Busta Rhymes

Born Trevor Smith Jnr., 20 May 1972, Brooklyn, New

Rapper Busta Rhymes became the toast of the American hip-hop community with the release of his Elektra Records debut, The Coming, in 1996. Although offering nothing outstanding in its lyrics, album tracks such as "Everything Remains Raw" and "It's A Party" highlighted his compelling ragga-influenced delivery to good effect, and the catchy single "Woo-Hah!! Got You All In Check" broke into the US Top 10. Rhymes had originally rapped as part of the highly praised Leaders Of The New School, with MC Charlie Brown, Dinco D and Milo In De Dance, releasing the acclaimed A Future Without A Past in 1991. He has also worked with a stellar cast of singers including Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, TLC and A Tribe Called Quest, and appeared in the movies Who's The Man? and Higher Learning. Attempts to promote The Coming in the UK ended in disaster. His planned performance at the Kentish Town Forum in May ended in calamity when delays in securing a work permit prevented him from appearing. Outraged fans caused an estimated £75,000 of damage after they rioted in protest. Rhymes released the ambitious US Top 5 album When Disaster Strikes ... in September 1997, exploring pre-millennial fears and the future of rap. The album included a powerful duet with Erykah Badu on "One" and "Turn It Up/Fire It Up", with a remix of the latter entering the US Top 10. The track also provided Rhymes with his highest UK chart placing the following April when it debuted at number 2.
The same year he released The Imperial as part of the Flipmode Squad, a collaborative project with rappers Rampage, Lord Have Mercy, Spliff Star, Rah Digga and Baby Sham. Rhymes' fascination with film informed the same year's Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front, which took its title from the disaster movie Deep Impact. The frenetic "Gimme Some More" reached number 5 in the UK singles chart in January 1999. Rhymes enjoyed further transatlantic success in April when the highly catchy "What's It Gonna Be?!', featuring Janet Jackson, reached the US and UK Top 10. Rhymes" has kept up his frantic work rate, juggling his music career with his acting roles. In 2000 he worked on several movie projects, including the remake of Shaft, and released his final album for Elektra, Anarchy.

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