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.
Turn It Up
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bounce back, open your mind ya'll
Grind your whole ass till you twist your waistline
Ya'll know the time
Hey yo feel the base line
Stack the overdrive
Bounce, baby feel the incline
So geniune, everytime, Busta redefine
Makin ya'll press rewind
Hope you feelin fine
Watch me combine and intertwine
The bounce rock skates make you cross the foul line
Shine a nickel nine
On all kinds of little swine
Stick the worst of porcupine
If you tryin to take mine
Yo, pick up my nigga Splif
In the blue 5S's
Sportin out tan, interior blue head restses
Move, baby no time for second guesses
Been articulate the right bounce as the flow finesses
Yo we gettin papers spreadin love and happiness's
Shit blazin so hot DJ's scratch the test presses
Like make it mo hot baby
Turn it up, I want to hear it real loud, just
Turn it up, so we can party in the loft, baby
Turn it up, we need to tear the roof off, so just
Turn it up, I need to make it mo hot, baby
Turn it up, I want to hear it real loud, just
Turn it up, so we can party in the loft, baby
Turn it up, we need to tear the roof off, so just
Turn it up
Yo, word is bond
Baby let's get it on
I never steer you wrong
Baby girl take off your thong
Let me put it in your spirit like the Holy Quran
Got the mega song
Sweet like honey chicken dijon
Moving along
Yo, honey body look real strong
Watch your ass swing
Hanging like a medallion
Exercise baby let me see you spread on the floor
What you asking for?
Relax, I'm bout to give you some more
Where the liquor store?
Hit you with some more metaphor
The raw, hot to def shit you never seen it before
Hit the deck, on your mark, get set, we bout to jet
Spark it like ingelet, chickens breaking their neck
Yo we play to win
Such a shame, shit is a sin
So hot baby body heat bubble your skin
Every time my flows speak
I caress the whole beat
Just like the body guard Les straight walking the street
We get down
Turn it up, I want to hear it real loud, just
Turn it up, so we can party in the loft, baby
Turn it up, we need to tear the roof off, so just
Turn it up, I need to make it real hot, baby
Turn it up, I want to hear it real loud, just
Turn it up, so we can party in the loft, baby
Turn it up, we need to tear the roof off, so just
Turn it up
Yo, come on baby just feel my heat wave
A lot of hot ones ready for niggas who act brave
Chill son, you better off if you behave
Flip money while broke niggas trying to save
Lay low, I say so, my pesos
Import my cheese stack by the castros
Make clothes
Or stay fly and chase hoes
Ecuadorians soft lips and straight nose
Making dough
When we ripping the paid show
Get the money and dip, whippin' the Range Rove
Now we making grands
We name brand
We make plans, change plans
Then we expand across land
Do it properly
Yo, I said open sesame
The recipe, be the hot shit, it's got to be
Yo, landscape
We arrange a whole shape
Rock the fly tape
Then I continue to skyscrape
Like blah!
So hot
Turn it up, I want to hear it real loud, just
Turn it up, so we can party in the loft, baby
Turn it up, we need to tear the roof off, so just
Turn it up, I need to make it mo hot, baby
Turn it up, I want to hear it real loud, just
Turn it up, so we can party in the loft, baby
Turn it up, we need to tear the roof off, so just
Turn it up
I want to make it so hot baby
I want to make it real loud just
I want to feel it so hot just
In Busta Rhymes's song Turn It Up, the lyrics encourage listeners to let loose and enjoy themselves. The repetition of "Turn it up" suggests that the volume should be increased to fully experience the music. The use of figurative language in lines like "Shine a nickel nine on all kinds of little swine" and "Sweet like honey chicken dijon" adds a playful edge to the lyrics. Busta Rhymes also incorporates themes of hustling and making money, with lines like "Flip money while broke niggas trying to save" and "Now we making grands, we name brand, we make plans, change plans, then we expand across land." In the end, the overall message of the song is to have fun and enjoy life.
Line by Line Meaning
We grind ya'll
We work hard and hustle for success, y'all
Bounce back, open your mind ya'll
Recover from setbacks and be open-minded, y'all
Grind your whole ass till you twist your waistline
Put in maximum effort until you feel the burn, y'all
Ya'll know the time
You know what's up, y'all
Hey yo feel the base line
Listen and feel the strong bass, y'all
Stack the overdrive
Push it to the limit, y'all
Bounce, baby feel the incline
Move and feel the elevated rhythm, y'all
So geniune, everytime, Busta redefine
Busta Rhymes always brings originality and authenticity to the game, y'all
The wicked knew the dime
The haters recognize the talent and success, y'all
Makin ya'll press rewind
The music is so good, you have to play it again, y'all
Hope you feelin fine
Hope you're enjoying yourself, y'all
Watch me combine and intertwine
Watch me mix and blend different elements, y'all
The bounce rock skates make you cross the foul line
The music makes you dance and cross boundaries, y'all
Shine a nickel nine
Show off and flex with a shiny gun, y'all
On all kinds of little swine
Target and take out all types of haters, y'all
Stick the worst of porcupine
Deal with the most difficult enemies, y'all
If you tryin to take mine
If you're trying to steal or compete with me, y'all
Yo, pick up my nigga Splif
Call and get my friend Splif, y'all
In the blue 5S's
Driving a BMW 5 series in blue, y'all
Sportin out tan, interior blue head restses
Wearing a tan outfit with blue headrests in the car, y'all
Move, baby no time for second guesses
Let's move quickly with no hesitation, y'all
Been articulate the right bounce as the flow finesses
Been perfecting the right rhythm and flow, y'all
Yo we gettin papers spreadin love and happiness's
We're making money and spreading positivity, y'all
Shit blazin so hot DJ's scratch the test presses
The music is so hot, DJs are scratching the test records, y'all
Like make it mo hot baby
Make it even hotter, y'all
Yo, word is bond
I'm telling the truth and being honest, y'all
Baby let's get it on
Let's have sex, y'all
I never steer you wrong
I always lead you in the right direction, y'all
Baby girl take off your thong
Take off your underwear, y'all
Let me put it in your spirit like the Holy Quran
Let me give you a spiritual experience, y'all
Got the mega song
Got the hit song, y'all
Sweet like honey chicken dijon
Smooth and delicious, like a honey dijon chicken dish, y'all
Moving along
Continuing to progress, y'all
Yo, honey body look real strong
Your body looks sexy and fit, y'all
Watch your ass swing
Watch your hips move, y'all
Hanging like a medallion
Hanging low and attracting attention, like a medallion, y'all
Exercise baby let me see you spread on the floor
Work out and show me some dance moves, y'all
What you asking for?
What do you want from me, y'all?
Relax, I'm bout to give you some more
Relax and get ready for more pleasure, y'all
Where the liquor store?
Where can we buy some alcohol, y'all?
Hit you with some more metaphor
Impress you with some more figurative language, y'all
The raw, hot to def shit you never seen it before
Fresh and unique music that you've never experienced, y'all
Hit the deck, on your mark, get set, we bout to jet
Get ready to leave quickly, y'all
Spark it like ingelet, chickens breaking their neck
Ignite the party and make people dance, y'all
Yo we play to win
We always aim for victory, y'all
Such a shame, shit is a sin
It's a pity and immoral, y'all
So hot baby body heat bubble your skin
The temperature is high and causing sweating, y'all
Every time my flows speak
Every time I rap, y'all
I caress the whole beat
I control and enhance the entire rhythm, y'all
Just like the body guard Les straight walking the street
Confident and cool like a bodyguard named Les, y'all
We get down
We party and dance, y'all
Yo, come on baby just feel my heat wave
Experience my intensity and energy, y'all
A lot of hot ones ready for niggas who act brave
There are many talented rappers ready for challengers, y'all
Chill son, you better off if you behave
Relax and behave, it's for your best interest, y'all
Flip money while broke niggas trying to save
Make money while others struggle to save, y'all
Lay low, I say so, my pesos
Stay low and follow my instructions, y'all
Import my cheese stack by the castros
Import my wealth from Cuba, y'all
Make clothes
Design and sell clothing, y'all
Or stay fly and chase hoes
Stay fashionable and pursue women, y'all
Ecuadorians soft lips and straight nose
Ecuadorian women have desirable lips and noses, y'all
Making dough
Making money, y'all
When we ripping the paid show
When we perform at high-paying concerts, y'all
Get the money and dip, whippin' the Range Rove
Collect the cash and leave in a Range Rover, y'all
Now we making grands
Now we're earning a lot of money, y'all
We name brand
We're well-known and respected, y'all
We make plans, change plans
We make and alter our goals, y'all
Then we expand across land
We expand our reach and influence, y'all
Do it properly
Do it the right way, y'all
Yo, I said open sesame
I said the magic word to open doors, y'all
The recipe, be the hot shit, it's got to be
The recipe for success is to be fresh and hot, y'all
Yo, landscape
Yo, look around, y'all
We arrange a whole shape
We create a unique and cohesive image, y'all
Rock the fly tape
Play the dope music, y'all
Then I continue to skyscrape
Then I keep rising and succeeding, y'all
Like blah!
Like that! Let's go, y'all
Turn it up, I want to hear it real loud, just
Increase the volume, I want to fully enjoy the music, y'all
Turn it up, so we can party in the loft, baby
Turn up the music so we can dance and have fun, y'all
Turn it up, we need to tear the roof off, so just
Raise the volume to a level where the energy is explosive, y'all
Turn it up, I need to make it mo hot, baby
Turn up the heat and make the experience even more intense, y'all
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AL L. GREEN, MABON HODGES, TREVOR SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind