BUSTA RHYMES
By Odette Flemming

Who can mistake the upside down, sideways, and just plain in ya face antics of the one and only Bus A Bus? His voice and lyrical cadence are unmistakable as he hollas orders to his international hip hop fans like “Break Ya Neck”, “Gimme Some More” or the ever popular—“Pass the Courvoisier”. With five platinum albums, one platinum single and three gold singles to his credit, Busta Rhymes continues to be one of hip hop’s most bankable stars.

Starting with his first solo album, 1996’s “The Coming”, Busta showed that his inexhaustible energy, infectious beats and impeccable imagery would set him apart from others in the hip hop genre. The vibrant and fun “Woo Hah! Got You All In Check” video solidified him as hip hop’s most creative personality, someone who’d sport outlandish gear, twis’ up him face, and still rock rhymes of the highest caliber. “I set standards visually with the videos,” Busta told XXL magazine. “From the special effects to the kind of concepts.” The "Woo Ha" video, which was the first successful hip hop video to use a fish-eye lens, was directed by Hype Williams. Hype told GQ magazine in 2000 “For Busta I used wide-angle lenses because he is very animated, a very extreme artist, and I was able to [further] exaggerate his already exaggerated movements.”

Busta Rhymes [born Trevor Smith, Jr.], hails from the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn. A first generation Jamerican, Busta’s ragamuffin style isn’t as evident as fellow Flatbush native, Shaggy, but in “Break Ya Neck” you’ll catch the distinct influence of slick tongued dancehall masters such as Super Cat and Lieutenant Stitchie. :::Read Full Story:::