• 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:

The Man Who Sold The WorldDavid Bowie

David Bowie was in a mystical state when he wrote "The Man Who Sold The World," which he said happened during his "15 minutes of Buddhism."

Disco LadyJohnnie Taylor

The first #1 hit with the word "disco" in the title wasn't a disco song. It was an R&B song called "Disco Lady" by Johnnie Taylor in 1976. The lady he's singing about is disco, but the song isn't.

Sharp Dressed ManZZ Top

ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man" was the first video that was a sequel. It picked up the storyline of their "Gimme All Your Lovin'" video about a guy who encounters three beautiful women.

I Wanna Be BadWilla Ford

Willa Ford came up with her hit "I Wanna Be Bad" when her record company told her to tone down her music in a effort to differentiate her from Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, who were in their "bad girl" eras.

The Girl Is MineMichael Jackson

The first single from the Thriller album was "The Girl Is Mine," chosen over "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" because it was a duet with Paul McCartney and thus guaranteed airplay.

BlameCalvin Harris

Calvin Harris' "Blame" was the first song to break 10 million streams in a week on Spotify. The record was set during the seven days of September 8 to September 14, 2014.

Editor's Picks

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Strange MagneticsSong Writing

How Bing Crosby, Les Paul, a US Army Signal Corps Officer, and the Nazis helped shape rock and Roll.

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

John WaiteSongwriter Interviews

"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.