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.
One
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What do you consider fun? Fun, natural fun
I said what I'm gon' do with my man Busta Rhymes, I'm gonna have some fun
What do you consider fun? Fun, natural fun
Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh uh-huh
Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu y'all, just one
Well as I universally greet the whole entire world
And focus on the energy that'll make your skin curl
The one strategy, the one universal plan
The master blueprint, one survival for all man
I Self Lord - AM, so divine
When me and my woman coincide as one mind; bear witness
One respect, one culture, one way of thinkin'
One vision, makin the one decision on one WAY of livin'!
Common destiny amongst all
One understanding amongst me and my woman, so that we can't fall
And keep movin' forward based on actual fact
Yes y'all, my beautiful Mother Earth, respect her to the max
Can't mix dilute or tamper with us no more
We on the highest form of emotion, holy sacred and pure
And what's mines is yours, especially if we move
In the same direction just for ONE common cause
Just one - opportunity to handle our biz
Just one - mind state so we can equally live
Just one - you know we only have one life to live
Just one - come together as one
As one - one family
As one - one little kiss now
As one - one entirety
As one - and let us all uplift now (talk to me baby)
I value (uh-huh uh huh) that I've found me (what what)
I gave you tea (that's right girl) you shed degree (oh yes love)
A family (one family baby) is what we be (uh-huh, uh-huh yea)
So that you'll see (right)
Aiyyo, aiyyo
I know my woman's love for me, the way she cherish me
Fulfill my every appetite for the God Degree
Always inspire my encouragement, the right amount of nourishment
Secure enough so I don't have to ask her where my lovin' went
When times is hopeless, sometimes I had to focus
on the priceless moments, when my Wisdom Body wouldn't notice
Cause you're my everything, what's mines'll be yours
Movin' in the same direction just for one common cause
Just one - opportunity to handle our biz
Just one - mind state so we can equally live
Just one - you know we only have one life to live
Just one - come together as one
As one - one family
As one - one little kiss now
As one - one entirety
As one - so let us all uplift now
As my sunlight, I bear witness to you
Being the foundation, you can come home and watch the babies too
(The one way we agree on how to follow tradition)
This one family come in thirds, play your position
You make the sacrifices, I make the same too
(From all the struggle) that I see, that's why my love is for you
You always hold it down for me, so I'ma hold it for you
And watch the babies while you secure the food to come through
Now don't let my ambition make you feel like competition
We should both play a role in our whole livin' condition (true indeed)
I know you symbolize the strength inside the family
Then show me you can handle womanly responsibilities
Not a problem I know you hold me down when I fall on the ground
But make sure when you bring the food home there's enough to go 'round
And because you are my everything what's mine is yours
Movin' in the same direction, just for one common cause
Just one - opportunity to handle our biz
Just one - mind state so we can equally live
Just one - you know we only have one life to live
Just one - come together as one
As one - one family
As one - one little kiss now
As one - one entirety
As one - so let us all uplift now
As one - one family
As one - one little kiss now
As one - one entirety
As one - so let us all uplift now
The lyrics to Busta Rhymes's song One featuring Erykah Badu revolve around the concept of unity and oneness. At the start of the song, Busta Rhymes expresses his intention to have fun with Erykah Badu. When asked about what they consider fun, the response is "fun, natural fun." The rest of the lyrics go on to talk about the importance of unity, respect, and love in relationships, families, and society as a whole. The message is about coming together as one, having a common goal, and working towards it. Busta Rhymes emphasizes the need to move in the same direction and make the one right decision on one way of living to achieve a common destiny.
The lyrics also talk about the importance of mutual respect and understanding in relationships. Busta Rhymes celebrates the strength and sacrifices of his partner and encourages her to take on more responsibilities while assuring her that he will always support her. The message is that successful relationships require mutual effort and a shared vision.
Overall, the lyrics to One emphasize the importance of unity, love, and respect in society, relationships, and families. The song is a call to action to come together and work towards a common goal. It is a reminder that one person's success is everyone's success and that we all have a part to play in creating a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
What I'm gon' do with Erykah Badu, I'm gonna have some fun
I plan to spend time with Erykah Badu and enjoy myself.
What do you consider fun? Fun, natural fun
What activities do you find entertaining? Things that are enjoyable and not forced.
I said what I'm gon' do with my man Busta Rhymes, I'm gonna have some fun
I intend to have a good time with my friend Busta Rhymes.
Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh uh-huh
An expression of agreement and enthusiasm.
Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu y'all, just one
Busta Rhymes and Erykah Badu are one, unified group.
One love everybody just one
We should all live in harmony, with love and respect for one another.
Well as I universally greet the whole entire world
I extend my greetings to everyone in the entire world.
And focus on the energy that'll make your skin curl
And concentrate on the energy that will make you feel alive and invigorated.
The one strategy, the one universal plan
A single approach and plan that can be applied universally.
The master blueprint, one survival for all man
A comprehensive and adaptable plan for the survival of all humankind.
I Self Lord - AM, so divine
I am a divine being known as I Self Lord - AM.
When me and my woman coincide as one mind; bear witness
When my partner and I are in sync with each other, witness the beauty.
One respect, one culture, one way of thinkin'
We should all respect each other and have a unified culture and way of thinking.
One vision, makin the one decision on one WAY of livin'!
A singular vision and approach to living.
Common destiny amongst all
We all share a common destiny.
One understanding amongst me and my woman, so that we can't fall
My partner and I have a shared understanding, and can support each other.
And keep movin' forward based on actual fact
We should make decisions based on real and verifiable information.
Yes y'all, my beautiful Mother Earth, respect her to the max
We must respect and take care of our planet Earth.
Can't mix dilute or tamper with us no more
We will not tolerate being weakened or manipulated any longer.
We on the highest form of emotion, holy sacred and pure
We experience the most profound and pure emotions.
And what's mines is yours, especially if we move
What belongs to me also belongs to my partner, especially if we work together.
In the same direction just for ONE common cause
Working together toward a single, shared goal.
Just one - opportunity to handle our biz
We only have one chance to handle our business.
Just one - mind state so we can equally live
We should have a single mindset so we can all live equally.
Just one - you know we only have one life to live
We only have one life to live, so we should make the most of it.
Just one - come together as one
We should all come together and act as one.
As one - one family
We are all one big family.
As one - one little kiss now
We should all show love and affection towards each other.
As one - one entirety
We are all part of a single entity.
As one - let us all uplift now (talk to me baby)
We can all lift each other up and encourage one another.
I value (uh-huh uh huh) that I've found me (what what)
I am grateful that I have found myself.
I gave you tea (that's right girl) you shed degree (oh yes love)
I provided guidance and you helped me to grow.
A family (one family baby) is what we be (uh-huh, uh-huh yea)
We are one family.
So that you'll see (right)
This is so you can understand.
Aiyyo, aiyyo
Listen up, listen up.
I know my woman's love for me, the way she cherish me
I understand my partner's love and how much she values me.
Fulfill my every appetite for the God Degree
She satisfies all of my spiritual and emotional needs.
Always inspire my encouragement, the right amount of nourishment
She always encourages and supports me, and provides the right kind of nourishment.
Secure enough so I don't have to ask her where my lovin' went
I trust her completely and don't have to question her love for me.
When times is hopeless, sometimes I had to focus
When I feel hopeless, I have to focus on the positive things she brings to my life.
on the priceless moments, when my Wisdom Body wouldn't notice
I focus on the moments that are most valuable and transformative, even if my mind doesn't recognize them.
Cause you're my everything, what's mines'll be yours
You are everything to me, and what I have also belongs to you.
Movin' in the same direction just for one common cause
We are moving towards a shared goal.
As my sunlight, I bear witness to you
You are my source of warmth and light, and I acknowledge and appreciate that.
Being the foundation, you can come home and watch the babies too
You are the foundation of our family, and I trust you to take care of our children.
(The one way we agree on how to follow tradition)
(We both agree on how we should continue our family's traditions.)
This one family come in thirds, play your position
Our family is made up of three people, and we each have our own roles to play.
You make the sacrifices, I make the same too
We both make sacrifices for each other and for our family.
(From all the struggle) that I see, that's why my love is for you
(Because of all the difficult times we've been through,) that's why my love is for you.
You always hold it down for me, so I'ma hold it for you
You always support me, so I will do the same for you.
And watch the babies while you secure the food to come through
I will take care of the children while you provide for our family.
Now don't let my ambition make you feel like competition
My drive and ambition should not make you feel like we are competing against each other.
We should both play a role in our whole livin' condition (true indeed)
We should both contribute to our overall quality of life.
I know you symbolize the strength inside the family
You are a symbol of strength and resilience for our family.
Then show me you can handle womanly responsibilities
Prove to me that you can take on traditional roles of a woman.
Not a problem I know you hold me down when I fall on the ground
I know you will support me when I am struggling.
But make sure when you bring the food home there's enough to go 'round
Make sure that you provide enough food for everyone in our family.
And because you are my everything what's mine is yours
Everything I have belongs to you, because you are everything to me.
Movin' in the same direction, just for one common cause
Working together towards a shared goal.
As one - one family
We are all one big family.
As one - one little kiss now
We should all show love and affection towards each other.
As one - one entirety
We are all part of a single entity.
As one - so let us all uplift now
We can all lift each other up and encourage one another.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Songtrust Ave
Written by: ERICA WRIGHT, STEVIE WONDER, TREVOR SMITH, RYAN MICHAEL SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind