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. Bustaโs 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 โBorn Justice God Allahโ 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: โI used to work as a stock boy at a department store called Cheap Johnโs,โ he says. โI knew that I couldnโt 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.โ Why?
โThey 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 โthis is definitely not the thing for me to continue to be doing.โโ
Busta adds, โI 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 โฆ to just apply myself creatively, and the opportunity finally came one day when I was downtown.โ 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: โMt. Airy Grooveโ 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 Bustaโs 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 โAll of sudden Iโm hearing people in the streets talking about hos Bustaโs back. In my mind, he never left, and thatโs why I wanted to fuck with in the first place. Heโs got that drive, and he never stops trying to top himself. Anybody who knows Busta knows that heโs 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.
Turn It Up/Fire It Up
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Check it out
Flipmode squad
Raw deluxe shit
'98
Check it out
I be the street shit, the nigga your mama freak with
When I get money you know I like to keep it
How I get money niggas you try to peep it
Flipmode be niggas you wanna form a team with
Them get money niggas the ones to plot the scheme with
Them niggas that be used to getting money frequent
The ones that would always measure my triple beam with
Until they start taking my niggas to the precinct
That's all back in the day yo that ain't nothing recent
'Cause now-a-days it be bitches we like to speak with
Eat with
Lay them down and sleep with
Type of pussy make a nigga wanna keep it
Shorty be so exotic she looking decent
Lot of corny niggas be offering wack free shit
I can't hold the heat no more yo I gotta release it
What y'all wanna do
Don't you know we always coming through
Me and my crew
Let me hear you say fire it up
(Fire it up)
Say fire it up
(Fire it up)
To all my dogs that's straight blunted
Run around in the 500 all day
Let me hear you say fire it up
(Fire it up)
Say fire it up
(Fire it up)
C'mon
Now, every time that I meet a nigga who fronting
It's alright 'cause you getting money and everybody want it
Smoke a big sliff , get myself for a blunted
Fall on the floor and I gotta call my S500
Iceburg 5 where you at
No need for alarm
Right now I'm cruising to the sounds of my enhancing song
Hurry up 5
Ayyo you know it's about to get thick
I see this cat a way behind my back about to do a stick
Tell me where you at
I will be there in 10 seconds flat
You know I got your back
I'll be there just in time to counteract
Sometimes I'm unforget cooth
My S5 bulletproof, I turbo boost
And blast right through your motherfucking roof
Coming through, hitting you
Knocking out a nigga's tooth
Full speed ahead like we running a toll booth
Produce more flavor than
Very fine juice
Call a truce
Before me and my niggas'll let loose
All my ladies in the place to be
Getting money while they next to me
Let me see
Let me hear you say fire it up
(Fire it up)
Say fire it up
(Fire it up)
All my people just wave your hand
Getting money all across the land
One time
Let me hear you say fire it up
(Fire it up)
Say fire it up
(Fire it up)
C'mon
Bleach the heat
You're letting loose to the extreme
Me and the Iceburg S5 bounce from the scene
Recline my seat rock to the beat
Leaning so hard, it's like my whole squad up in the Jeep
Blowing up the spot or we hit them know what I mean
Got you open we keeping you niggas up like caffeine
Flying ghetto team
Seeing everything on my little computer screen
From here to Philippine
Keep it moving we never run out of gasoline
Gas me you ossen a nigga with kerosene
Me and my 5 be running some mission you've never seen
Hot shit making you niggas forever feen
Anyone of you coming, you better come clean
Hit you with an overdose of more rhyme and Phetamine
Got your eye blood shot you need Physine
Niggas is wyling I think you need to read the sireen
What y'all wanna do
Don't you know we always coming through
Me and my crew
Lemme hear you say fire it up
(Fire it up)
Say fire it up
(Fire it up)
To all my dogs that's straight blunted
Run around in the 500
All day
Lemme hear you say fire it up
(Fire it up)
Say fire it up
(Fire it up)
To all my ladies in the place to be
Getting money while they next to me
Let me see
Lemme hear you say fire it up
(Fire it up)
Say fire it up
(Fire it up)
To all my people just wave your hand
Getting money all across the land, one time
Lemme hear you say fire it up
(Fire it up)
Say fire it up
(Fire it up)
C'mon
The song "Turn it Up/Fire it Up" by Busta Rhymes features the rapper boasting about his success as a popular music artist. He suggests that he's the one who can turn up the heat and make things happen, and encourages others to join him in his quest for success. He talks about how he likes to keep his money to himself and how he knows the niggas who are always plotting schemes to get more money. He also mentions how nowadays, he likes to eat and sleep with the type of women who can make a man want to keep them.
Busta Rhymes further touches on the idea of smoking a big spliff to calm himself down when he meets a person that's fronting, further indicating the notion of success in his life. The rapper mentions his car being an Iceberg S5 and how he and his crew are always bouncing from the scenes, implying that they're a group of successful people who are always traveling. The lyrics also focus on the importance of women in the rapper's life, as he acknowledges the ladies who are in the place with him and who get money with him.
Overall, the lyrics to "Turn it Up/Fire it Up" emphasize the importance of money, success, and living life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
Uh, ah, uh uhh, hahaha
A playful introduction and indication of the song's energy
Check it out
An invitation to listen to the song
Flipmode Squad
The name of the author's rap crew
Raw deluxe shit
High-quality, unfiltered rap music
'98
A reference to the year the song was released
I be the street shit, the nigga your mama freak with
The author is someone with street credibility who attracts attention from women
Put y'all niggas on it y'all know how to keep a secret
The author shares his secrets only with those he trusts
When I get money you know I like to keep it
The author likes to hold on to the money he earns
How I get money niggas you try to peep it
The author is aware that others are curious how he earns his money
Flipmode be niggas you wanna form a team with
The author's crew is a desirable group to join
Them get money niggas the ones to plot the scheme with
The author's crew is good at coming up with money-making plans
Them niggas that be used to getting money frequent
The author's crew is accustomed to earning money regularly
The ones that would always measure my triple beam with
The author trusts his crew members to help him measure and count money
Until they start taking my niggas to the precinct
The author's crew gets in trouble with the law
That's all back in the day yo that ain't nothing recent
The author is reminiscing about past events and acknowledges they are not recent
'Cause now-a-days it be bitches we like to speak with
The author and his crew like to talk to women
Eat with, lay them down and sleep with
The author and his crew are sexually active with women
Type of pussy make a nigga wanna keep it
The author finds some women so desirable he wants to be with them long-term
Shorty be so exotic she looking decent
The author finds one woman in particular to be both exotic and attractive
Lot of corny niggas be offering wack free shit
Other men are trying to impress women with cheap or subpar offerings
I can't hold the heat no more yo I gotta release it
The author cannot keep his lyrical power contained any longer and must let it out through rap
What y'all wanna do, Don't you know we always coming through
The author and his crew are always prepared to bring it on
Me and my crew, Let me hear you say fire it up
The author and his crew ask the audience to get hyped and light a fire metaphorically
To all my dogs that's straight blunted
The author's friends who smoke marijuana regularly
Run around in the 500 all day
The author's group travels in a Mercedes-Benz S500 luxury car
Now, every time that I meet a nigga who fronting
The author is often frustrated with other men who fake or pretend to be someone they're not
It's alright 'cause you getting money and everybody want it
Although the author does not like fronts, he understands why someone might try to seem wealthy
Smoke a big sliff , get myself for a blunted
The author and his crew smoke marijuana to relax
Fall on the floor and I gotta call my S500
The author enjoys the high from marijuana so much he seems to lose control and must call his car for assistance
Iceburg 5 where you at, No need for alarm
The author calls out to his friends and assures them there's no danger
Right now I'm cruising to the sounds of my enhancing song
The author is currently listening to his own music while driving
Hurry up 5, Ayyo you know it's about to get thick
The author urges his friend to hurry and join him because things are about to get intense
I see this cat a way behind my back about to do a stick
The author notices someone following him and plans to take action
Tell me where you at, I will be there in 10 seconds flat
The author offers to arrive and help his friend quickly
You know I got your back, I'll be there just in time to counteract
The author promises to be a loyal friend and arrive in time to prevent harm
Sometimes I'm unforget cooth, My S5 bulletproof, I turbo boost
The author jokes about his driving skills, suggests his car is bulletproof, and talks up the speed of his car
And blast right through your motherfucking roof, Coming through, hitting you, Knocking out a nigga's tooth
The author describes the power and speed of his car, and how he could cause someone physical pain with it
Full speed ahead like we running a toll booth, Produce more flavor than, Very fine juice
The author compares the energy and richness of his rap music to delicious fruit juice
Call a truce, Before me and my niggas'll let loose
The author warns that he and his friends will become violent if necessary, but would prefer peace
All my ladies in the place to be, Getting money while they next to me
The author acknowledges women who are around him and earning money
Let me see, Let me hear you say fire it up
The author asks the audience to engage with him and say the song's title
All my people just wave your hand, Getting money all across the land
The author acknowledges those in the audience who are waving their hands and making money too
One time, Let me hear you say fire it up
The author repeats his request for the audience to say the song title
Bleach the heat, You're letting loose to the extreme
The author instructs the audience to let their emotions out freely
Me and the Iceburg S5 bounce from the scene
The author and his friends will leave after this energetic performance
Recline my seat rock to the beat
The author settles into his car seat and feels the rhythm of the music
Leaning so hard, it's like my whole squad up in the Jeep
The author feels like his entire crew is with him, though they are not physically present
Blowing up the spot or we hit them know what I mean
The author and his crew will either make a huge impact or move on to something else if not successful
Got you open we keeping you niggas up like caffeine
The author is inspiring and keeping the audience energized like caffeine does
Flying ghetto team, Seeing everything on my little computer screen
The author's creative talents and inner vision allow him to navigate poverty-stricken communities while staying ahead of the game
From here to Philippine, Keep it moving we never run out of gasoline
The author's crew will continue to get things done and won't stop for anything or anyone, just like a car that never runs out of fuel
Gas me you ossen a nigga with kerosene
The author says that when they become violent, it's like setting someone on fire
Me and my 5 be running some mission you've never seen
The author and his Mercedes-Benz S500 are always making moves and doing things others have never seen before
Hot shit making you niggas forever feen
The author's music is so good that listeners will always be craving more
Anyone of you coming, you better come clean
The author warns that if someone wants to confront him, they should be honest and straightforward
Hit you with an overdose of more rhyme and Phetamine
The author promises to give the audience an overwhelming dose of rap music and energy
Got your eye blood shot you need Physine
The author's music and energy make the audience's eyes red, as if they've been using a powerful pain reliever like Visine
Niggas is wyling I think you need to read the sireen
The author suggests that people are acting crazy and should be controlled by reading a siren (possibly referring to a police car siren)
To all my dogs that's straight blunted, Run around in the 500 all day
The author repeats the chorus, acknowledging his friends who smoke marijuana and drive around in the luxurious S500 Mercedes-Benz
Lemme hear you say fire it up
The author prompts the audience once again to say the title of the song
Say fire it up
The author repeats his request for the audience to say the song title
C'mon
An invitation to join in with the energy of the song
Lyrics ยฉ Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL GREEN, MABON LEWIS HODGES, TREVOR SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@OfentseMwaseFilms
The Soundtrack to my childhood. Busta Buss
@NicoleStevensHays11x
@Ofentse Mwase Films
My childhood too! Letโs make a playlist!
@datguy8468
bussa bus
@dorobo81
lol this
@michaelgannon2358
Itโs been 20 years. Itโs even better than I remember. #fire
@timothypoole9005
No wonder I'm out of my mind ๐
@jhaber1609
We donโt search for old songsโฆ
we search for old memories.
@coffeehazelnut7019
Decades later people will realize the depth
of this lineโฆ..
@IwillBwaiting
Love you too!
@raymondbadoux
Exactly!