Busta Rhymes Biography

Busta Rhymes was born Trevor Smith in 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up on Long Island, graduating from Uniondale High School, and embarked on a career in music early on, establishing Leaders of the New School in 1989 and releasing the debut album A Future Without a Past only a few years later. T.I.M.E. (The Inner Mind’s Eye) came next in 1993, but shortly thereafter Busta Rhymes left the group and began to launch a solo career.

Initially, Busta appeared on albums for a number of other artists, including Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, and Boyz II Men. By the mid 1990’s, Busta Rhymes was ready for his own debut album, and he released The Coming in 1996. He followed up with When Disaster Strikes in 1997, which spawned the hits “Fire it Up” and “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.” Extinction Level Event (Final World Front) came next in 1998, and “Gimme Some More” reached into the top 10 in the UK. But Busta finally broke into the top of the charts in the United States with “What’s it Gonna Be,” featuring Janet Jackson. After releasing Anarchy in 2000, Busta Rhymes signed to J Records and released Genesis, featuring collaborations from artists such as Kelis, P. Diddy, and Mary J. Blige. Following Genesis, Busta Rhymes released It Ain’t Safe No More (2002), The Big Bang (2006), and Back on My B.S. (2009.) The Big Bang proved to be among Busta Rhymes greatest successes, reaching the number one spot and selling over two hundred thousand copies.

In addition to his work in music, Busta Rhymes has appeared in a number of films, including: Who’s the Man (1993), Higher Learning (1995), Shaft (2000), Finding Forrester (2000), Halloween: Resurrection (2002), Narc (2002), Full Clip (2004), Breaking Point (2009), The Unforgiven (2011), and Year of the Dragon (2012) He has also contributed music to other artists in a variety of capacities, including: writing and recording the song “Where’s My Money” for Grand Theft Auto IV; an appearance on Asleep in the Bread Aisle, Asher Roth’s debut album; vocals for Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now”; and vocals alongside Jodie Connor on her single “Take You There.”

In addition to his work in music, Busta Rhymes has also appeared in a number of teleivion show episodes and in small film parts, including roles in Club Life (2015), Master of None (2015), Fresh Off the Boat (2016), and Big City Greens (2018), in the voice role of “a wise fish.” Thus far in his career, Busta Rhymes has been nominated for eleven Grammys and ten Video Music Awards. He recently left Cash Money Records to embark on a new phase of his music career, with a more independent approach to his music releases.