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.
We Comin' Through
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Serious now
Serious
All my niggas
One two
Line up and
Come through
Dumb to
Back and bust your gun too
Nowhere to run to
This shit is the jerk
So run your jewels and your ones too
All my bitches
What what
I like your whole strut
Bounce and hold your ass out
Make it open and close shut
Watch me bust a whole nut
Right over your whole butt
Slice you down with the dick
Just like you was a cold cut
Oh fuck
Now watch me dig all in your whole gut
Stuff it like a roast duck
Fucking packing a toast
What what
What about you slapping the shit up out ya
Flipmode
We them niggas
And I'ma always shout ya
See how we high rollers
Smoking till we high zoning
Niggas on the corner
Clutter the streets in the nights roaming
Now see how we got you open
My niggas hold your post
Bitches if your riding with me
Let's see who rocks the most
[Chorus]
All my niggas (what what)
We coming through (what what)
Repping for my niggas and my bitches too (what what)
Back and bust your gun too
Nowhere to run to
Black out in the truck
Until there's no club to come to
All my bitches (what what)
We coming through (what what)
Repping for my bitches and my niggas too (what what)
Bounce and shake your ass out
Break fool and black out
Hit you with some shit
That will make all y'all just pass out
Know I keep that hot shit
Fuck up your block shit
Have y'all niggas stupid
On some straight cock your glock shit
Everytime we drop shit
There's no way to stop shit
Bust y'all niggas ass
Then like to sit back and pop shit
Yo we bout to lace y'all
Deface the place y'all
With shit that feel just like
A fucking foot in your face y'all
Is you with me?
(hell yeah!)
Before I hit y'all
Flipmode be the niggas
That will be sure to split y'all
We will never quit y'all
We won't permit y'all
Whack niggas to come inside
Like they be the shit y'all
Fuck that!
Yeah you know we blaze
And we wreck shop
Put it down for live niggas
While we watch the next fly
All my niggas pass through
Before we blast you
This shit so real
I don't have no need to gash you
We will never calm down
We won't put the bombs down
Rep for all my niggas
And we won't put the arms down
(yeah you know we keep it coming)
Yo people is good for nothing
(ay yo!)
Hot to death with shit that always keep you jumping
And rush the dance hall
Until all they ass fall
I make you other corny niggas
Get off the damn wall
And then we bless y'all
With the currently fresh y'all
And hit y'all niggas with flavor
Nothing less than the best y'all
Now we see how we got you open
My niggas hold your post
All my bitches wylin with me
Let's see who rocks the most
[Chorus]
In Busta Rhymes's song "We Comin' Through," he rallies his crew to come through and show out. He uses bold and sexually explicit language to talk about both his male and female companions. He urges his boys to line up and come through, claiming that he's got something for them to wild out to. Busta Rhymes isn't afraid to flaunt his wealth or gangster lifestyle, instructing his boys to run their jewels and ones too. He also makes it clear that he's not just talking the talk when it comes to violence, encouraging his boys to bust their gun and leaving nowhere for anyone to run. He also uses sexually explicit language when talking about his female companions, asking them to bounce and hold their ass out, and bragging about busting a nut over their whole butt. However, he also gives them power by asking to see who rocks the most. Ultimately, the song is an anthem for Busta Rhymes and his crew, affirming their dominance and fearlessness.
Line by Line Meaning
All my niggas
Addressing his group of friends
One two
Getting the group ready to come through
Line up and
Organizing his group's arrival
Come through
Arriving at their destination
I got shit for all of you to wild out and
He has something for everyone to enjoy
Dumb to
Act recklessly
Back and bust your gun too
Indicating to his group of friends to come prepared for any situation
Nowhere to run to
There's no escaping their arrival
This shit is the jerk
Their arrival is intense and potentially dangerous
So run your jewels and your ones too
He's suggesting that people give up their jewelry and money to avoid trouble
All my bitches
Addressing the women in the group
What what
Expression of enthusiasm
I like your whole strut
He admires their style
Bounce and hold your ass out
Dancing provocatively
Make it open and close shut
Continuing with the provocative dance moves
Watch me bust a whole nut
He's going to climax from their dance moves
Right over your whole butt
He's emphasizing his sexual gratification from watching them dance
Slice you down with the dick
He's boasting about his sexual prowess
Just like you was a cold cut
Comparing women to meat, objectifying them
Oh fuck
Expression of excitement
Now watch me dig all in your whole gut
He's going to have sex with them intensely
Stuff it like a roast duck
Continuing with the sexual metaphor
Fucking packing a toast
He has a gun with him during this sexual encounter
What what
Expression of enthusiasm
What about you slapping the shit up out ya
Asking if anyone is going to confront him
Flipmode
The name of his group of friends
We them niggas
Boasting about their reputation
And I'ma always shout ya
He will always support his friends
See how we high rollers
Boasting about their wealth
Smoking till we high zoning
They're smoking weed until they're very relaxed
Niggas on the corner
Referring to other groups of people on the street
Clutter the streets in the nights roaming
The streets are crowded with people like them
Now see how we got you open
People are impressed by their group's presence
My niggas hold your post
His friends need to stay in their positions
Bitches if your riding with me
Asking women if they want to join them
Let's see who rocks the most
He wants to see who can party the hardest
All my niggas (what what)
Addressing his friends again
We coming through (what what)
Announcing their arrival once more
Repping for my niggas and my bitches too (what what)
He's representing for both his male and female friends
Black out in the truck
Party until they can't remember anything
Until there's no club to come to
They've partied so hard that there's nothing left for them to do
All my bitches (what what)
Addressing the women again
We coming through (what what)
Announcing their arrival again
Repping for my bitches and my niggas too (what what)
He's representing for both his male and female friends, again
Bounce and shake your ass out
Dancing provocatively once more
Break fool and black out
They're going to party so hard, they'll forget everything
Hit you with some shit
He has something great in store for them
That will make all y'all just pass out
He's so great that they'll become faint from his performance
Know I keep that hot shit
He's got amazing content coming
Fuck up your block shit
He's going to disturb the peace, literally and figuratively
Have y'all niggas stupid
He's going to outsmart his opponents
On some straight cock your glock shit
He's going to intimidate with his gun
Everytime we drop shit
Every time they release new music
There's no way to stop shit
He's too strong to be stopped
Bust y'all niggas ass
He's going to beat his opponents
Then like to sit back and pop shit
He enjoys talking about his victories afterwards
Yo we bout to lace y'all
He's getting ready to impress them
Deface the place y'all
He's going to make an impact on the party
With shit that feel just like
With something that is close to
A fucking foot in your face y'all
He's going to impress them to the point where they feel like they've been hit in the face
Is you with me?
Asking everyone if they're ready for his performance
(hell yeah!)
Response from his friends
Flipmode
Naming his group once again
We will never quit y'all
They'll never stop impressing their audience
We won't permit y'all
They won't allow others to overshadow them
Whack niggas to come inside
Less talented performers trying to compete with them
Like they be the shit y'all
Like they're better than them
Fuck that!
Denouncing the competition
Yeah you know we blaze
He's very confident in his own ability
And we wreck shop
They're very good at impressing audiences
Put it down for live niggas
They're standing up for people like them
While we watch the next fly
While they watch other people try to impress
All my niggas pass through
Once again addressing his friends
Before we blast you
Before their performance will overwhelm them
This shit so real
They're being completely authentic
I don't have no need to gash you
He doesn't need to lie to impress them
We will never calm down
They'll always be partying at this level of intensity
We won't put the bombs down
They'll always be prepared for any situation
Rep for all my niggas
He's representing for his friends
And we won't put the arms down
They'll always be armed with weapons to defend themselves, if necessary
Yo people is good for nothing
Other people aren't at their level
(ay yo!)
Expression of agreement
Hot to death with shit that always keep you jumping
He's providing amazing entertainment
And rush the dance hall
They're going to take over the dance floor
Until all they ass fall
They're going to make people dance until they're exhausted
I make you other corny niggas
He's declaring his superiority over other performers
Get off the damn wall
Other performers are intimidated by him
And then we bless y'all
After they've made their impact, they'll show respect for other performers
With the currently fresh y'all
Their new content will be amazing
And hit y'all niggas with flavor
They'll impress everyone with their style
Nothing less than the best y'all
They'll always be the best performers
Now we see how we got you open
Acknowledging how impressed everyone is
My niggas hold your post
Asking his friends to maintain their positions
All my bitches wylin with me
Addressing the women again
Let's see who rocks the most
He wants to see who parties the hardest, again
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the main message of the song, announcing their arrival and representing for their friends and audience.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BUSTA RHYMES, GEORGE SPIVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind