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 Doing For Money Pt. 2
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My baby mom still yawning
Kiss my little daughter on the forehead
'Nuf said, beeper goes off
Five hundred, it's Busta Bust
In God We Trust another one bites the dust
Hey Ramp, fuck that!
Some niggas pulled up in a black suburban jumped out the back
Tried to put it on me while we fighting over the gat
The way them niggas tried to play me son, them niggas is wack
Aeiyo, Ramp, yo, you know it's only right to react
Call the whole squad, let's lay these niggas down, face flat
Aeiyo, Bust, chill, calm down
I'll be there in twenty minutes
Uptown 1-51 at St. Nick
I'm there quick
I tell my baby mom I got's to go
I walked out the do' then grabbed the two nines out the flo'
Driving through South, yo, we takin' niggas to war
Still on the run
Always running for cover when its necessary
I'm out numbered for now
But all that shit is temporary
Fuck with the wrong clik, the way we get down
If you're violatin', leavin you lost, you never be found
Number whatever on missing persons
Any minute them niggas gon' feel blast of my squads gats bursting
I through the tri-borough bridge
In my fat land with my two nines and my mans
I'mma second from the spot
I cross the street from the parking lot
My trigger finger is hot
I'm seeing Bust in a phone booth
Niggas on the roofs
Spiff Star is in the range
The atmosphere change
Lord's in the forerunner with machine guns, big ones
Now we 'bout to have mad fun
Me and the whole squad meet up
Know shit about to heat up
Wet the whole entire street up
Blast from the car seat-er
My enemies wouldn't even wanna be you
I see you, hunting me down
I knowing that my crew arrive
We gon' see who be the last alive
While we creep all over the place
Looking for space
In case, see him, rinse my whole clip up in his face
As my squad hold they post down
We patiently waiting for them to pass through
Carefully timing the way we put it on their whole crew
Aeiyo, Bust give me the queue
I'm here for you, close to you
Blood in and blood out
We goin' all out, bullets just ringing out
Guns is just spraying out
Yo Bust, hit the dirt layflat
You my nigga to the end I gotcha back
Turn around quick
Oh shit!
He started blasting, grazed me on the hip
Lord Have Mercy dumped five on a nigga
Suck his whole shit, his whole crew busting
Shit ain't going according to plan
Goddamn, my shit jam
Nigga standing right behind me
I think I'm caught up on a creep
I think I need to prayer to Lord, my soul to keep
Dis nigga about to fry my head
My crew burst into a rage
Spliff lifted this nigga, putting two inside his rib cage
Yo, Rampage
Aeiyo, I see them niggas coming, now I'm dumbing
We dead three niggas already the next two we leaving bloody
So much drama over this fucking money
The way this situation end it wasn't even funny
Trying to rob this nigga because I was fucking hungry
But if you try to test let's blast a nigga in a hurry
Me and my squad bounce and left the fucking scene ugly
Things we be doin' for money
Livin' in the street when you're hungry
The way you start to live it ain't funny, no, no
Living day to day but don't live for tomorrow
Things we be doin' for money
Livin' in the street when you're hungry
The way you start to live it ain't funny, no, no
Living day to day but don't live for tomorrow
Things we be doin' for money
Livin' in the street when you're hungry
The way you start to live it ain't funny, no, no
Living day to day but don't live for tomorrow
The lyrics of "Things We Be Doin' For Money Part 2" by Busta Rhymes featuring Rampage, Anthony Hamilton & The Chosen Generation tell a story of the hardships of living in the streets and the extreme measures some people take to survive. The song starts with Busta Rhymes waking up in the middle of the night and receiving a call for a job that pays well, but involves illegal activities. As the story unfolds, a conflict with other people ensues, and the lyrics describe a violent fight that could cost the singer's life.
The lyrics illustrate how people living in poverty often resort to illegal actions to make a living, and how that reality can lead to dangerous situations. The desperation for money is so strong that people are willing to put their lives on the line, risking everything in the process. The final lines of the song reinforce the message that living day to day for money is not a sustainable reality, and that people need to look beyond the immediate need for survival and start planning for a better tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo, it's 3:25 in the morning
It is currently 3:25 in the morning
My baby mom still yawning
My child's mother is still sleepy
Kiss my little daughter on the forehead
I give my young daughter a gentle kiss on her forehead
'Nuf said, beeper goes off
No more words needed, my pager starts beeping
Five hundred, it's Busta Bust
My pager displays the number 500, it's Busta Rhymes
In God We Trust another one bites the dust
While trusting in God, another person faces a defeat
Hey Ramp, fuck that!
Hey Ramp, disregard that situation!
I was 'bout to see this cat
I was about to meet up with this person
Some niggas pulled up in a black suburban jumped out the back
A group of individuals arrived in a black SUV and quickly exited from the back
Tried to put it on me while we fighting over the gat
They attempted to frame me while we were fighting over the firearm
The way them niggas tried to play me son, them niggas is wack
The way those guys attempted to deceive me, they are truly terrible
Aeiyo, Ramp, yo, you know it's only right to react
Listen Ramp, it is necessary for us to respond appropriately
Call the whole squad, let's lay these niggas down, face flat
Contact our entire crew, we need to defeat these individuals completely
Aeiyo, Bust, chill, calm down
Hey Busta, relax and remain composed
I'll be there in twenty minutes
I will arrive at the location within twenty minutes
Uptown 1-51 at St. Nick
The meeting point is at Uptown 1-51 on St. Nick street
I'm there quick
I will arrive promptly
I tell my baby mom I got's to go
I inform my child's mother that I need to leave
I walked out the do' then grabbed the two nines out the flo'
I exited the house and retrieved two firearms from the floor
Driving through South, yo, we takin' niggas to war
While driving through the southern region, we are engaging in intense conflict
Still on the run
Continuously evading capture
Always running for cover when its necessary
Consistently seeking shelter when it is required
I'm out numbered for now
Currently, I am at a disadvantage in terms of quantity
But all that shit is temporary
However, this situation is only temporary
Fuck with the wrong clik, the way we get down
If you provoke or challenge our group, you will witness our intense response
If you're violatin', leavin you lost, you never be found
If you disrespect us, we will ensure you become lost and undiscoverable
Number whatever on missing persons
You will be listed as a missing person, regardless of the assigned number
Any minute them niggas gon' feel blast of my squads gats bursting
At any moment, those individuals will experience the sudden release of gunshots from my crew
I through the tri-borough bridge
I throw myself across the tri-borough bridge
In my fat land with my two nines and my mans
In my large vehicle, accompanied by my two firearms and friends
I'mma second from the spot
I am only a moment away from the designated location
I cross the street from the parking lot
I walk across the street from the parking area
My trigger finger is hot
My finger used for pulling the trigger is ready and responsive
I'm seeing Bust in a phone booth
I spot Busta Rhymes inside a telephone booth
Niggas on the roofs
Individuals positioned on the rooftops
Spiff Star is in the range
Spiff Star is situated inside the luxury car
The atmosphere change
The overall mood and tension suddenly shifts
Lord's in the forerunner with machine guns, big ones
Lord is present in the forerunner vehicle, armed with large machine guns
Now we 'bout to have mad fun
Now, we are going to fully enjoy ourselves
Me and the whole squad meet up
Myself and the complete group assemble together
Know shit about to heat up
We are aware that the situation is about to intensify
Wet the whole entire street up
We unleash a barrage of bullets, saturating the entire street
Blast from the car seat-er
Gunshots fired from the car's seating area
My enemies wouldn't even wanna be you
My adversaries would never desire to be in your position
I see you, hunting me down
I recognize you, actively pursuing me
I knowing that my crew arrive
I am aware that my crew will soon arrive
We gon' see who be the last alive
We are going to determine who will still be alive at the end
While we creep all over the place
As we move stealthily throughout various locations
Looking for space
Searching for an opportunity or opening
In case, see him, rinse my whole clip up in his face
In the event that we encounter him, I will rapidly empty my entire ammunition magazine into his face
As my squad hold they post down
While my crew maintains their positions
We patiently waiting for them to pass through
We wait patiently for them to move through our designated area
Carefully timing the way we put it on their whole crew
Precisely strategizing how we will engage and defeat their entire group
Aeiyo, Bust give me the queue
Hey Busta, provide me with the signal or indication
I'm here for you, close to you
I am here to support you, right by your side
Blood in and blood out
We are loyal to each other until the end
We goin' all out, bullets just ringing out
We are giving our all, bullets constantly firing
Guns is just spraying out
Guns are releasing continuous bursts of bullets
Yo Bust, hit the dirt layflat
Hey Busta, quickly drop to the ground and lay flat
You my nigga to the end I gotcha back
You are my trusted friend until the end, I will protect and support you
Turn around quick
Swiftly change your direction
Oh shit!
Oh my goodness!
He started blasting, grazed me on the hip
He initiated gunfire, grazing my hip with a gunshot
Lord Have Mercy dumped five on a nigga
Lord Have Mercy fired five shots at an individual
Suck his whole shit, his whole crew busting
Shoot every part of his body, his entire group is also firing
Shit ain't going according to plan
Things are not unfolding as intended
Goddamn, my shit jam
Damn it, my firearm is malfunctioning
Nigga standing right behind me
An individual is positioned directly behind me
I think I'm caught up on a creep
I believe I have become trapped or caught by an enemy
I think I need to prayer to Lord, my soul to keep
I believe I should pray to the Lord, asking for the protection of my soul
Dis nigga about to fry my head
This person is close to fatally shooting me
My crew burst into a rage
My crew suddenly erupts with anger
Spliff lifted this nigga, putting two inside his rib cage
Spliff forcefully raises this person, firing two shots into his rib cage
Yo, Rampage
Hey Rampage
Aeiyo, I see them niggas coming, now I'm dumbing
Hey, I notice those individuals approaching, so now I am remaining silent
We dead three niggas already the next two we leaving bloody
We have already killed three individuals, and we plan to make the next two suffer a violent demise
So much drama over this fucking money
There is an excessive amount of conflict and turmoil surrounding this money
The way this situation end it wasn't even funny
The outcome of this situation was not comical in the slightest
Trying to rob this nigga because I was fucking hungry
Attempting to steal from this person because I was extremely hungry
But if you try to test let's blast a nigga in a hurry
But if you choose to challenge us, we will quickly shoot you
Me and my squad bounce and left the fucking scene ugly
Myself and my crew swiftly exit the scene, leaving it in a chaotic and unattractive state
Livin' in the street when you're hungry
Existing in poverty-stricken areas when you are experiencing hunger
The way you start to live it ain't funny, no, no
The difficult circumstances you begin to endure are not amusing in any way
Living day to day but don't live for tomorrow
Surviving each day without focusing on the future
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: OSTEN HARVEY, OSTEN S HARVEY, TREVOR SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind