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.
What Can You Do When You're Branded
Busta Rhymes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Branded, scorned is the one who ran
What do you do when your branded? And you know you're a man.
Wherever you go, for the rest of your life
You must prove, you're a man
See now I'm back wit the force, read about the kid
From the front to the back of The Source
Scream on every beat until my voice get crackled and horse
Front seat niggas never sit in the back wit a boss
Fuck the fact that it cost, the price tag of the Porsche
Will cost ya life, have ya mother feel an immaculate loss
But of course, come and speak to the best
And watch me spit a jewel sharper to carve the meat of your flesh
You looking weak in the chest, you see the street is a test
Women on the stoop smoking holding a seed to they breast
You see the street is a mess
Struggling holding a couple pounds of weed then the rest
Now I proceed to the rest of my niggas keeping it fresh,
Though we must stay on the grind I supersceded the stress,
We always seem to finesse from the East to the West,
You Know we w-w-we keep the teflon from the street to the vest
Kill that nigga slow like how you get defeated in chess
Got you under pressure, hairline receded effects
Hot air niggas I only feel the heat from your breath,
Rap niggas beef in they album probably needed the press
And as a man I never found the slightest need to impress
Another man because I'm proud and I believe that I'm blessed
But yo I always found the need to address these weaker niggas
That speak to the street always keeping the people abreast
Now you've been branded
[Chorus]
Higher science and I'm changing the crime in,
Watch my son 'cause you'd be fucking wit the child of a Giant
I'm in a place stuck between being loving and violent, [voice switch]
Becoming more of a threat when I move subtle and silent,
Then set it off to be the only one to quiet the riot
My destiny's the only thing between the sky and the pilot,
Relate, it's like busting a 3-8
Be late, I be taking most of the brick leaving a pile outta shape
I never quit watching these niggas try to hide they mistake,
Taking a shit watching they body floating by in the lake
Make it quick you weak niggas better try to escape,
And create the quickest way to reach the fire escape.
Snitch niggas always quick to go and lie on a tape,
But it's o-k 'cause Super Hero niggas die wit a cape,
It's so great to watch them finally break, stand aside from the fake
Street niggas gotta slide for the take
Being broke and not being able to buy me a steak
Stacking my paper so see now I can buy an estate,
So I rely on the love and I reply to the hate
So much pain in the struggle my whole body'll ache, come on,
From the gates, so awake that was the plan of my fate
Now I'm straight, got me my own knife and fork on my plate
Want to scorch a debate, wait, do me a favor nigga just remember
The date, cause you been
[Chorus]
The song "What Can You Do When You're Branded" by Busta Rhymes is a powerful examination of social branding and the difficulties that come with it. The chorus asks what one can do when they're branded and know they're a man, implying that even with the knowledge of one's own masculinity, the weight of society's judgment and scorn can still be unbearable. Busta Rhymes' verses tackle a range of topics, including his own personal success in the music industry ("from the front to the back of The Source"), the harsh realities of street life, unjust criminal justice systems, and the struggle to rise from poverty.
Throughout the song, Busta Rhymes raps with conviction and authority, highlighting the effects of societal branding on his personal life and the wider community. He touches on issues such as the dangers of flaunting material wealth and the impact of snitching on the community. The song ends on a hopeful but defiant note, with Busta Rhymes declaring that he has overcome the challenges of his past and is now a successful man, knife and fork in hand.
Overall, "What Can You Do When You're Branded" is a complex and thought-provoking song that reflects the harsh realities of social branding and the difficulties that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Branded, scorned is the one who ran
Being branded and scorned is what happens to those who run away from their problems.
What do you do when your branded? And you know you're a man.
When you're branded and you know you're a man, you have to prove yourself no matter where you go for the rest of your life.
Wherever you go, for the rest of your life
No matter where you go for the rest of your life, you will always have to prove that you're a man.
You must prove, you're a man
When you're branded, you must prove that you're a man by standing up to your problems and facing them head-on.
See now I'm back wit the force, read about the kid
I'm back stronger than ever, and people are talking about me and my success.
From the front to the back of The Source
People all over are reading about me in The Source magazine.
You see me back on the course
You see me back in action, doing what I do best.
Scream on every beat until my voice get crackled and horse
I put my all into my music, rapping with passion until my voice is nearly gone.
Front seat niggas never sit in the back wit a boss
Only those who are the best get to sit in the front seat.
Fuck the fact that it cost, the price tag of the Porsche
I don't care about the cost of success, or the expensive material things that come with it, like a Porsche.
Will cost ya life, have ya mother feel an immaculate loss
The price of my success could be my life, causing my mother to feel an immense loss.
But of course, come and speak to the best
Of course, only the best can come and talk to me.
And watch me spit a jewel sharper to carve the meat of your flesh
And watch me drop some knowledge that's so sharp, it cuts to your core and makes you think.
You looking weak in the chest, you see the street is a test
You look scared and weak, and the streets are a test that you're not prepared for.
Women on the stoop smoking holding a seed to they breast
Women are out on the streets, smoking with their young children in hand.
You see the street is a mess
The streets are chaotic and dangerous.
Struggling holding a couple pounds of weed then the rest
People are struggling to hold onto their illegal drugs, fearing the cops will catch them.
Now I proceed to the rest of my niggas keeping it fresh
Now I move on to my friends, always keeping things new and exciting.
Though we must stay on the grind I supersceded the stress
Even though we are always working hard, I rise above the stress and keep moving forward.
We always seem to finesse from the East to the West
No matter where we go, we always seem to find a way to achieve success and finesse our way through difficult situations.
You Know we w-w-we keep the teflon from the street to the vest
We always have our guard up, keeping ourselves protected from the dangers of the streets.
Kill that nigga slow like how you get defeated in chess
We take our time to defeat our enemies, just like how you slowly take down the opponent's pieces in a game of chess.
Got you under pressure, hairline receded effects
I'm putting pressure on you, making you stressed out and causing you to lose hair.
Hot air niggas I only feel the heat from your breath
I only feel hot air from those who talk a big game, but can't back it up.
Rap niggas beef in they album probably needed the press
Rappers create beef on their albums just to attract attention and get publicity.
And as a man I never found the slightest need to impress
As a man, I don't feel the need to impress anyone because I'm already proud and confident in myself.
Another man because I'm proud and I believe that I'm blessed
I don't need validation from anyone else because I'm proud and I believe that my blessings are enough.
But yo I always found the need to address these weaker niggas
But I do feel the need to confront those who are weak and stand up to them.
That speak to the street always keeping the people abreast
Those who speak about the streets and keep people informed are important to me.
Higher science and I'm changing the crime in
I'm evolving the way crime is committed, using higher intelligence and techniques.
Watch my son 'cause you'd be fucking wit the child of a Giant
Be careful when you mess with my family, because they're the offspring of someone powerful.
Becoming more of a threat when I move subtle and silent
I become more dangerous when I'm quiet and move unnoticed.
Then set it off to be the only one to quiet the riot
Then I take action to be the only one who can stop the chaos and the violence.
My destiny's the only thing between the sky and the pilot
My future is the only thing that's keeping me from soaring and achieving my goals.
Relate, it's like busting a 3-8
It's like a mental game, where you have to strategize and make the right moves like in a game of pool.
Be late, I be taking most of the brick leaving a pile outta shape
I take my time and strategize to make sure I'm successful, even if it means others are left scrambling and disorganized.
I never quit watching these niggas try to hide they mistake
I never stop keeping an eye on my enemies, watching for when they slip up and make a mistake.
Taking a shit watching they body floating by in the lake
I take pleasure in watching my enemies suffer and die.
Make it quick you weak niggas better try to escape
Those who are weak should try to get away quickly, because I won't go easy on them.
And create the quickest way to reach the fire escape
They should do whatever it takes to get away quickly and safely.
Snitch niggas always quick to go and lie on a tape
Those who snitch are always quick to lie and put someone else in trouble.
But it's o-k 'cause Super Hero niggas die wit a cape
But it's okay because superheroes die with their capes on, always fighting for the greater good.
It's so great to watch them finally break, stand aside from the fake
It's satisfying to watch my enemies finally crumble and reveal their true selves.
Street niggas gotta slide for the take
Those from the streets always have to be on the lookout for their next opportunity to get ahead.
Being broke and not being able to buy me a steak
I don't want to be broke and not even able to afford a simple meal.
Stacking my paper so see now I can buy an estate
That's why I'm always working and making money, so I can eventually buy property.
So I rely on the love and I reply to the hate
I rely on the support of my loved ones and respond to the hate from my enemies.
So much pain in the struggle my whole body'll ache, come on,
The struggles and pain I've had to endure have taken a toll on my whole body.
From the gates, so awake that was the plan of my fate
I've been prepared since the beginning, and it was part of my destiny.
Now I'm straight, got me my own knife and fork on my plate
Now I'm successful and have my own possessions without having to rely on others.
Want to scorch a debate, wait, do me a favor nigga just remember
I'm ready to take on any challenge or argument, but don't forget who I am.
The date, cause you been
Remember the date, because you've been branded and you'll never escape that label.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ALAN ALCH, DOMINIC FRONTIERE, GEORGE L SPIVEY, TREVOR SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind