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.
Party Is Goin
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rockin' on ever since the day I was born
Yes we get busy whenever we have to perform
Shaking your tooshie making your pussy get warm
Ha ha ha until all you niggas is gone
I be hittin' until the morning got you callin' my storm
Bounce my niggas, bounce my bitches (Bounce baby!)
With the shit that do really have all you niggas going crazy
Bitches be gettin' all in and they rippin' they pants crutches
Wiggle they belly buttons
Ay, wait a minute I wanna get all in it
Long as my shorty with it
You know I'm comin' to get it
Doin' it to you makin' you really wonder who said it
Swelling your melon while you yellin'
Now check out the credit
Giving it to you makin' you gimme back more
(Coming through too!)
Yes and we be kickin' down your door
Keepin' it raw my nigga
All my bitches right in the front sayin' "Aahh"
All my bitches way in the rear sayin' "Aahh"
Party is goin' on over here (Say what?)
Party is goin' on over here (Say what?)
All my niggas right in the front sayin' "Ho!"
All my niggas right in the rear sayin' "Ho!"
The party is goin' on over here (Say what?)
Party is goin' on over here (Say what?)
All my people up in the place sayin' "Ho!"
Let me just hear you some more
Tell me what you lookin' for
Told all of y'all already I ain't gonna tell you no more
Hittin' you off makin' you niggas blast off!
With some shit that'll be tearing your ass off
Keppin' it comin', keepin' it movin', keepin' you wylin'
We gettin' this paper let's keep the cheddar stacking and piling
And now we happy and smiling cause now we living good
Doin' it is how we be movin' it in the hood
Wishing you could fuck around with me and my niggas
How we double and wyle
And double our bitches double our figures
Turnin' you out
Run from my niggas (No doubt!)
Keepin' it blazing make all my bitches all shout
Then I hit with the new make you take off your see-through
While you peekin' around the corner baby I see you!
Tell me what you gon' do
I'm sayin' now I'm gon' have you wylin' until your ass drop
Hit me off, yes now let me take it to the top
We never stop my nigga
All my bitches right in the front sayin' "Aahh"
All my bitches way in the rear sayin' "Aahh"
Party is goin' on over here (Say what?)
Party is goin' on over here (Say what?)
All my niggas right in the front sayin' "Ho!"
All my niggas right in the rear sayin' "Ho!"
The party is goin' on over here (Say what?)
Party is goin' on over here (Say what?)
All my people up in the place sayin' "Ho!"
The lyrics to Busta Rhymes's song "Party Is Going' on Over Here" is a typical representation of hip hop in the 90s with its focus on partying and having a good time. Busta Rhymes expresses his love for parties and his ability to get the crowd hyped up. He makes clear how his music makes people dance and move, especially women, who wiggle their belly buttons and rip their pants crutches in excitement. His lyrics have a sexual undertone, making references to getting girls and pleasing them. He asserts his dominance as an artist at the party, saying that he's ''hitting until the morning" and leaving "head rushes" on people.
Busta Rhymes also shows off his lyrical prowess in the song. He uses a lot of rhythmic rhyming schemes that flow well together, such as "Shaking your tooshie making your pussy get warm/ Ha ha ha until all you niggas is gone." He also shows his ability to control the tempo of the song, making the crowd shout and repeat certain phrases, like "All my bitches right in the front sayin' 'Aahh'."
Overall, "Party Is Goin' on Over Here" is a song that is meant to get people excited and dancing. Busta Rhymes’ flow, coupled with the beats and rhythms, provides the necessary fuel for people to party and have a good time.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo, ever since Jimmy Crack Con
Since a long time ago
Rockin' on ever since the day I was born
Always partying and enjoying life from birth
Yes we get busy whenever we have to perform
We engage and entertain when we perform
Shaking your tooshie making your pussy get warm
Dancing and having fun to the point of sexual arousal
Ha ha ha until all you niggas is gone
Laughing and enjoying the party until everyone leaves
I be hittin' until the morning got you callin' my storm
Partying hard all night to the point of exhaustion, and everyone remembers the experience
Bounce my niggas, bounce my bitches (Bounce baby!)
Encouraging the crowd to dance and have a good time
With the shit that do really have all you niggas going crazy
Playing music that makes the crowd go wild
Suffer from head rushes while niggas be smoking dutches
Feeling dizzy from the combination of music and marijuana
Bitches be gettin' all in and they rippin' they pants crutches
The women are dancing so hard that they rip their pants in the crotch area
Wiggle they belly buttons
The women are dancing sensually and shaking their bellies
Ay, wait a minute I wanna get all in it
The artist wants to join the party and have fun
Long as my shorty with it
As long as his significant other is there with him
You know I'm comin' to get it
The artist is eager to join the party and enjoy himself
Doin' it to you makin' you really wonder who said it
The artist is partying so hard that people are impressed and questioning who is responsible for it
Swelling your melon while you yellin'
The artist is overwhelming the crowd with joy and excitement
Now check out the credit
Acknowledging that the artist is responsible for making the party great
Giving it to you makin' you gimme back more
The artist is giving the crowd a good time in exchange for their energy and enthusiasm
(Coming through too!)
The artist is also enjoying the party
Yes and we be kickin' down your door
Entertaining the crowd so hard that it feels like they are invading their homes
Keepin' it raw my nigga
Staying genuine and authentic while partying and having fun
All my bitches right in the front sayin' "Aahh"
The women in the front are having a great time and expressing it vocally
All my bitches way in the rear sayin' "Aahh"
The women in the back are also having a great time
Party is goin' on over here (Say what?)
The party is happening here and everyone is enjoying it
All my niggas right in the front sayin' "Ho!"
The men in the front are having fun and expressing it vocally
All my niggas right in the rear sayin' "Ho!"
The men in the back are also having a great time
The party is goin' on over here (Say what?)
The party is happening here and everyone is enjoying it
All my people up in the place sayin' "Ho!"
Everyone present is having fun and being vocal about it
Let me just hear you some more
Encouraging the crowd to express their joy even louder
Tell me what you lookin' for
Asking the crowd what they want from the party
Told all of y'all already I ain't gonna tell you no more
Communicating that the artist has already shared what he can do and will continue entertaining the crowd
Hittin' you off makin' you niggas blast off!
Entertaining the crowd so hard that they feel like they are blasting off into space
With some shit that'll be tearing your ass off
Playing music that is so good it feels like it is tearing the crowd's asses off
Keppin' it comin', keepin' it movin', keepin' you wylin'
Ensuring the entertainment keeps going and keeping the crowd full of energy
We gettin' this paper let's keep the cheddar stacking and piling
Generating income from partying and encouraging everyone to keep spending money
And now we happy and smiling cause now we living good
The artist and everyone at the party are happy and enjoying life because they are making money and having fun
Doin' it is how we be movin' it in the hood
Enjoying life through partying is a common thing in the artist's community
Wishing you could fuck around with me and my niggas
The artist is having such a good time that others wish they could join in
How we double and wyle
The artist and his friends are totally wild and having a great time
And double our bitches double our figures
The artist and his friends are increasing their wealth and the number of women they're with
Turnin' you out
Entertaining the crowd to the point where they are going crazy
Run from my niggas (No doubt!)
The artist and his friends are having such a good time that others are running away from them for fear of being swept up in their merriment
Keepin' it blazing make all my bitches all shout
The party is so exciting that the women are screaming and having a great time
Then I hit with the new make you take off your see-through
Playing new, exciting music that makes the women dance so hard they strip naked
While you peekin' around the corner baby I see you!
The artist sees everyone at the party and acknowledges their presence and excitement
Tell me what you gon' do
Encouraging the crowd to keep partying and having fun
I'm sayin' now I'm gon' have you wylin' until your ass drop
The artist will keep the party going and make the crowd go wild until they drop from exhaustion
Hit me off, yes now let me take it to the top
The artist is ready to take the party to the next level and entertain the crowd even more
We never stop my nigga
The party never ends and the artist and his friends will continue having fun and entertaining the crowd
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BUSTA RHYMES, GEORGE SPIVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind