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.
Rotate
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Ron Browz!) Nore! Oh oh!
Busta bus! (yes sir!) Oh oh!
Get that money!
Ohhh!
My nigga find a girl to rotate (what what!)
My nigga find a girl to rotate (what what!)
Shorty find a dude to rotate (what what!)
'Cause the superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back, is back
N-O-R I'm back I ain't go far (what!)
They want me to fall off that's bizarre (what!)
They movin with no crib and no car
Bam! bam! homes I go so hard
And hit you with lines of how your O.R.
Good with seein in the field, good with the solo
Half Spanish nigga cook a brick with adobo
Smoke weed holdi'n my dick is my logo
Catch me uptown with the collar shirt polo
But since they got rappers now doin no promo
Catch me in LA doin' six with a cholo (what!)
I get that arab money like busta bus
I throw the condom on then I just rush to bust
Oh! oh! then I pop champagne
And I mix it with the goose it go straight to my brain, gosh
Ohhh!
My nigga find a girl to rotate (what what!)
My nigga find a girl to rotate (what what!)
Shorty find a dude to rotate (what what!)
Shorty find a dude to rotate (what what!)
'Cause the superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back, is back
(yo, yo, yo I give you a pound and my tigger finger stick out!)
Index that, I drink a becks black
I, am, superthug y'all know it (know it)
I, am, young spic black poet
Yeah, let it rain you need windshield wipers
I make hits to be the shits like diapers
You need this oh yeah oh yeah!
I bring my hood with me oh yeah oh yeah!
Back on my bullshit nine, uzi and full clip (what!)
I feel insulted we been revolted
I put the bogie out, still put the bogie out
Right up in your face with a slice like shin-obi out
Ohhh!
My nigga find a girl to rotate (what what!)
My nigga find a girl to rotate (what what!)
Shorty find a dude to rotate (what what!)
Shorty find a dude to rotate (what what!)
'Cause the superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back, is back
They wanna know what's up with 'pone I'm okay
I'm back with Jose for that free tony
You got a check then gimme that
I draw nine's and ten's just like pitty pat
Ends is the minimum
I treat o's like brand new tires rotate and spinnin 'em
This year the game's in a brand new perspective
We win, while we take a l like lexus
Go ahead girl and shoe 'em how you move (how you move)
Tell your girl hold your bag and your shoes
Put it on 'em so a nigga can't move
Now stop, rotate to the next dude, yeah
Hi haters I'm on my hiatus
Can still bangin' you try to violate us
You can tell by the talk
I represent new york, don't get outlined and chalked
Yo! I said hello hi hi hello hello hi hello (hello)
I'm ready to black, spazz and smash shit with N-O (N-O)
I'm about to fuck the buildin up gimme uno momento
And the game need a nigga you see me I'm suicentral
While the women love the kid in the hood respectin my tactics
Obvious we ain't the same cause I come from a different fabric
My cup a overflow with the swag sorry ya lack it
A he he, I ain't meani'n to brag but I could back it
When I spazz niggas say bus ya gone too far
This flat bed, my phantom and watch me drive new car
When the people they see me they say god you are
Back in the buildin' with Nore who the fuck wanna war?
And I was jumpin' out of the window with this
You know who run shit nigga flip mode bitch!
Look! baby girl this might be your last chance
Shake your ass and do that Arab money dance
Ohh!
My nigga find a girl to rotate (what what!)
My nigga find a girl to rotate (what what!)
Shorty find a dude to rotate (what what!)
Shorty find a dude to rotate (what what!)
'Cause the superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back (what what!)
The superthug is back, is back
The song Rotate by Busta Rhymes featuring N.O.R.E. is a classic hip hop song that talks about the comeback of the "superthug" Busta Rhymes. The song is characterized by fast rap flows over an instrumental that has a high energy vibe. The song's chorus is catchy and repeated several times throughout the song, "My nigga find a girl to rotate (what what!), Shorty find a dude to rotate (what what!), 'Cause the super thug is back (what what!)."
Busta's verse of the song is full of brags about his wealth, style, and skills as a rap artist. Busta talks about making Arab money, popping champagne, and smoking weed while holding his dick as his logo. He also declares that he is back and ready to take over the game with his skillful raps. In contrast, N.O.R.E's verse talks about his return to the rap game and his success despite not having much material wealth. Overall, the song is about celebrating the success of the two rappers and encouraging people to keep hustling to find their own success.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was produced by Ron Browz, who is known for his trademark "Ether Boy" tagline, which is heard at the beginning of Rotate. Ron Browz is also credited for popularizing the Auto-Tune effect that became popular in the late 2000s. Another interesting fact is that the song features a sample from the 1981 song "Genius of Love" by the Tom Tom Club. This sample has been used in several other hip hop songs, including Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" and Daft Punk's "Da Funk." Additionally, the song's music video features cameos from other hip hop artists such as DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, and T-Pain, among others.
The chords for the song Rotate are not known considering that it is a hip hop song that features a sample. However, the instrumental for the song is built around the sample from Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love."
Line by Line Meaning
Ether boy! (oh yeah!) oh oh! (Nore!)
Acknowledgement of Nore and Ron Browz
Busta bus! (yes sir!) Oh oh!
Acknowledgement of Busta Rhymes and excitement
Get that money!
Encouragement to make money
My nigga find a girl to rotate (what what!)
Encouraging his friend to find a girl to dance with
Shorty find a dude to rotate (what what!)
Encouraging a girl to find a guy to dance with
'Cause the superthug is back (what what!)
Proud of being the superthug and being back
The superthug is back (what what!)
Proud of being the superthug and being back
The superthug is back, is back
Reiterating that the superthug is back
N-O-R I'm back I ain't go far (what!)
Announcing that Nore is back and that he didn't leave for long
They want me to fall off that's bizarre (what!)
People wanted Nore to fail which is strange
They movin with no crib and no car
People are moving around with no place to live and no car
Bam! bam! homes I go so hard
He works hard and focuses on achieving success
And hit you with lines of how your O.R.
He will hit you with clever rap verses equivalent to a surgical operation
Good with seein in the field, good with the solo
He is good at working by himself as well as collaborating with others
Half Spanish nigga cook a brick with adobo
He is half Spanish and can cook drugs with adobo as seasoning
Smoke weed holdi'n my dick is my logo
Associating smoking weed and holding his penis as his signature
Catch me uptown with the collar shirt polo
He wears a polo shirt and is frequently seen uptown
But since they got rappers now doin no promo
Since other rappers don't do promotions
Catch me in LA doin' six with a cholo (what!)
He is in LA and is doing 60 mph with a Mexican gang member
I get that arab money like busta bus
He makes money like Busta Rhymes and mentions Arab money
I throw the condom on then I just rush to bust
He has sex with protection and rushes to ejaculate
Oh! oh! then I pop champagne
He celebrates with champagne
And I mix it with the goose it go straight to my brain, gosh
Mixing champagne with Grey Goose vodka gives him a strong buzz
(yo, yo, yo I give you a pound and my tigger finger stick out!)
He greets with a fist bump and extends his index finger
Index that, I drink a becks black
He drinks Beck's Black beer and mentions his finger again
I, am, superthug y'all know it (know it)
He is the superthug and everyone knows it
I, am, young spic black poet
He is a young Hispanic Black poet
Yeah, let it rain you need windshield wipers
When he is around, things are wild and chaotic
I make hits to be the shits like diapers
He makes hit songs that are as popular as baby diapers
You need this oh yeah oh yeah!
He knows that people need his music
I bring my hood with me oh yeah oh yeah!
He represents his neighborhood and brings it with him wherever he goes
Back on my bullshit nine, uzi and full clip (what!)
He is back to rapping and being aggressive, with numerous weapons
I feel insulted we been revolted
He feels offended and has experienced a revolution
I put the bogie out, still put the bogie out
He puts out a cigarette but is still smoking
Right up in your face with a slice like shin-obi out
He slices like a Shinobi or a ninja
They wanna know what's up with 'pone I'm okay
People are curious about what's happening with him and he's fine
I'm back with Jose for that free tony
He is back with Jose to get a free meal at Tony's
You got a check then gimme that
If someone has money, he wants it
I draw nine's and ten's just like pitty pat
He draws high cards in the gambling game of Pitty Pat
Ends is the minimum
Money is the minimum requirement
I treat o's like brand new tires rotate and spinnin 'em
He treats drugs like new tires, rotates and sells them
This year the game's in a brand new perspective
Things have changed this year in the music industry
We win, while we take a l like lexus
They may lose, but still come out on top like the Lexus car
Go ahead girl and shoe 'em how you move (how you move)
Encouragement for a girl to show off her dance moves
Tell your girl hold your bag and your shoes
Tell her friend to hold her bag and shoes
Put it on 'em so a nigga can't move
Dance provocatively to make guys speechless
Now stop, rotate to the next dude, yeah
Stop dancing with one guy and move on to the next
Hi haters I'm on my hiatus
He is on a break and addresses his haters
Can still bangin' you try to violate us
He can still fight back if someone starts trouble
You can tell by the talk
You can tell by his speech
I represent new york, don't get outlined and chalked
He represents New York and doesn't want to be killed or arrested
Yo! I said hello hi hi hello hello hi hello (hello)
He greets with variations of hello
I'm ready to black, spazz and smash shit with N-O (N-O)
He's ready to go wild and cause chaos with N-O
I'm about to fuck the buildin up gimme uno momento
He's about to cause trouble and asks for a moment
And the game need a nigga you see me I'm suicentral
The rap game needs him and he is critical to it
While the women love the kid in the hood respectin my tactics
Women love him and people in the neighborhood respect his strategy
Obvious we ain't the same cause I come from a different fabric
He is different from others because he comes from a different background
My cup a overflow with the swag sorry ya lack it
His confidence and style is overflowing while others lack it
A he he, I ain't meani'n to brag but I could back it
He's not trying to boast but he can back it up
When I spazz niggas say bus ya gone too far
When he goes crazy, some say he's gone too far
This flat bed, my phantom and watch me drive new car
He drives a luxurious flatbed truck and a fancy car
When the people they see me they say god you are
People see him and are amazed
Back in the buildin' with Nore who the fuck wanna war?
He's back with Nore and asks who wants to fight
And I was jumpin' out of the window with this
He once jumped out of a window with something in his hands
You know who run shit nigga flip mode bitch!
He represents Flipmode and is in charge
Look! baby girl this might be your last chance
Addressing a girl and letting her know this might be her last chance
Shake your ass and do that Arab money dance
Encouragement for a girl to dance to the Arab Money song
Ohh!
Exclamation of excitement
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RONDELL EDWIN TURNER, TREVOR WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@daveypresh
i luv Cn N but busta kills it
@oliverrando6463
this album and song from capone n noreaga is ok
@incy82
r videos free?
@incy82
ya'll been programed to loose your feelings man. stop fuckin about it. track its all right
@jeffreygardner801
Who produced this beat?
@longview1987
ron browz, the guy singing the hook
@chief69oner
@iWantMyNuggets word
@JonJury
average as fuck.