people to the precinct
That´s all back in the day yo, that ain't nuttin' recent
'Cause nowadays we see women we like to speak wit
Eat wit, lay ´em down and sleep wit
Type of women make a brother want to keep it
Shorty be so exotic she lookin' decent
Lotta corny niggaz be offerin' whack free shit
I can´t hold the heat no more yo, I gotta release it
What y´all gonna do? Don´t you know we always comin' through, me and my crew
Lemme here you say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP), say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP)
To all my dogs that stay bloody, well around in the five hundred, all day
Lemme here you say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP), say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP)
C´mon
Now every time that I meet a sucka who´s fronted, it´s aight
Gettin' money and everybody want it
Smoke a big blunt, get myself all fucked up
Fall on the floor, gotta call my X-500
Iceburg-5 - where you at??
"No need for alarm, right now I´m cruisin' to the sound of my enhanced CD-ROM"
Hurry up five, yo you know it´s about to get thick
I see this cat away behind my back about to do a stick
"Tell me where you at, I will be there in 10 seconds flat, you know I got your back
I´ll be there just in time to counteract"
Sometimes I might even forget crew, my X-5 bulletproof, I turbo boost
And blast right through in the ceiling and in the roof
Comin' through, hittin' you, and knockin' other suckas tooth´s
Full speed ahead like we runnin a toll booth
Produce more flavor that very fine juice
Call a truce, on me and my people and let loose
All my ladies in the place to be, gettin' money while they next to me, lemme
see, Lemme here you say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP), say "fire it up" (FIRE IT
UP)
All my people just wave your hands, gettin' money all across the land, one time
Lemme here you say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP), say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP)
C´mon
Release the heat, we lettin' loose to the extreme
Me and the Iceburg X-5, bounce from the scene
Recline my seat, rock to the beat
Lyrical artist, microphone scarred up in the heat
Blowin' up the spot that we hittin', know what I mean?
Got you hopin' we keepin' you people up like caffeine
Fly guillotine, seeing everything on my little computer screen
From here to Philippines
Keep it movin', we never run out of gasoline
Gas me, your arson, but lookin' kerosene
Me and my five be runnin' the mission you never seen
Hot shit, makin' ya suckas forever fein
Anyone of you comin' you better come clean
Hit you with an overdose of more rhyme amphetamine
Got you eye bloodshot you need Visine
People in wylin', I think you need to wreak the siren
In Busta Rhymes's song Fire It Up, he talks about his experiences on the streets and the people he surrounds himself with. He refers to himself as a street kid and talks about how he likes to keep his money lowkey. He also mentions the Flipmode Squad, a big money figures group that he's a part of, that's always looking for more people to form a team with. Busta talks about exotic women that he has dealings with and all the free stuff that people offer them. Finally, he releases his frustration by saying that he can't hold the heat anymore and lets it out.
The song shows Busta Rhymes’s aggressive side and his experiences with the streets. He mentions the Flipmode Squad, which is the rap collective that he is a part of, and how they are always ready to win and “plot the scheme.” The song also indicates that Busta’s experiences have taken him far from ordinary people's experience in that he mentions “shorty so exotic, she looking decent,” which proves that he has access to high-end women. Busta seems to be enjoying his money and wealth in his lyrics, and the song exudes a feeling of power and invincibility.
Line by Line Meaning
Uh ah ah oH, ah ah ah
Opening sounds without semantic meaning
Check it out
Hey, listen closely to what I am about to say
Flipmode Squad, ´98
This is a song by Busta Rhymes and his group 'Flipmode Squad' released in the year 1998
Raw deluxe, check it out y´all
This is a high-quality, top-notch song that everyone should listen to
I be the street kid, the brother your momma freak wit
I am the kind of cool guy that your mother is attracted to
Put your people on if y´all know how to keep a secret
If you are trustworthy and can keep a secret, I might introduce you to wealthy connections
When I get money you know I like to keep it
When I make money, I prefer to hold onto it and not spend it frivolously
How I get money others are tryin' to peep it
People are always trying to figure out how I'm making money because they want to follow my success
Flip mode, will be winners you want to form a team wit
My group, Flipmode, are formidable winners that people will want to collaborate with to achieve greater success
The big money figures, the ones to plot the scheme wit
Our group is made up of financially powerful people who plan schemes to make even more money
The brothers who be used to gettin' money frequent
We are the type of people who are used to making money often, and are skilled at doing so
The ones I would always measure up my triple beams wit
We are so accustomed to making money that we measure how much we earn using scales
Until they start takin' my people to the precinct
Our success had brought unwanted attention from law enforcement, resulting in arrests
That´s all back in the day yo, that ain't nuttin' recent
This happened a long time ago and has not happened recently
'Cause nowadays we see women we like to speak wit
Nowadays, we are more interested in meeting and talking to women
Eat wit, lay ´em down and sleep wit
We enjoy going out to eat with women, spending the night, and having intimate relations with them
Type of women make a brother want to keep it
These types of women are so desirable that men want to keep them around for a long time
Shorty be so exotic she lookin' decent
There is a woman that is attractive and has a unique appearance
Lotta corny niggaz be offerin' whack free shit
There are many unsophisticated people who offer meaningless freebies
I can´t hold the heat no more yo, I gotta release it
I can't hide my excitement and desire any longer, I must act on it
What y´all gonna do? Don´t you know we always comin' through, me and my crew
Are you ready for us? We come strong and with our squad
Lemme here you say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP), say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP)
I want to hear you say 'fire it up' to get you excited and engaged with the music
To all my dogs that stay bloody, well around in the five hundred, all day
Shout out to my friends who drive expensive cars and who make money all day long
Now every time that I meet a sucka who´s fronted, it´s aight
Whenever I meet someone who is pretending, it's okay
Gettin' money and everybody want it
Everyone wants to make money
Smoke a big blunt, get myself all fucked up
I like to smoke a lot of marijuana to get intoxicated
Fall on the floor, gotta call my X-500
I become so incapacitated from the marijuana that I have to call my expensive car to take me around
Iceburg-5 - where you at??
Asking where my expensive car is
"No need for alarm, right now I´m cruisin' to the sound of my enhanced CD-ROM"
My car responds that there's no need to worry because it's cruising on the smooth road while playing music from its advanced CD-ROM system
Hurry up five, yo you know it´s about to get thick
I ask my car to hurry up, because something big is about to happen
"Tell me where you at, I will be there in 10 seconds flat, you know I got your back
I promise to be there very quickly to support you in any way necessary
I´ll be there just in time to counteract"
I will arrive just in time to stop or prevent the situation from escalating further
Sometimes I might even forget crew, my X-5 bulletproof, I turbo boost
I'm so focused and confident in my expensive car that I forget to consider others in my crew, who can't afford similar luxuries
And blast right through in the ceiling and in the roof
My car can drive so fast and powerfully that it can burst through both the ceiling and the roof
Comin' through, hittin' you, and knockin' other suckas tooth´s
I'm driving so fast and aggressively that I'm hitting and hurting other people
Full speed ahead like we runnin a toll booth
We're racing at full speed, like we are in a rush to reach a toll booth before it closes
Produce more flavor that very fine juice
We create more excitement and interest than the most delicious and high-quality juice
Call a truce, on me and my people and let loose
Stop fighting or resisting me and my crew and instead, relax or let yourself go
All my ladies in the place to be, gettin' money while they next to me, lemme
see, Lemme here you say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP), say "fire it up" (FIRE IT
UP)
All the women who want to make their money next to me, shout 'fire it up' as I continue to hype them up
All my people just wave your hands, gettin' money all across the land, one time
Lemme here you say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP), say "fire it up" (FIRE IT UP)
Everyone, wave your hands if you're making money all across the country, and shout 'fire it up' if you're hyped up and excited
Release the heat, we lettin' loose to the extreme
We will let out our passion and excitement to the fullest extent
Me and the Iceburg X-5, bounce from the scene
Me and my expensive car will instantly leave the scene
Recline my seat, rock to the beat
I recline my seat and comfortably move to the rhythm of the music
Lyrical artist, microphone scarred up in the heat
I am an expert in my craft, and my microphone is damaged from how much I use and abuse it
Blowin' up the spot that we hittin', know what I mean?
We are increasing the excitement and energy of the place that we go to, do you understand?
Got you hopin' we keepin' you people up like caffeine
We are making you excited and energized, like caffeine does
Fly guillotine, seeing everything on my little computer screen
My expensive car is so advanced and futuristic that I can see everything on my small computer screen
From here to Philippines
I can see everything, even things that are far away from me such as the Philippines
Keep it movin', we never run out of gasoline
We keep moving forward and never run out of energy or power
Gas me, your arson, but lookin' kerosene
We ask for fuel, usually gasoline, to maintain our high level of energy
Me and my five be runnin' the mission you never seen
Me and my car are always on top of our game, and constantly working towards new objectives
Hot shit, makin' ya suckas forever fein
Our line of work is so exciting and lucrative that it keeps people wanting more and always coming back for more
Anyone of you comin' you better come clean
If you want to be a part of what we are doing, you better be truthful and honest about your intentions
Hit you with an overdose of more rhyme amphetamine
We will keep you hyped up and energized with our music and energy
Got you eye bloodshot you need Visine
You will be so engaged and into what we are doing that your eyes will become red from exhaustion
People in wylin', I think you need to wreak the siren
People are getting out of control and rowdy, and therefore a siren should bring them back to attention
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MICHAEL BALZARY, JERMAINE DUPRI, JOHN ANTHONY FRUSCIANTE, SHAWNTAE HARRIS, ANTHONY KIEDIS, CHAD SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@VCthaGOATdunker
Busta Rhymes was the most hilarious bastard ever in Hiphop and yet he was so damn skilled at the same time. Amazing flow.
@38kal
2019!!!
@vengeful1joe827
Ludacris was pretty funny as well
@louisville8255
Been a fan since day 1
@maratnahimana
@@vengeful1joe827 Luda's my fav
@Joshdyisdifh
I thought ODB was the most hilarious bastard hahaha.
@jaretmane
Pharrell always manages to make beats that have the ability to stay timeless
@iminlove1056
Jaret Wood yassss
@ChromeTecNina
Everybody forgets Chad Hugo. The Neptunes were a duo
@seeboombeatzofficial6620
agree