Returning to the forefront after a four-year hiatus is a huge hurdle for any entertainer as the music industry can be very fickle, so there was only way for this raucous rapper to return – with a “Big Bang,” literally. Aptly titled and executive-produced by Dr. Dre, Busta’s seventh album “The Big Bang” has already earned him a top spot on The Billboard charts and signifies his rebirth and a return to claim his throne in the hip-hop stakes. Gone are the dreadlocks which made him hip-hop’s most recognizable icon and also gone is J Records, Busta’s former record label where he released the last album “It Ain’t Safe No More.” But the manic rhymes that has made him one of the most dynamic stage show performers in the history of hip-hop still remains.
“They [J Records] do great for people who can sing,” says Busta about the amicable parting, “But they don’t do anything for people who make rap records. My sales for them were from me, not because of anything they did. In reference to my new look, I had my hair for 15 years and I was tired of it and it was time for me to let go and embrace new things. [With] court battles with the mother of my son and other issues, I wanted to make myself new in mind and body. It was a wake up call one day.” Battling a four year bitter custody case with ex-girlfriend, Joanne Wood, Busta was recently awarded custody of the couple’s three children when the judge decided he was a more fit parent than Wood. A decision he hails as a victory. “All that going back and forth took a lot out of me both physically and mentally,” says the rapper. Now with the new image a new label and what he coins as ‘positive energy’ Busta’s making a huge comeback. “A couple years back I just needed to change my whole life and I did, starting with my record label. After that,everything just fell into place. I look better, I feel better and there’s just a more powerful aura that comes across in everything I’m doing now.”
The son of Jamaican immigrants who moved to Brooklyn in the early 1980’s, Busta, real name Trevor Taheim Smith Junior came from a middle-class background: his mother was a secretary in a law firm, his father a self employed electrical contractor. Busta spent several months of his childhood in England’s Blackpool area and credits the country as a grounding force. “A real big part of my life was consumed by my experience in England,” claims Busta. His real break came from winning a contest judged by Public Enemy in the mid 80’s and this lead him to form the group called Leaders of the New School. Though they released two highly respected albums, the Leaders never got anywhere commercially so Busta took a few years off to learn the rules of the rap game, but once he had developed his distinctive style success came quickly with the 1996 release of the solo album, “The Coming,” featuring the club anthem “Woo-Ha! (Got You All in Check),” which both went platinum, as did his second release, “When Disaster Strikes.”
At 6ft 4in tall, Busta is known for his ragga-inspired beats and quick spitting lyrics and has collaborated with the likes of LL Cool J, P Diddy, Rick James, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliot, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, DMX and Lenny Kravitz and cities Chaka Khan and Slick Rick as artists he would also love to work with. “I am a big fan of Slick Rick for he’s another veteran in the industry and is a more credible lyricist. The way the music has changed I think it just kinda evolved into something that people realize [that it] works to your advantage to have a collaboration on your project. I’ve never found anything I love more than hip-hop outside my family. It’s the one thing I have put everything in and I have gotten everything out of. It’s not guaranteed for everyone but it’s one thing that supersedes my level of expectation and as long as it keeps giving back I am going to keep giving my all.”
A talented performer also known for his elaborate outfits, big-budget videos and frenetic stage persona, Busta was recently nominated for four BET Awards and thrilled the crowd with an incredible performance of the track “Touch It,” which features Mary J. Blige, Lloyd Banks, DMX, Rah Digga at the award show last month. Known for taking chances musically, his latest offering “The Big Bang” boasts some of the best work he
has ever recorded and as comebacks go, this one makes a big bang, although some such as producer Dr. Dre, who signed Busta to his Aftermath label would differ about his come back. “All of a sudden I’m hearing people in the streets talking about how Busta’s back. In my mind, he never left, and that’s why I wanted to f*ck with him in the first place. He’s got that drive, and he never stops trying to top himself. Anybody who knows Busta knows that he’s always gonna come with heat.” On the album, Busta is as charismatic and inventive as ever on this star-studded effort which features collaborations with Stevie Wonder, Q-Tip, Raekwon and beats from A-list producers Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, will.I.am and Erick Sermon. “Patience has definitely been my best weapon on this project,” Busta says.
[“You know it can’t be good all the time so I embrace the negatives just as much as I embrace the positive aspects.”]
Like most of his counterparts, Busta’s career has been occasionally marred by violence and arrests. In 1998 he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon after police claimed they found a loaded, unregistered 45-caliber pistol in his car. In 2002, he received six months probation after he pleaded no contest to assaulting a woman during a concert and was involved in a bust up at a London club after a fan dared to shake his hand. He also went ballistic on a young gay fan who dared to tap the rapper on the shoulder after a night of clubbing in Miami. These are occasions the acerbic rapper dismisses as being blown out of proportion. Most recently though the filming of his music video in Brooklyn was interrupted by gunfire that killed his bodyguard and Busta was wildly reported to have quickly left the scene refusing to cooperate with police investigating the shooting. It’s a statement he is quick to crush. “There was a lot of stuff that was being said at the time that wasn’t true. There’s always going to be difficult s*** to deal with as it’s part of life and life has its good and its bad. I embrace both the negative and the positive.”
The boisterous rapper who enjoys West Indian food, cricket and soccer which he states come from his West Indian heritage has also dabbled in the big screen receiving praises for his roles in “Shaft” and “Finding Forrester” and has plans to return to movies as he is keenly aware of the fickle aspects of fame. “I’m the type of dude that tries to capitalize on everything I can. Everything could disappear tomorrow, so when an opportunity
comes up, I take it. Right now I’m just focused on promoting the album, ’cause I’ve taken three years to cook up a masterpiece then I’m gonna head back into the big screen arena and just nosedive in it like a madman because I love to act and the money is real good.
