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Busta Rhymes


Born: 1972
Location: Long Island, New York, USA
Genre: Hip Hop
Years Active: 1990 -
Real Name: Trevor Smith Jr.
Meaning of the Name: Named by Chuck D after the NFL player George 'Buster' Rhymes
Way of Working: Raps over a producer's beats
Associated: Leaders of the New School, Rampage, Roc Marciano
Labels: Flipmode, Elektra, The Conglomerate

Essential Releases

Dummy

T.I.M.E. (1993)

Leaders of the New School album. Showcased Busta Rhymes' energetic style.

Dummy

The Coming (1996)

Introduced his distinctive, high-energy style on a solo record and foreshadowed his lyrical fascination with armageddon.

Dummy

When Disaster
Strikes (1997)

This album marked Busta Rhymes' full embrace of apocalyptic themes and the energetic, rapid-fire delivery he became famous for.


Busta Rhymes, the shaman of hip hop, gets so pumped up when he raps that he almost enters a trance. He is known for performances that match the energy of an escaped mental patient, seeing him bounce around as if attached to an invisible pogo stick. His highly original style was honed after years of practice, which included attending high school with Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls.

Later, as a part of Leaders of the New School, he further developed his lyrical prowess and unique delivery, hinting at a powerful solo career to come. Steel, as they say, sharpens steel.

What set Busta apart, however, was his image, which he didn't take too seriously, and unlike other rappers, he even cracked a smile on occasion. His music videos are fun, creative, and full of vibrant colours while his contemporaries, such as Mobb Deep, made straight-faced efforts shot in muted greys.

His music complements his image. The strings sampled from the film Psycho (1960) on 'Gimme Some Mo' are both hypnotic and unsettling. The rapping sounds like a madman talking to himself: half genius, half insane rambling. However, what really made it special was the delivery. It's a breathless, surreal escape into a larger-than-life, Saturday morning cartoon rap world that balanced out the never-ending dirge of the doom merchants with humour and good vibes.

This late '90s period is when Busta hit his creative stride, fueled by apocalyptic millennium hysteria. The news media couldn't stop talking about the millennium bug that would potentially launch every single nuclear missile simultaneously. Disaster films such as Armageddon (1998) and Deep Impact (1998) were becoming the norm.

Hip hop was no different, but it put its own spin on the looming apocalypse. The album cover for the frenetic When Disaster Strikes (1997) features an intense Busta, bordering on the insane, with his back against the wall in a confined outdoors space as if urban society has broken down.

Extinction Level Event (1998) starts with a father telling his daughter, in painstaking detail, how the world will end, only for her to surprise him by thinking it sounds cool. Laughing in the face of the fearmongers provided a sigh of relief, while retaining the aesthetic of incoming disaster. Songs like 'Tear Da Roof Off' began with 'after the ultimate world blast that ended all things', before launching into bouncy rap that would capture your attention even if you had ADHD. It was refreshing, while also feeling true to the times, and this approach has become a recurring part of Busta Rhymes future work.


Skills

*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.

Emotional Impact

i Does it connect with the heart? What does it make you feel and how much of it?
65

Mental Impact

i Does it connect with the head? Social issues, interesting observations, clever lyrics, similies etc.
70

Originality

i Are they unique? Did they break new ground, use new techniques or create new genres.
80

Artistry

i Using creativity and imagination to present themselves in a unique way. Example, Wu-Tang Clan as Shaolin and Marvel characters etc.
90

Authenticity

i Do they really mean what they say? Is it autobiographical, personal?
35

Live

i Stage presence, working the crowd, performance. Miming, forgetting lyrics reduce this.
70

Production

i Studio techniques. More important for electronic music including hip hop.
85

Musicianship

i Their ability to play individually and as a group. Technical skills. DJing. Freestyling for hip hop.
60

Rapping

i Technical attributes.
95

Songwriting

i Storytelling. Cohesive themes. Is the song about something? Stan by Eminem is an example of excellent songwriting.
85

Danceability

i Does it make you move? Do you tap your foot, nod your head or move your whole body?
75

Fun

i Is listening to it a good time? Are the lyrics funny? Depressing themes lowers value.
80

Consistency

i Have they put out good music across their careers. Two good albums and 5 band ones will reduce this value.
35

Range

i Fast, slow, ballads, party jams. Do they go beyond their own genre?
45

Cool

i Laid-back, icy detachment, unflustered.
60

Charisma

i Factors include force of personality, appearance. Elvis making people faint etc.
80

Commercial & Critical Success

Awards >>>

  • Grammy Nominations x12

Certifications >>>

  • The Coming - Platinum in the US; Gold in Canada
  • When Disaster Strikes - Platinum in the US; Gold in the UK
  • Extinction Level Event - Platinum in the US; Gold in the UK
  • Anarchy - Platinum in the US
  • Genesis - Platinum in the US; Silver in the UK
  • It Aint Safe No More - Gold in the US; Silver in the UK
  • The Big Bang - Gold in the US; Silver in the UK

Charts >>>

  • The Coming - Number 6 in the US
  • When Disaster Strikes - Number 3 in the US
  • Anarchy - Number 4 in the US
  • Genesis - Number 7 in the US
  • The Big Bang - Number 1 in the US
  • Back on My B.S. - Number 5 in the US
  • Extinction Level Event 2 - Number 7 in the US

Critics



Controversy

  • Busta had to attend anger management classes after throwing a protein drink at an employee's head at Steel Gym, Manhattan. He was originally charged with felony second-degree assault, but later plead guilty to non-criminal harassment.
  • Found guilty of DUI and gun possession charges. Received five years probation for the gun.


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