Busta Rhymes was an original member of Leaders of the New School, a group that attracted national attention when they opened on tour for Public Enemy.[5] He gained exposure for their guest appearance on A Tribe Called Quest's track "Scenario". Shortly thereafter, Leaders of the New School broke up, leading Rhymes to become a sought after solo artist, appearing on numerous tracks for other artists before his solo debut album, The Coming (1996). The album reached the top ten on the Billboard 200 album chart, was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and earned him a Grammy nomination.
Among his other ventures, he founded the record label Conglomerate (initially Flipmode Entertainment) and the production crew The Conglomerate (formerly Flipmode Squad). About.com included him on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987–2007),[6] and Steve Huey of AllMusic called him one of the best and most prolific rappers of the 1990s.[7] In 2012, The Source placed him on its list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.[8] MTV has called him "one of hip-hop's greatest visual artists".[9]
Busta also spent time in the United Kingdomduring the early 1980s where he resided with his maternal aunt. She lived in Morecambe, and he spent two summers there with his mother and younger brother.[20] He went to Skerton Community High School while he was staying in the area.[21] He told GQ in a 2020 interview, "One summer when we went down there I was 12, my brother was eight, so my aunt made sure that we actually went to school in England. Regular school and then we went to karate school too. We also were on some breakdancing that was so crazy, we ended up actually getting work to breakdance in clubs as minors. And our cousins used to run us around and they used to advertise us as TJ and Paul."[20]
"They were performing with one mic, and it was three MCs, not four. Busta also did the beatbox. It was just ill. He was controlling the mic and certainly the star of the show. He was completely amazing."
– A&R Dante Ross, on the group's performance at Payday[22]
Leaders of the New School released their debut album A Future Without a Past... in June 1991 on Elektra Records.[24] Later that year, the group appeared on A Tribe Called Quest's critically acclaimed posse cut "Scenario".[25] In 1993, they released T.I.M.E. (The Inner Mind's Eye). Smith gained popularity from his advanced rhymes as well as his unique style that was not common of many New York rap artists at the time. Soon after, however, internal problems arose because of his increasing popularity, and the group broke up on the set of Yo! MTV Raps.[26][27]
"I was like the first artist to really start rhyming on everyone else's record. And I was doing that because it was a quick way to feed my kid. That's what was going on until, you know, I got to a place where I felt comfortable enough with doing a solo album."
In 1996, Busta Rhymes release on his solo debut album The Coming.[28] His single "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check" was a success, pushing the album into gold record status.[23] Later, he started work on his second album, When Disaster Strikes, which would not be released until September 1997.[23]
His seventh studio album, titled The Big Bang, became the first No. 1 album of his career. The album sold over 209,000 copies in its first week to earn the top spot on the U.S. Billboard 200.[31]
It was later revealed that Busta signed a deal with Universal Motown, through which he released his eighth studio album Back on My B.S., on May 19, 2009.[32] Due to controversial content, the United Arab Emirates has banned the album.[33]Back on My B.S. was released internationally, but because of one song, "Arab Money", it cannot be purchased as a CD there, although the album can still be purchased via iTunes.[33] According to the National Media Council, the lyrics were considered to be offensive to Arabs and to Islam because it quoted the Quran.[33]
In November 2008, when "Arab Money" was released as a single, DJ Dany Neville and the Iraqi rapper The Narcicyst responded by recording a reply. Rhymes later apologized.[33] DJs in the country said they had not received an order banning the record from being spun in nightclubs, and they had mixed feelings on whether the record was offensive or not.[33] DJ Saif of Dubai said "I don't play 'Arab Money' because it's disrespectful [to] Arabs. I don't think there is a ban on playing it in clubs, but many here don't play it anyway."[33]
Busta Rhymes in 2005
DJ Bliss, along with many other DJs in the UAE, refused to play "Arab Money" on Radio 1 in Dubai after it was banned in the UAE for offense to Arabs. He added, "I used to play the original version in the club, but out of respect for the laws here in my country, I haven't played it since."[33] In 2010 the track's producer Ron Browz defended Busta Rhymes in a Dubai interview with journalist Awad Mustafa stating that the track was misunderstood.[34] "For us, having 'Arab money' is a compliment understood like having 'Oprah money' or 'Tiger Woods money' – it's just street slang, and we were appreciating the amazing wonders that have been created here," Browz said.[35] Browz added that he had produced the track in a moment of inspiration while experimenting in his studio. "Growing up in Harlem I was always surrounded by Arabs and Muslims, we embraced their culture and they embraced ours and we always joked with each other," he said.[36]
2010–2020: Collaborations and Extinction Level Event 2
In September 2009, Busta Rhymes had announced that he was working on his ninth studio album, alongside Canadian producer Boi-1da, titled The Chemo. At the time, he stated that the project was 80% finished.[37] In May 2010, Busta Rhymes had reportedly changed the title of his ninth album from The Chemo to Extinction Level Event 2, making his ninth effort a sequel to his 1998 album Extinction Level Event (Final World Front).[38]
Busta Rhymes contributed to the 2011 Tech N9nealbum All 6's and 7's, performing vocals on the single, "Worldwide Choppers", released on May 31.[39] Canadian recording artist Justin Bieberfeatured Busta Rhymes on a song called "Drummer Boy" off Bieber's sophomore studio album Under the Mistletoe, released on November 1, 2011.[40] On November 11, 2011, a Heavy D tribute song titled "You Ain't Gotta Wait Till I'm Gone" was leaked.[41]
On November 16, 2011, it was announced that Busta Rhymes signed to Cash Money Records.[42]
He was later featured on YMCMB label mate Shannel's single "Last Time".[45] In 2011, it was announced that Universal Motown was going defunct, forcing Rhymes and other artists to move to Universal Republic Records. In mid-2012, it was announced that Universal Republic Records was also going defunct, forcing artists on the roster to move to Republic Records, reviving the label.[46]
On December 21, 2012, members of The Conglomerate Ent., Busta along with J. Doe and Reek da Villan released a mixtape titled Catastrophic, their first collective effort.[47] Busta Rhymes collaborated with Pharrell Williams, who produced the first single off his Cash Money Records debut, "Twerk It", which was released on June 6, 2013. A video was shot in Flatbush on June 3, 2013. The official remix was released featuring Nicki Minaj. On July 23, 2014, Busta Rhymes announced that he left Cash Money Records due to creative differences and he is no longer on Republic.[48]
He was featured on "Devil", featuring Neon Hitchand B.o.B, a song by Cash Cash. It was released in August 2015.[49] In July 2014, it was announced that Rhymes had amicably departed Cash Money Records due to creative differences.[50]
Busta Rhymes at Out4Fame Festival 2015 in Germany
In 2016, a movement to name a small, uninhabited lake island in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts after Busta Rhymes received viral publicity. The unofficial name of Busta Rhymes Island was chosen by a town resident because the island has "rope-swinging, blueberries, and ... stuff Busta would enjoy".[51] A formal proposal was made to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to officially change the island's name, but it was not accepted due to regulations regarding the naming of geographic places after living people.[52]
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