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.
Things We Be Doin' for Money Part 2
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Niggas is gon' have to get it
Niggas is out here holding I'm a have to see niggas
Niggas is out there holding
Starving nigga, fuck that, I'm a broke nigga
And I gotta see any nigga out here holding something
Fuck that
On how to maximise the level on day to day creaming,
While you remain faking,
Yo, I ain't tolerating, no mistaking,
We on the move to steady paper-making
Round up the whole squad quick,
Plot the scheme with my niggas, get on some full clip bullshit,
Before I solidify manslaughter, my unit form on the street corner,
We surprise like fiends in disguise,
Laying for the right fit so I can receive another grand prize
Greeting niggas like a homeless nigga,
The way it happened son, you'd never figure,
How the homeless nigga gun is much bigger,
Now give me everything you walking with and everything your man is holding,
Even the watch that got the platinum moulding,
And as the situation start unfolding,
You scared to death you little bitch, go ahead,
Report it stolen, see what happen.
Yo I'll fuck you up
Aye yo run all your jewels
Run all your paper
You ain't holding this paper you fuckin' faggot
Aye yo get the fuck on the floor
Shut the fuck up
Aye yo shut the fuck up
Cocks drawn nigga, holding my dick,
Wilding for the night, splurging with my click from the last fit
Open like a motherfucker, itching and ready to do the next stick,
Get anybody my nigga take your pick,
What you said I said even if it caused a bloodshed,
We gettin' paper even if we robbing a fucking chickenhead,
Word to mother son, I ain't fronting,
I'm taking everything I been always wantin'
So I continue to peep out, the nigga in the jam will be the most blidded,
Rob 'em in the corner bounce to the bar with they money and buy drinks with it,
I stay on some real trife shit, test your life shit
Or even stab you on some knife shit,
Fake it if you wanna fake it, if I see it, then I want it, then I take it,
Leaving niggas ass naked
Sometime I know it seems so shocking
How you the next victim to be listening of the sounds of a trigger cocking
All in your ears, cold steel all against your face
I feel your blood chilling, your heart racing at a rapid pace
And if you thinking you that strong
I dare you even to flinch wrong, fuck around
You feel the four five long
The victim contemplating what to do
Or how the fuck to get out of the situation that he's going through
This nigga tried to grab the gat, you know I started clapping
Bet y'all niggas wanna know how the rest of the story happened
The lyrics to Busta Rhymes's song Things We Be Doin' for Money Part 2 depicts the perspective of a hardened street criminal living in poverty, explaining their day-to-day struggle to make money. The lyrics reveal a willingness to resort to violence and robbery to make ends meet. The use of the word "holding" in the lyrics is a reference to anyone who has something that the criminal wants, be it money or possessions. The song portrays the desperation of the singer's situation, and a willingness to commit any crime to gain financial security.
The lyrics also detail the singer's schemes and tactics, including gathering a group of like-minded individuals and targeting vulnerable victims. The lyrics further convey that the criminal is fearless and not afraid of any potential consequences of their actions. The singer's willingness to use violent tactics to achieve their goal is evident in the line "Cocks drawn nigga, holding my dick, wilding for the night, splurging with my click from the last fit."
In conclusion, Busta Rhymes's song Things We Be Doin' for Money Part 2 is a vivid depiction of the desperation and ruthlessness that can develop in a life of poverty. The song portrays the criminal mindset, detailing the perspective of one who has nothing and is willing to do anything to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
Huh, yeah, fuck that,
I don't care about anything except making money
Niggas is gon' have to get it
I will take money from anyone I can
Niggas is out here holding I'm a have to see niggas
I will steal from anyone who appears to have money
Niggas is out there holding
There are people out there with money that I can take
Starving nigga, fuck that, I'm a broke nigga
I don't care if I have to rob people to survive
And I gotta see any nigga out here holding something
I will rob anyone I see with money
Everyday, me and my son stay scheming,
I am always thinking about new ways to make money
On how to maximise the level on day to day creaming,
I want to make as much money as possible every day
While you remain faking,
While others pretend to be rich, I am actually trying to make money
Yo, I ain't tolerating, no mistaking,
I won't let anyone stand in the way of my making money
We on the move to steady paper-making
I am always trying to make a steady income
Round up the whole squad quick,
I am gathering my group of people to rob together
Plot the scheme with my niggas, get on some full clip bullshit,
We are planning a robbery and preparing for violence
Before I solidify manslaughter, my unit form on the street corner,
Before we commit murder, my group gathers on a street corner
We surprise like fiends in disguise,
We catch people off guard like they are addicts
Laying for the right fit so I can receive another grand prize
I am waiting for the perfect opportunity to make a lot of money
Greeting niggas like a homeless nigga,
I appear like a homeless person to catch people off guard
The way it happened son, you'd never figure,
I am so good at robbing that people don't even see me coming
How the homeless nigga gun is much bigger,
I have a bigger gun than people expect from a homeless person
Now give me everything you walking with and everything your man is holding,
I am demanding that you give me all of your possessions and your friend's possessions
Even the watch that got the platinum moulding,
I even want valuable jewelry like a platinum watch
And as the situation start unfolding,
As the robbery begins to take place,
You scared to death you little bitch, go ahead,
I intimidate my victims to make them give me everything
Report it stolen, see what happen.
I challenge my victims to report the robbery to the police
Yo I'll fuck you up
I am threatening violence against the victim
Aye yo run all your jewels
Give me all your valuable jewelry
Run all your paper
Give me all your cash
You ain't holding this paper you fuckin' faggot
I accuse the victim of not actually having money
Aye yo get the fuck on the floor
I force the victim to lie on the ground
Shut the fuck up
I order the victim to be quiet
Cocks drawn nigga, holding my dick,
I am holding a gun and feeling powerful
Wilding for the night, splurging with my click from the last fit
I am reckless and spending money with my group of robbers
Open like a motherfucker, itching and ready to do the next stick,
I am ready and excited to do another robbery
Get anybody my nigga take your pick,
I am willing to rob anyone we see
What you said I said even if it caused a bloodshed,
I will do whatever it takes to make money, even if it means hurting someone
We gettin' paper even if we robbing a fucking chickenhead,
We will rob anyone for money, even if they don't have much
Word to mother son, I ain't fronting,
I am serious about making money through robbery
I'm taking everything I been always wantin'
I am taking everything I have ever desired
So I continue to peep out, the nigga in the jam will be the most blidded,
I am always looking for someone in a vulnerable situation to rob
Rob 'em in the corner bounce to the bar with they money and buy drinks with it,
After a successful robbery, we celebrate by spending the stolen money on drinks
I stay on some real trife shit, test your life shit
I am always willing to risk my life for money
Or even stab you on some knife shit,
I am willing to use violence to get what I want
Fake it if you wanna fake it, if I see it, then I want it, then I take it,
I will take anything I desire, whether the person is pretending or not
Leaving niggas ass naked
I strip my victims of everything valuable
Sometime I know it seems so shocking
My actions may surprise or shock people
How you the next victim to be listening of the sounds of a trigger cocking
You could be the next person to hear the sound of my gun being loaded
All in your ears, cold steel all against your face
I hold my gun close to my victim's face
I feel your blood chilling, your heart racing at a rapid pace
I can sense my victim's fear and excitement
And if you thinking you that strong
If the victim thinks they are tough,
I dare you even to flinch wrong, fuck around
I challenge them to move or resist, leading to violence
You feel the four five long
If the victim doesn't comply, I will shoot them with my gun
The victim contemplating what to do
The victim is trying to figure out how to escape or survive
Or how the fuck to get out of the situation that he's going through
The victim is trying to find a way to escape the robbery
This nigga tried to grab the gat, you know I started clapping
If the victim tries to resist, I will start shooting
Bet y'all niggas wanna know how the rest of the story happened
You probably want to know what happened next to the victim
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OSTEN HARVEY, OSTEN S HARVEY, TREVOR SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind