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.
Step Up
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miscellaneous
Fright Night"(feat. Swizz/Busta Rhymes
[Busta Rhymes:]
Attention please, attention please
Can I have everybody's attention please
So humorous, we laugh at all ay'all
Ruff Ryder, Flipmode, 2000, it's now official baby
It's another headbanger
[Swizz Beats:]
Swizz Beats, who hits on your streets every six weeks
I be on the MP so much that my wrist's weak
Ain't shit sweet, pile 'em in here
All my thugs in the clubs start wildin' in here
Now put your bottles in the air, then light your dutches
Me and Busta keep it tight like liposucion
Niggas that don't like me get the knife for frontin'
Cause one night in the club gets your life on crutches
You got that whodie, I'll cock that forty
Flyin' in the 5 with the top back on it
Stop that shorty, I know you love me
Probably sample one of my beats then owe me money
Plus you don't know me money, so stop the rumors
Before you need the janitors to come mop the room up
Ryde or Die Volume two, smash the charts
Now put your hands in the air for the black Mozart, OH!
[Chorus: Busta Rhymes]
(Ohhhh), Now come on
(Screeeam), Jump baby come on
Get your hands up, (What!), now all my ladies do it
Get your hands up, (What!)
Now let me walk you through it
(Ohhhh), Now come on
(Screeeam), Jump baby come on
Get your hands up, (What!), now all my ladies do it
Get your hands up, (What!)
Now let me walk you through it
[Busta Rhymes:]
Y'all niggas try to front, I'll send my crew on a hunt
Bunch of scheming ass niggas smoking gats and blunts
Busta Rhymes, Flipmode represent
For the Ruff Ryder, and my nigga Swizz
And we gonna be here to present
Y'all niggas with some other shit to bang in the street
And block the fuck out, bang the fuckin' floor with your feet
Before we bang y'all niggas all with the heat
Feed y'all niggas more gutters like a mutherfuckin' all you can eat
And make you bounce how poncho will play the congo
And bang on the bongo, free to bounce on the bongo
From New York to Colorado, so just follow
I'm living for today and livin' tomorrow
Open up your mouth, I got somethin' big for you to swallow
Blow you through the chest with a hollow
Like the foul shit you waste and transpired right infront the impalo
Yo, the general Busta Busta shock and memorable
You know we precious like minerals, and deadly like burials
[Chorus]
[Swizz Beats:]
Listen, Flipmode and Ruff Ryders bang out hits
S-W-I two Z's bang out clips
Bang out chicks, for fun we bang out whips
Y'all go to war with revolvers that bang out flicks
Now find me on two-fifth in the summer when it starts
And iced up, nice cut, new pair of Jordans
Thinkin' of extortin, nigga your life ain't important
Your camp hotter than ours?, the fuck y'all snortin'
My thugs bang out bricks, swing, mix, throw dem grams
Hash smokers, hopin' more and out of soda cans
(Yo Swizz, I heard you stole), Whoa! listen man
Mindin' my business will make you a missin' man
See the wrist and hand?, got plaques on the wall
And a fifth in hand, I'll put your back on the wall
Nigga don't ask me no more about nuttin' you hear
Just scream and shout and just wild in here
[Chorus: 3x]
New York, they ain't ready for it
A-T-L, they ain't ready for it
Oh, Oh, Oh, they ain't ready for it
Whoa, Oh, Oh, they ain't ready for it
My ladies
Millenium
Guns bustin' plenty of them, y'all hear that
The song "Step Up" by Busta Rhymes featuring DMX and Swizz Beats is a collaborative effort between the Ruff Ryders, Flipmode, and Swizz Beats. The lyrics of the song are about the musical alliance of the three artists, making an official announcement for the same. The song starts with Busta Rhymes announcing the joining of the three groups and mentions the humorous camaraderie between them. Swizz Beat's verse is all about highlighting his prowess as a beatmaker and his affinity for club beats that make people dance. Busta Rhymes' verse, on the other hand, is about how he can handle his opponents with ease and provide banger songs for the streets. The chorus is catchy, with Busta Rhymes urging people to jump and get their hands up.
Line by Line Meaning
Attention please, attention please
I need everyone's attention
Can I have everybody's attention please
Please, listen to what I have to say
So humorous, we laugh at all ay'all
We find all of you amusing
The alliance has now been officially formed
We have officially formed an alliance
Ruff Ryder, Flipmode, 2000, it's now official baby
Ruff Ryder, Flipmode, and 2000 are now officially united
It's another headbanger
This song is another headbanger
Swizz Beats, who hits on your streets every six weeks
Swizz Beats is frequently on the streets
I be on the MP so much that my wrist's weak
I frequently use a music production tool, which has made my wrist weak
Ain't shit sweet, pile 'em in here
There's no time for complacency, fit in with us
All my thugs in the clubs start wildin' in here
All my associates at the clubs start partying here
Now put your bottles in the air, then light your dutches
Raise your bottles and light your dutches
Me and Busta keep it tight like liposuction
Busta and I are close like liposuction
Niggas that don't like me get the knife for frontin'
If you don't like me, I'll get violent with you
Cause one night in the club gets your life on crutches
One night in the club can leave you with life-changing consequences
You got that whodie, I'll cock that forty
If you come at me, I'll pull out my gun
Flyin' in the 5 with the top back on it
Riding in my car with the top down
Stop that shorty, I know you love me
Hey, you, stop what you're doing, and listen to me
Probably sample one of my beats then owe me money
You'll probably sample one of my beats and owe me money
Plus you don't know me money, so stop the rumors
You don't owe me money, so stop spreading rumors
Before you need the janitors to come mop the room up
Before things get really messy and require cleaning
Ryde or Die Volume two, smash the charts
This album, Ryde or Die Volume two, has become a chart-topper
Now put your hands in the air for the black Mozart, OH!
Raise your hands in the air for me, the black Mozart
(Ohhhh), Now come on
Let's get started
(Screeeam), Jump baby come on
Jump up and down, baby
Get your hands up, (What!), now all my ladies do it
Ladies, put your hands up too
Now let me walk you through it
Let me guide you through the process
Y'all niggas try to front, I'll send my crew on a hunt
If anyone tries to mess with us, we'll go after them
Bunch of scheming ass niggas smoking gats and blunts
A group of mischievous people smoking and carrying guns
Busta Rhymes, Flipmode represent
We represent Flipmode
For the Ruff Ryder, and my nigga Swizz
And for Ruff Ryder and Swizz
And we gonna be here to present
We'll always be here to represent
Y'all niggas with some other shit to bang in the street
We're here with something new for you to enjoy
And block the fuck out, bang the fuckin' floor with your feet
Dance hard, and kick the floor with your feet
Before we bang y'all niggas all with the heat
Before we attack you with guns
Feed y'all niggas more gutters like a mutherfuckin' all you can eat
We'll give you more, and you can have as much as you want
And make you bounce how poncho will play the congo
We'll get you dancing
And bang on the bongo, free to bounce on the bongo
We'll play the bongo, and you can dance to it freely
From New York to Colorado, so just follow
Follow us from New York to Colorado
I'm living for today and livin' tomorrow
I'm living for today and tomorrow too
Open up your mouth, I got somethin' big for you to swallow
Prepare yourself for something significant
Blow you through the chest with a hollow
I'll shoot you in the chest with a hollow-point bullet
Like the foul shit you waste and transpired right infront the impalo
Like all the bad things you've done in front of the police
Yo, the general Busta Busta shock and memorable
I'm Boss, Busta, and my actions are memorable
You know we precious like minerals, and deadly like burials
We're precious like minerals, but also lethal like burials
Listen, Flipmode and Ruff Ryders bang out hits
Listen, Flipmode and Ruff Ryders make great music
S-W-I two Z's bang out clips
Swizz Beats creates great songs
Bang out chicks, for fun we bang out whips
We pick up women, and we drive fancy cars for fun
Y'all go to war with revolvers that bang out flicks
You go to war with revolvers that shoot
Now find me on two-fifth in the summer when it starts
Find me on 2nd Street in the summer when it starts
And iced up, nice cut, new pair of Jordans
I'm wearing plenty of jewelry, fresh haircut, and new sneakers
Thinkin' of extortin, nigga your life ain't important
Thinking of extorting me? Your life is not important
Your camp hotter than ours?, the fuck y'all snortin'
Your team is better than ours? Are you kidding me?
My thugs bang out bricks, swing, mix, throw dem grams
My associates sell drugs
Hash smokers, hopin' more and out of soda cans
People consuming hash, hoping for more from empty soda cans
(Yo Swizz, I heard you stole), Whoa! listen man
Hey, Swizz, I heard you stole something, listen to me
Mindin' my business will make you a missin' man
If I don't mind my business, someone will go missing
See the wrist and hand?, got plaques on the wall
You can see all my achievements on my wrist and on the wall
And a fifth in hand, I'll put your back on the wall
I'm carrying a gun and will put you against a wall
Nigga don't ask me no more about nuttin' you hear
Don't ask me about anything else, you hear me?
Just scream and shout and just wild in here
Just party and have a good time
New York, they ain't ready for it
New York isn't prepared for this
A-T-L, they ain't ready for it
Atlanta isn't prepared for this
Oh, Oh, Oh, they ain't ready for it
No one is ready for this
Whoa, Oh, Oh, they ain't ready for it
No one is prepared for this
My ladies
Ladies
Millenium
New millennium
Guns bustin' plenty of them, y'all hear that
Guns are firing, can you hear that?
Contributed by Camden V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ParkHillProjects
dilla is soo high high above every other producer, thats a shame that we will never hear new joints from him!!!! REST IN PEACE DILLA , mastermind
@marcelgowa
still loving this track after all those years,we miss you dilla.
@ashtonrobinson6642
Busta's work with Dilla alone puts Busta in top ten of all time.
@IcecreamLeGenD
j dilla was just a true legend, not many producers are on this level. R.I.P
@JazzSoulMetal
Dilla and Busta were the ultimate team!
@Ted_Swayinghill
Dang Jay Dee proves his genius again....HE FRIKKIN SAMPLED A PAUL McCARTNEY CHRISTMAS JOINT!!!!
@djkaseone
Man Busta Rhymes and Jay Dee have always been a good combination
@ClaytonJones03
J Dilla the King. None will surpass this dude's talent and ear. If I had to choose people who come close, I'd pick DJ Premier, and perhaps Dr. Dre.
@TheMediaAnarchist
bus got that greg nice flow lol!
@observer.b_e_l_l_i_s
Yo........LOL im sorry its 2015 and shit still knocks hard as hell