- Pac goes to the sound man.
Tupac start choking this (beep).
"You not gon disrespect
"(beep) Leaders of the New School, (beep)!
"Man aye (beep) that,
they can't be disrespecting y'all, y'all legends!"
We one album deep but he calling us legend.
This is the intercontinental (beep) up every stage general
by the name our yours truly, Busta Rhymes.
Men's Health asked me to, let's go down memory lane
and they said, "let's talk some of the shit that you did,
"the maintaining upkeep,
"the fitness and the wellness, etc, etc."
Just as importantly,
all the fly (beep) (beep) I've been doing lately.
(Busta laughs)
Let's rewind.
(bouncy hip hop music)
The energy was interesting
when we performed together as group
because a lot of the times,
even though we was respectfully competing,
we had a lot of conflicting energy with each other.
We actually did shows
where we would fight right before the show,
and then five minutes later we have to go on stage.
So we would be on stage acting like the best of friends,
but then we would get off the stage
and get back to trying to beat each other's ass.
That usually was happening with me and Charlie Brown.
That wasn't really happening with Dinko.
So me and C. Brown was getting into it because
he felt like he was the founder of the group.
And number two, I think he always wanted to make sure
that he out shined everybody,
especially being the founder of the group.
I have the same mentality.
I'm a competitive (beep).
I wanna secure the win all the time.
And I'm gonna go to the end of the earth to do that.
When I was younger I was probably
a lot more irrational about
the way I would approach being competitive.
Because if you said (beep) me, it was (beep) you,
I don't care if we friends.
But now, since Leaders of the New School,
that mentality's never changed, it just evolved.
At the end of the day, I love these dudes, they my brothers.
Me and the incredible D'Angelo.
I remember this picture at this time
and I think we was in Battery Studio.
And the first time I met D'Angelo,
Ali Shaheed and Q-Tip introduced me to him
at A Tribe Called Quest's studio session.
And I used to always be in the Tribe's sessions
in Battery Studios
because a lot of the time
and particularly during these times
I was going through my differences
with Leaders of the New School.
And whenever I felt like I wasn't wanted from them,
Tribe always made me feel like I was wanted over there.
And that's how I ended up on so many records with Tribe,
because I was always in they studio.
And then if there was ever a time where Q-Tip would be like,
"Nah, because we working with a D'Angelo tonight,"
I'd be like, "Man aight,
"let me go down the block and talk with Phife.
"Ayo Phife, I'm coming to the studio with you."
But I ain't telling him
that Q-Tip told me that I couldn't come.
So it was almost like some (beep)
with you and your parents and (beep), right.
Same (beep) with Q-tip and Phife,
I used to play them games with them.
Then when that (beep) stopped working with them,
I clinged onto to Jarobi (beep).
I'll be, "Jarobi, you (beep),
"you going to the studio tonight?
"I'm (beep) with you, home boy. I'm pulling up with you."
So that was how I always got in the Tribe sessions
and I was always able to meet other incredible artists
because Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed being producers,
they was constantly working with other artists.
And then they record label was in the same building,
Jive Records, so it was just constant action there.
It ended up being magical for me because
while I was just trying to figure out a way to feed my baby,
these collaborations was making me
hotter in the marketplace.
And it was super easy,
and then I would do that shit three, four times
in three, four different studio sessions,
and I'd tell my manager, "Charge this one $7,500,
"charge this one $10,000,
"charge that one $15,000,
"maybe this one could get me a $20,000 for this one."
So in one week I was (beep) sitting on
15, 20, $30,000 sometimes,
on a good week it'd be 50, $60,000 and
I didn't have to split that shit with nobody in the group.
And I was still living in my mom's crib.
I think it's safe to say I might've pioneered the feature.
Yeah, me and Martha Stewart, I love Martha Stewart.
She need to let me take her on a date.
(Busta laughing)
- [Producer] Did you see her Sports Illustrated photo?
- Did I, that's why I'm saying what I'm saying.
Ayo Martha, I'm grown now.
See, back in this MTV picture I was young.
But I'm grown now.
I'll give ya the business.
(Busta laughing)
This probably is a serious moment in the middle of the show
in a performance probably way back in 1996.
And I definitely feel like in this picture
I was either in between the glorious moment
of "Woo-hah!! Got You All In Check"
and "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See".
Because I remember the minimal amount of tattoos that I had,
I remember this little chain,
this little 10 karat little (beep) around my neck,
and I remember '96 when I went on a Smoke and Groove Tour.
And when we got to some of those hotter states in the summer
I couldn't take the (beep) heat.
So the lady that was grooming my hair
started to put my hair up in these different styles
just to keep the hair off of my neck and my shoulders
so I could stay cool.
So it really just started off as mechanism
for me to just try to just get a breeze.
And then the different styles that she started to create,
it just complimented my animation
and my performance and my high energy
and ability that I've been blessed to have
with being able to perform and just being exuberant,
and the hair definitely added to that.
This coat was one of my favorite coats.
The gentleman that making all of our clothes back then,
his name was Rasheed Booth.
And the thing about is we didn't really have the money
to go and buy all of the expensive designer shit anyway.
So what he used to do
is he used to take us to the fabric district
and we would get six yards of fabric at $5 a yard.
So we could custom a whole fit for $30.
The Spanish brother that's on the side of me,
he was another known MC and his name was Power Rule.
And I have not seen him since these days.
So this picture right here is bringing those memories back
and this is (beep) me up,
'cause you need to tell me
where the hell you got this picture from.
This (beep) is crazy.
The thing that I do wanna also point out here is that
this (beep) look like '91, '92.
We was hot from "Scenario" at this time
because these outfits,
we always had the coat and the pants to match.
Was no pants matching in this pic.
When we started to feel ourselves
we stopped doing the head-to-toe matchy matchy (beep).
I must say that the whole Switzerland thing
and not really ever having a problem with people,
a lot of that has to do with
I'm a giver of what I wanna receive in return.
I love to express my affection for my peers,
for people that inspire me,
for people that made me feel like
whatever they was doing was making me a fan of them
and it was also making me greater.
Tupac in this picture,
and Treach in this picture from Naughty By Nature,
they was like my brothers at the time and still my brothers.
I mean, Pac ain't here but he still my brother.
Treach is still my brother.
I'ma give you a interesting story about Treach.
We was in this club called A Building.
They also called it Powerhouse.
We didn't put the first
Leaders of the New School record out yet
so I would say this was '89, '90.
Jessica Rosenblum and Amanda Scheer-Demme,
so them two kinda had a lot to do
with the exposure that Leaders of the New School got
and a lot of artists
because they was running the club scene
from the Lower East Side to Chelsea.
I'm in the club Powerhouse one time,
and we was tearing that (beep) down
probably the fourth or the fifth time.
Treach comes up to me.
He's like, "Yo, what's up, Bust?
"I like y'all (beep) and I'm (beep) with what y'all doing."
He takes my hand and he says, "You feel that?"
And I was like, "What's that?"
He had a little (beep) miniature ax strapped to his arm.
And he said, "If anybody (beep) with you, we got you.
"We in here, we deep, and don't worry about nothing."
And this is how we actually met.
Tupac, we doing a college show somewhere in the West Coast,
and Digital Underground, he was still with them.
We get to the soundcheck late.
So the sound man was kinda turning off the equipment
and was like,
"Y'all kinda missed y'all window for the sound check."
Pac goes to the sound man,
because he hears the sound man trying to tell us
we ain't getting the sound check today, we late.
Tupac start choking this (beep).
"You not gon disrespect (beep)
"Leaders of the New School, (beep).
"(beep) that, turn that (beep) on!"
We ain't asking for none of this
so we grabbing Pac like stop, B.
You gon (beep) around and not even
get us the opportunity to perform,
you gon (beep) up the whole bag.
"Man aye (beep) that,
"they can't be disrespecting y'all, y'all legends!"
We one album deep but he calling us legend.
This was when platinum jewelry was super cool.
Jacob the Jeweler sent me this,
he sent me this chain and the two pinky rings.
I think I stay in better shape now
because I was in horrible shape in 2018 and '19.
I never been as heavy as I was in my life until that time.
So I was about 340 pounds.
And then I was having all kinda ailments happen.
Like blood pressure was becoming serious
and I ain't like the way I was sounding
when I went to sit in the back seat
and my driver was driving me around
and I was just breathing.
So I ain't wanna go through that (beep) no more.
I think the ass beating that it took
for two years to get that weight off
is why I do everything that I can to keep it off.
Now there's on seasons on off seasons for me.
At my best shape, I was probably 240, 245.
Right now I'm 255.
So I will stay within the 10-15 pound range
of what my best shape is and,
based on what my trainer feels I need to do
to look how I wanna look,
will either create a muscle-building diet
or a lean out diet.
Enjoying the way life has evolved for me,
especially in the last two years.
Whatever I thought was my best moment in '96 and '97,
2003 with the "I Know What You Want" collab
with me, Flipmode, and Mariah,
or "Touch It" in 2006,
right now feels like all of those moments together
even though I haven't even dropped a new song of my own yet.
Me, Wu Tang, and Nas went on tour last year,
me and Dave Chapelle curated this IP
called "Dave and Busta's".
I'm going on tour with 50 and Jeremiah.
It's just been nonstop excitement, doing what we love,
and laughing to the bank.
So my right now is probably the most incredible
as far as happiness is concerned
that it's been in a long time.
And I don't really know
if there's another question that I could answer
that gonna feel as great as this one.
This is the way that I have to close this.
I really want everybody to feel happy.
That's the most important thing to the health
and the fitness and the wellness.
There's no better way to sum this up.
I wanna thank y'all for listening again,
'cause as long as they have me
I'ma keep talking my (beep) to you (beep).
It's been an honor, a tremendous honor.
And the next time y'all see me
I'ma have that washing board six pack
for Martha and them to come kiss on.
(Busta growling and laughing)