[Music] foreign
Busta Rhymes emerged as one of the most distinctive hip-hop personalities of the
times his clever and complex rap Style and lyrics made him a force to be reckoned with
as he climbed to the top of the music charts throughout the decade and Beyond it all started
in East Flatbush Brooklyn New York when Busta was born Trevor George Smith Jr in 1972 at age
12 his family moved to Uniondale Long Island a few years after that he would connect with MC's
Charlie Brown born Brian Higgins Dinko D born James Jackson and cut monitor Milo born Sheldon
Scott inspired by fellow long Islanders Public Enemy and Eric B on Rakim the foursome decided
to form their own group calling themselves leaders of the new school they landed a deal with lecture
records right out of the gate when Busta was just 17. Public Enemies Chuck D was actually
the one who gave Busta his stage name leaders of the news School dropped their debut album in 1991
titled a future without a past it featured their first hit case of the PTA their follow-up Album
Time came just two years later then it happened on National Television no less for all to see
on a 1993 episode of um TV raps hosted by Fab Five Freddy leaders of the new school broke up
the group was enjoying their biggest hit so far what's next which went to number one on the hot
crap single chart behind the scenes though the members were beefing a lot especially busta and
Charlie Brown they were on such bad terms that they even came to blows multiple times
foreign all the members introduce themselves for the camera shouting out leaders in the
same brand all except Charlie Brown he chose to take a different approach by the looks on
the faces of the other members they didn't like his lack of unity one bit after confronting him
about it he let it be known that he didn't want to be in the group anymore fun fact even before the
leaders recorded their first album the group was having issues and had split up when the guys went
to meet with Elektra they initially went without busta and quickly found out that was a mistake
the label wasn't interested in signing the group without him so Busta decided to come back for the
sake of everyone's dream Busta especially gained popularity from his Rhymes as well as his delivery
that was not common of many New York rappers at the time raised by two Jamaican parents he
embraced his Heritage in his music and image out on his own for the first time he got a Little Help
from some friends appearing on A Tribe Called Quest scenario the remix of Craig Max Flava in
your ear as well as other projects with Boys to Men Mary J Blige and TLC he also gave acting a
try and appeared in the 1995 John Singleton film Higher Learning after securing a solo contract
with the same label leaders was on busta's debut album The Coming dropped in 1996. one month before
the album was released he broke out with the hit single woo ha got you all in check [Music]
his sophomore album when disaster strikes would quickly drop the following year It produced the
hit singles put your hands where my eyes could see dangerous and Turn It Up remix fire it up
Busta then enjoyed the most success he'd ever had thus far in the pop world with What's it gonna
be featuring Janet Jackson of his third album extinction level event the final world friend
the single peaked at number three on the Hot 100 and was nominated for two Grammy Awards along
with the audio success the video received four MTV Video Music Awards nominations and remains
one of the most celebrated hip-hop videos of all time also at the moment the flip mode Squad the
collective he founded after embarking on a solo career released their only full-length album today
titled the Imperial after his fourth album Anarchy dropped in 2000 bust a jump ship and signed with
J Records continuing the biblical theme of his previous albums he titled his next record
Genesis it was powered by the hit single what it is featuring Kelis as well as the
track break an egg the final single ended up being the smash past the Courvoisier part two
featuring Pharrell and Diddy despite the success of those singles the album didn't sell as well
as previous releases in 2002 Buster released his sixth studio album it ain't safe no more the album
was moderately successful powered by the song I Know What You Want featuring the flipmode squad
and Mariah Carey two years later bust a sign with producer and record executive Dr Dre's aftermath
entertainment Under the Umbrella of Interscope after leaving J Records after 15 years Busta
did something no one saw coming he cut off his trademark dreadlocks during a photo shoot in a
New York Barbershop in an effort to memorialize his transition he recorded the historic occasion
on camera while friends and crew members watched busta's 2006 album The Big Bang would become the
first number one album of his career the project spawned the singles touch it and I love my [ __ ]
featuring Kelis and Will I Am scoring a top placement on the album chart though wouldn't
make up for the tragedy that would take place on a video shoot for one of the Project's songs busta's
29 year old bodyguard Israel Ramirez died after sustaining a single gunshot wound to the chest on
the set of the touch it video in February police said that they believe the violence was sparked
by an argument between Robert Tony Yayo and a rival producer that Spilled Out onto the street
outside the studio days after the incident the police commissioner told reporters that
none of the parties at the scene were making any effort to be helpful in the investigation
as far as Busta is concerned that may have something to do with his many years of having
run-ins with the law in August 2006 he was arrested and charged with assaulting a fan
for allegedly spitting on his car in New York City after a music festival more legal issues
arose for him at the end of the year when he was accused of beating his former driver quote with a
closed fist about the head and neck end quote and kicking him in the ribs and torso during
a dispute over back pay on December 26th apparently the attack took place outside
busta's Lower Manhattan Office and left the driver with cuts bruises and substantial pain
in the early part of the following year Buster refused a plea deal offered by the prosecutor's
office for the assault the offer consisted of six months in jail to cover both that assault
plus the one in August he preferred the criminal court judges deal that would let
him plead guilty to third-degree assault and remain free if he accepted the offer and met
the conditions of the proposed sentence which would include five days of community service
two weeks of Youth lectures and six months of anger management classes the charges would
eventually be dismissed ultimately Busta ended up being sentenced to three years probation
plus several other conditions the judge also warned the rapper to stay out of trouble or
else he didn't listen a few months later he was arrested for driving under the influence
in 2007 Busta got into a different kind of trouble when a documentary maker interviewed
him and attempted to discuss homophobia in hip-hop Buster wasn't having it saying I
can't partake in that conversation with all due respect I ain't trying to offend nobody what I
represent culturally doesn't condone homosexuality whatsoever he then abruptly quit the interview
after being pressed on the subject due to a creative clash with Interscope head Jimmy iveen
Busta then left aftermath back on my BS busta's eighth album dropped in 2009 on universal Motown
and with it came a whole lot of controversy the first single was the song called Arab Money and
due to its lyrics being deemed offensive to Arabs and to Islam distribution of the album was denied
in the UAE some DJs artists and fans lambasted the track saying it portrayed Arabs in a stereotypical
way Busta later apologized for causing any upset saying that he had intended the song to complement
Arab culture not insulted in October that year a Brooklyn judge ordered Busta to pay a concert
goer 75 000 in compensation for an assault which occurred back in 2003 the cash award
was offered after bus to miss several hearings he argued through his lawyer that he wasn't properly
notified of the case but the judge didn't buy it so what happened well it appears that the fan went
to the concert to actually see another artist rapper fabulous disappointed that he wasn't
there the fans said he stood up so he could leave as soon as Busta left the stage his standing up
though drew the rapper's attention they exchanged words back and forth before Busta splashed him
with one bottle of water and pelted him with two more even busta's bodyguard got some punches in
two years after busta's 2012 album year of the dragon was released he announced that he'd left
Cash Money Records due to creative differences he'd settled at the label after his last home
went defunct but things just didn't work out after an eight-year Hiatus Busta was back with his 10th
effort extinction level event 2 the Wrath of God the project features the likes of Kendrick Lamar
Mariah Carey Q-tip and Mary J Blige among others in an interview with GQ published The Following
month Busta discussed a series of personal life setbacks which culminated in his father's death
in 2014. according to him his life started to spiral out of control and he developed a number
of health issues due to his lack of self-care after a major health scare Busa decided that
he had to get his health in order and he did by embarking on a strict fitness regimen that
involved both training and a healthy diet the results have both slimmed him down and improved
his health dramatically play the main reason behind his decision to begin taking better
care of himself was a particular health problem that arose in early 2019 Busta found out that he
had throat polyps that blocked the vast majority of his throat which meant he risked Suffocation
every time he slept fortunately those were dealt with and by working out two to three times a day
and eating protein-packed meals every two and a half hours he was able to drop nearly 100 pounds
Busta identifies as a member of the five percent Nation the movement was founded in
1964 when a student of Malcolm X's left the Nation of Islam to establish his own group
Busta doesn't speak much on the subject of his beliefs or attachment to the movement
but he appears to be very familiar with their Core Concepts and philosophy considering that
his lyrics often reference them as far as his family life is concerned he's kept busy
with his six children three sons and three daughters sadly his first child died during
pregnancy a tragic event which Buster told Vlad TV coincided with some of his tougher
times with leaders of the new school back in 1999 he was the subject of a paternity
suit filed in a North Carolina Court concerning a one-year-old girl according to the Associated
Press the results determined by a 99.9964 percent chance that he was indeed the father
it seems as though the test was more a formality than anything else since Busta
had been voluntarily paying over twelve hundred dollars per month in child support the child's
mother and her attorneys though did attempt to have that amount increased as state laws
face the amount of child support payments on the income of the father later his longtime
relationship with the mother of four of his children imploded due to infidelities on both
sides the separation also led to allegations of abuse on her part which Busta denied he would go
on to win their lengthy custody battle in 2006. during the case busta's attitudes towards lgbtq
people seemed to have been put on blast once again when he reportedly displayed contempt over the
fact that his ex had moved on to a relationship with a woman foreign [Music] spent much of 2022
on the road with Wu-Tang Clan and Nas on the New York State of Mind tour and joined comedian Dave
Chappelle for spot shows in the Duo's Dave and Buster's concert series he also released an EP
called the fuses lit and honored the passing of rapper takeoff with a touching music video
for you will never find another me the Mary J Blige featured highlight from his 2020 album
[Music]