Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes | |
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Busta Rhymes performing in 2022 | |
| Born | Trevor George Smith Jr. May 20, 1972[1] New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Trevor Taheim Smith |
| Education | Uniondale High School |
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| Years active | 1986–present[2] |
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| Children | 6 |
| Relatives | Rampage (cousin) |
| Awards | Full list |
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| Origin | Hempstead, New York, U.S. |
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| Website | bustarhymesuniverse |
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Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes. He has received 12 Grammy Award nominations, making him one of the most-nominated artists without a win. Billboard and Vibe ranked him among the 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, while Forbes listed him among the greatest rappers on their list of the "50 Top Rappers of All Time".[5][6]
Busta Rhymes was an original member of Leaders of the New School, a group that attracted national attention while opening on tour for Public Enemy.[7] He gained further exposure for their guest appearance on A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario". Shortly after, Leaders of the New School disbanded, leading Rhymes to become a sought-after solo artist, appearing on numerous tracks for other artists before his debut solo album, The Coming (1996). Critically acclaimed, the album debuted within the top ten of the Billboard 200, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
He has released eleven total solo albums, with the most recent being Blockbusta (2023). His most notable singles include "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check", "It's a Party", "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See", "Dangerous", "Turn It Up" (Remix)/"Fire It Up", "Gimme Some More", "What's It Gonna Be?!", "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II", "I Know What You Want" and "Touch It". He has also guest featured on the hit songs "Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls, "Rumble in the Jungle" by Fugees, and "Look at Me Now" by Chris Brown. In addition to his music career, he founded the record label Conglomerate (formerly Flipmode Entertainment) and its namesake hip hop collective (formerly known as Flipmode Squad). In 2025, Busta Rhymes was awarded the inaugural Rock the Bells Visionary Award by the MTV Video Music Awards.[8]
- ^ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1260. May 24, 2013. p. 34.
- ^ John Bush. "Busta Rhymes". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
- ^ Fonseca, Anthony J.; Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn, eds. (2018). Hip Hop Around the World: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 96. ISBN 9780313357596.
- ^ Johnson, Kevin C. (December 23, 2011). "Q&A: Local artists pay tribute to Native Tongues rap acts". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ Rouhani, Carl Lamarre, Gail Mitchell, Keith Murphy, Michael Saponara, Datwon Thomas, Mark Elibert, Eric Diep, William E. Ketchum III, Heran Mamo, Neena (February 8, 2023). "50 Greatest Rappers of All Time". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bossi, Andrea. "The 50 Top Rappers Of All Time". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
- ^ "Busta Rhymes Reunites On Stage With Leaders of the New School". HipHopDX.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ Petski, Denise (August 18, 2025). "Busta Rhymes To Receive Inaugural MTV VMA Rock The Bells Visionary Award". Deadline. Retrieved September 16, 2025.