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.
Street Shit
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, this one appears to be very forceful
Very forceful, yeah, here we go now
Niggaz, bitches, where you at talk
Thug niggaz let me see y'all, yeah
Hah, before we slap niggas silly with something
And put you out your misery and your suffering
You got me busting two nines
With one hand tied together or something
Ain't no mistaking we taking your trap
In case you niggas didn't know,
You fucking with the gladiators of rap
On some John Reno shit in Professional,
How we accurate and precise when we bust
And every move is intentional
Violate and I will get at yo' ass
And if I can't catch you track star
We'll start throwing shit at yo' ass
Wait a minute nigga, hold up second,
See youse a bitch and while we bust yo' ass
Yo' fagot peoples ain't even checking
Yo y'all need to send the coroner, shit
Leave you looking out a place
Like youse a tourist on some foreigner shit
I be that nigga and I love to experiment
With specific high-explosives
Just to take y'all niggaz out of this element, now!
[Chorus: Busta Rhymes]
Cause we got new shit for y'all
(All my niggas in the spots,
y'all know we tear the shit down and how we hold it nigga)
And we come to take shit over y'all
(Yes we here to regulate
and put our foot down, the shop is closing nigga)
Always rep the street for all y'all
(Constantly hitting y'all off with street shit
and keep y'all niggas open yeah
All my niggas, all my bitches) What y'all gon' do now,
Every time we come with that street shit
[Busta Rhymes]
Haha, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Yeah, we move like stone faced cold-hearted niggas
Baldfaced straight retarded niggaz
Hey yo the shit we do be so off the hook,
Fuck around and get yo' leg broke
And beat all in yo' face with ya foot
We here to stay, fuck paying a visit
I only fuck with certain LIVE niggas
Like my niggas Tash and Xzibit
Ever since I vowed to keep the shit raw
I stay hitting niggas with shit
That'll leave they fucking face on the floor
Every time niggaz know when we black
Smack a nigga so fucking hard
He'll fall and probably spin on his back
Funny how niggas'll always shit talk
The very next day they will notice the difference
In the way they bitch walk
My street niggas need to come for the ride
Cause when we step up in the place
You funny niggas need to slide to the side
I love to watch these funny niggas diminish
And while we slowly murder them niggas
They praying on the moment we finish
I take you back to the very beginning
And beat you in yo' head from birth
And watch you grow loving the shit we be bringing
Street niggas keep they mind on they dream
Focus the most on getting they paper
And be thoroughly repping they team
You know we quick to mash it down for ? hours
Quick to leave some of these niggas shook
Running with the rest of them cowards
And leave the rest of niggas ready to dumb
And rep the street until we all die
Could give a fuck wherever you from, now!
[Chorus]
[Busta Rhymes]
For all my motherfuckers
That live in the urban city areas
Only the urban city areas
The ghettoes
The neighborhoods where they got, delis, liquor stores
And churches right across the streets from alla that
Yeah,
Motherfuckers selling weed, crack, and all of that shit
On the corner, it ain't the right thing to do
But niggas is put in the motherfucking, living conditions
That have to do that shit
The street motherfuckers
All y'all survival of the fittest motherfuckers, SURVIVE
This is dedicated to y'all
Street shit
The lyrics of Busta Rhymes's Street Shit convey a message about the hard-hitting and violent life of a street thug. The verses in the song are quite descriptive and exaggerate the violence used against those who oppose them. Busta Rhymes highlights the ruthlessness of street thugs, with the lines "before we slap niggas silly with something, And put you out your misery and your suffering." The song explores the brutal and frequently violent nature of street life and the way people become immune to it. Busta Rhymes makes it clear that street life is a battle to survive, and only the toughest individuals can make it to the top. He also emphasizes the importance of loyalty to one's team and the streets, as many struggle to find meaning in their lives on the streets.
The song's choruses "Cause we got new shit for y'all, And we come to take shit over y'all, Always rep the street for all y'all" further underscores the meaning of the song, showcasing how the artist wants to take over the street and bring a new sense of identity and strength to the people living in it. Additionally, the lyrics of the song discuss the reality of the streets, where street gangs and drug trafficking are abundant. The artist expresses his sympathy for those in urban neighborhoods who often resort to selling drugs and leading a life of crime as they have no other option.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, this one appears to be very forceful
This song is coming across as powerful and intense.
Very forceful, yeah, here we go now
We are about to deliver a strong and intense performance.
Niggaz, bitches, where you at talk
Calling out to all the men and women, asking them to speak up.
Thug niggaz let me see y'all, yeah
Requesting the tough individuals to make themselves known.
Hah, before we slap niggas silly with something
Before we physically humiliate and punish people with our skills.
And put you out your misery and your suffering
To end your pain and struggles.
Uh-oh! Yeah, and just for fronting
And just because you're pretending and acting tough.
You got me busting two nines
You have provoked me to use two firearms.
With one hand tied together or something
Even with a disadvantage, I can still handle the situation with ease.
Ain't no mistaking we taking your trap
There is no doubt that we are seizing control of your territory.
In case you niggas didn't know,
In case you were unaware,
You fucking with the gladiators of rap
You are dealing with the unbeatable fighters of the rap game.
On some John Reno shit in Professional,
Similar to the character John Reno portrayed in the movie 'The Professional',
How we accurate and precise when we bust
We exhibit accuracy and precision in our actions.
And every move is intentional
Every action we take has a purpose and meaning behind it.
Violate and I will get at yo' ass
If you disrespect us, I will come after you.
And if I can't catch you track star
And if I can't catch you, even if you're running fast,
We'll start throwing shit at yo' ass
I'll resort to throwing objects at you as a form of attack.
Wait a minute nigga, hold up second,
Hold on, give me a moment,
See youse a bitch and while we bust yo' ass
Because you are weak and we are dominating you
Yo' fagot peoples ain't even checking
Your cowardly associates aren't even defending you.
Yo y'all need to send the coroner, shit
You need to call for a doctor to collect the dead bodies.
Leave you looking out of place
We make you feel unfamiliar and out of your comfort zone.
Like youse a tourist on some foreigner shit
Just like a tourist in a foreign land.
I be that nigga and I love to experiment
I am the one in charge and I enjoy trying new things.
With specific high-explosives
Using powerful and targeted methods.
Just to take y'all niggaz out of this element, now!
To completely remove you from your comfort zone.
Cause we got new shit for y'all
Because we have fresh and innovative content for you.
And we come to take shit over y'all
We are here to conquer and dominate.
Always rep the street for all y'all
We constantly represent the streets for everyone.
What y'all gon' do now,
How will you respond to this?
Every time we come with that street shit
Every time we deliver our authentic street style.
Haha, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Expressing amusement and agreement.
Yeah, we move like stone-faced cold-hearted niggas
We are emotionless and ruthless individuals.
Baldfaced straight retarded niggaz
We are shameless, foolish, and impulsive individuals.
Hey yo the shit we do be so off the hook,
The actions we take are extremely wild and unconventional.
Fuck around and get yo' leg broke
If you mess with us, you might end up with a broken leg.
And beat all in yo' face with ya foot
We will physically assault you, hitting your face with our foot.
We here to stay, fuck paying a visit
We are not just visiting, we are here to stay.
I only fuck with certain LIVE niggas
I only associate with specific real and authentic individuals.
Like my niggas Tash and Xzibit
I consider my friends Tash and Xzibit as such individuals.
Ever since I vowed to keep the shit raw
Since I made a commitment to keep things honest and unfiltered.
I stay hitting niggas with shit
I consistently deliver impactful and powerful content.
That'll leave they fucking face on the floor
That will leave them utterly shocked and defeated.
Every time niggaz know when we black
Every time people are aware of our presence and actions.
Smack a nigga so fucking hard
To physically strike someone with extreme force.
He'll fall and probably spin on his back
They will fall and potentially rotate onto their back.
Funny how niggas'll always shit talk
It's amusing how people always talk nonsense.
The very next day they will notice the difference
The following day, they will realize the contrast.
In the way they bitch walk
In how they walk with a submissive and defeated demeanor.
My street niggas need to come for the ride
My fellow street-oriented individuals should join us.
Cause when we step up in the place
Because when we enter a location or event,
You funny niggas need to slide to the side
You foolish individuals need to make way for us.
I love to watch these funny niggas diminish
I take pleasure in seeing these comical individuals lose importance.
And while we slowly murder them niggas
As we gradually destroy those individuals.
They praying on the moment we finish
They are desperately hoping for our downfall.
I take you back to the very beginning
I will bring you back to the initial starting point.
And beat you in yo' head from birth
And continuously influence and impact you from birth.
And watch you grow loving the shit we be bringing
And observe as you develop an affinity for the content we provide.
Street niggas keep they mind on they dream
Individuals from the streets always stay focused on their aspirations.
Focus the most on getting they paper
They prioritize earning money.
And be thoroughly repping they team
And continuously representing their group or crew.
You know we quick to mash it down for ? hours
You are aware that we rapidly dominate for countless hours.
Quick to leave some of these niggas shook
Fast to intimidate and frighten certain individuals.
Running with the rest of them cowards
Associating with the remaining weak and fearful individuals.
And leave the rest of niggas ready to dumb
And make the rest of people feel dumb and incompetent.
And rep the street until we all die
And represent the streets until we all perish.
Could give a fuck wherever you from, now!
I don't care about your background or origins.
For all my motherfuckers
This is for all my disrespectful individuals
That live in the urban city areas
Who reside in urban and underprivileged areas
Only the urban city areas
Specifically, those areas located in cities
The ghettoes
The impoverished neighborhoods
The neighborhoods where they got, delis, liquor stores
The neighborhoods with convenient stores and liquor shops
And churches right across the streets from alla that
And religious establishments located directly opposite them
Motherfuckers selling weed, crack, and all of that shit
People engaging in illegal activities such as drug dealing
On the corner, it ain't the right thing to do
Engaging in such actions is morally incorrect
But niggas is put in the motherfucking, living conditions
However, individuals are forced into such situations
That have to do that shit
Due to the difficult circumstances they face
The street motherfuckers
Those individuals from the streets
All y'all survival of the fittest motherfuckers, SURVIVE
All of you, who are the strongest and most resilient, must survive.
This is dedicated to y'all
This song is for all of you.
Street shit
Authentic street culture and lifestyle.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MALIK COX, TYRONE GREGORY FYFFE, JAMEEL SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind