Actors - Busta Rhymes

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	Actors - Busta Rhymes

Busta Rhymes (born Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr. on May 20, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American hip hop musician and actor. Busta Rhymes punningly took his name from former NFL football player George "Buster" Rhymes.

Biography

Early years

Trevor Smith is of Jamaican heritage. At the age of 12, his family moved to Uniondale, a suburb of New York City on Long Island, where he was raised and eventually met up with other MCs from the growing New York area hip hop community. He attended and graduated from George Westinghouse High School in Downtown Brooklyn.

Leaders of the New School

Busta Rhymes' musical career began as a member of the Hip Hop crew Leaders of the New School along with fellow Long Island, natives C. Brown, Dinco D, Cut Monitor Milo. They began recording in 1991 with the album A Future Without a Past (Elektra Records) and soon gained limited fame and acclaim for their danceable beats and clever humorous lyrics on songs like "(Just Another) Case of The PTA" and "Sobb Story".

First impression

Busta made a boisterous debut on "Case of the P.T.A.", his first solo verse literally beginning with a roar:

:"Arrrrggh! :Busta Rhymes the mighty infamous! :Always misbehaving and mischievous..."

For many that roar became the first hint of the animated characteristics that would come to be synonymous with Busta Rhymes, since "Case of the P.T.A." was the first and most successful release of the album.

Native Tongues Posse

Many influential and successful Hip Hop crews of the early 90's with styles comparable to The Leaders of The New School were located in and around the border between the Queens borough of New York City and counties of Long Island. Soon after their debut The leaders of The New School became associated with the Native Tongues Posse which led to the group's collaboration with "A Tribe Called Quest" on the Hip Hop classic single "Scenario" released on "A Tribe Called Quest's" second album, "The Low End Theory".

Busta Rhymes performance on "Scenario" is arguably thought of as the breakout performance which led to his becoming a fan favorite and eventually going solo. The Leaders Of The New School released their last album T.I.M.E. in 1993, after which Busta Rhymes began his solo career.

Solo career

Busta Rhyme's debut solo album The Coming was released by Elektra Records in 1996. The album's mix of ragga and hip hop made it a success, and it included the US and UK top 10 single "Woo-Hah!! Got You All In Check", with the remix performed with equally eccentric MC Ol' Dirty Bastard. The follow-up, When Disaster Strikes... was successful in the US and sold well overseas. The album produced two hugely popular singles and videos in America, "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and "Dangerous". The third single, "Turn It Up (Remix)/Fire It Up" (which featured a sample from the 'Knight Rider' theme) was less popular, but only just failed to top the UK charts and was a top 10 hit in Germany, establishing Rhymes as an international star.

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 (see 1999 in music). Rhymes enjoyed further transatlantic success in April when the single "What's It Gonna Be?!', featuring Janet Jackson, reached the US and UK Top 10. Rhymes has kept up his 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.

After leaving Elektra, Rhymes signed to J Records, a new label started by recently ousted Arista chief and founder Clive Davis. In 2001 he released a greatest hits record alongside a new album of original work. Continuing the apocalyptic theme of his previous albums, he titled his record Genesis. The aptly titled Genesis gave Busta Rhymes a rebirth of success with the hit singles "Break Ya Neck" and "Pass the Courvoisier" produced by well-known hip-hop producers Dr. Dre and The Neptunes.

On November 26, 2002 Busta Rhymes released his 6th studio album It Ain't Safe No More. Its first single, "Make It Clap," was a moderate hit and had a popular remix featuring a sample from Eric B. and Rakim's hit song "Eric B. is President", along with a remix video, which featured Sean Paul and gave the song an even more reggae-inspired flavor. The second single, a duet with Mariah Carey, entitled "I Know What You Want" has been more successful. It reached the top ten of Billboard's pop singles chart and the top ten in rap radio airplay.

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