• May 20, 1972
• Busta's real name is Trevor Smith. Public Enemy leader Chuck D gave him his nickname. Chuck lifted the name from All-American University of Oklahoma football star George "Buster" Rhymes.
• He got his start with the high-energy rap group Leaders Of The New School, which were mentored by Public Enemy and released their first album in 1991. In 1992 they appeared on the Tribe Called Quest classic "Scenario," where Busta busts his famous "dungeon dragon" verse. He became the breakout star of the group, and when they broke up in 1995, their label, Elektra Records, gave Busta a solo deal. His first album, The Coming, was released in 1996.
• He has been in the movies Finding Forrester, Higher Learning, Shaft 2000, The Narc and Halloween 8.
• Busta was born in Brooklyn, but his parents are from Jamaica.
• Busta raps so fast it's hard to process all the words. Try turning the captions on during one of his music videos or performances and you'll see transcription chaos.
• Among the backstage requests in Busta's 2010 tour rider: six bottles of Moet champagne, herbal tea, a jar of mayonnaise and a box of condoms.
• Busta has done some high-profile collaborations across a range of genres. Highlights include:
  
  "This Means War!" with Ozzy Osbourne
  "Look at Me Now" with Chris Brown
  "Grow Up" with Cher Lloyd
• Busta Rhymes voiced Reptar Wagon in 1998's The Rugrats Movie.
• Busta makes very eye-catching videos where he often looks like a video game character. At the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards he was honored with the inaugural Rock The Bells Visionary Award, presented by the host, LL Cool J. He performed a medley of his hits at the show.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Cheeseburger in ParadiseJimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett's "Cheeseburger In Paradise" has muenster (cheese), not mustard, as commonly misheard in the line "medium rare with muenster'd be nice."

Stay With MeSam Smith

A gospel choir appears in Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" video, but the vocals on the song are all Smith - about 20 tracks of his voice were used to make him sound like a chorus.

I Kissed a GirlKaty Perry

Katy Perry's breakout hit, "I Kissed A Girl," was surprising to those familiar with her past: Her parents were pastors and she started off singing Christian music.

Everything Your Heart DesiresHall & Oates

The Hall & Oates hit "Everything Your Heart Desires" has no rhymes.

Human NatureMichael Jackson

Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" was written by the keyboard player from Toto, who was working on the Thriller album.

Freedom Of ChoiceDevo

The Devo song "Freedom Of Choice" is about mindless consumerism - how people like to make frivolous choices, but otherwise want to be told what to do.

Editor's Picks

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?