Idolator: Busta Rhymes

Video Games And Good Charlotte: What A Combination

Dan Gibson — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT

The marriage of music and video games go doesn't only result in plastic guitars: the Madden NFL franchise is kicking off its twentieth edition with a concert/temporary retail establishment at the Rose Bowl. Apparently, you'll be forced to tune into Ryan Seacrest's radio home, KIIS-FM, to pick up tickets, but with a lineup including Busta Rhymes, Rev Theory, Airbourne and Good Charlotte, wouldn't you want to sit through hours of top-40 radio and DJ banter so you can make sure you're in? Plus, you'll have the opportunity to buy Madden 09 a day early. I'll pretend for now that 24 extra hours of Madden doesn't appeal to me at all. [iStockAnalyst]

Today In Pushed-Back Albums: Busted Rhymes, Reality-TV "Winners," And The Wrong Kind Of Goat

Maura Johnston — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:30:00 EDT

It's time for another look at upcoming albums that have had their release dates pushed back, a condition that's growing ever more chronic as the bottom seemingly falls out of the music industry. Today, we look at albums by Busta Rhymes, Girlicious, and LL Cool J that are allegedly coming soon, although not as soon as originally thought.

Busta Rhymes, Blessed
Old date: July 1.
New date: Unknown.
Official reason: None given, although an "official statement" is expected from Interscope soon.
Real reason: Was he dropped over the weekend after a heated discussion with Jimmy Iovine? Is he waiting for another Ne-Yo "A Milli" freestyle to drop before he makes another move? Developing...

Girlicious
Old date: July 1.
New date: Unknown.
Official reason: It probably has something to do with the soft response to these Pussycat Dolls-sponsored reality-show winners' first single, "Like Me," which peaked at No. 102... on the Hot 100.
Real reason: They really are trying to follow in Nicole Scherzinger's footsteps.

LL Cool J, Exit 13
Old date: July 8.
New date: Aug. 26.
Official reason: None given, but this is the third push-back for the album since the end of May.
Real reason: What better way for LL Cool J to claim he's the "G.O.A.T." than to beat the Game in a not-quite-Kanye/50 sales battle?

Busta And I Are Going To Get Cupcakes Later Today

Dan Gibson — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:30:00 EDT

I check Douglas Wolk's tributes to musicians' birthdays every day, partially because Wolk must have an incredible database at his fingertips, partially because his selections are near-impeccable. Today's choices—Cher (b. 1946, with David Bowie, singing "Young Americans"!) and Jane Wiedlin (b. 1958, duetting with Sparks)—are nice, but what about Busta Rhymes (b. 1972)? Those of us in the May 20 club are disappointed and saddened by the omission, sir. [Mincing Up The Morning]

In case "We Made It" wasn't enough Busta ...

Anthony Miccio — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:05:00 EDT

In case "We Made It" wasn't enough Busta Rhymes for ya, he's also put out a video for "Don't Touch Me," with familiar fish-eye effects, goofy costumes and speed-rapping for those not intrigued by a Linkin Park collabo. The splashy trap set beat is novel, and fast Busta is better than slow, but I'm not sure this is going to be the next big "1 Thing." [WSHH]

Has-Beens Busta Rhymes and Linkin Park Have Finally Made It

Anthony Miccio — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Maybe it's not fair to Linkin Park to call them has-beens, but it's a little late for them to be releasing a track titled "We've Made It." And Busta Rhymes? Hell, he might need to make it again.

This track is probably supposed to have the turgid, inspirational drive of "Lose Yourself," but Chester Bennington would have been better off just singing the hook from "Eye Of The Tiger," which Busta would have probably preferred back when his music was fun. Rhyming "my life is glorious" with "I'm a symbol of greatness, you can call me Morpheus," indicates Busta's stuck at the turn of the century even more than his decision to work with Linkin Park. Mike Shinoda would also like you to know that once upon a time, people didn't give Linkin Park respect. But that's all changed now! Awww yeah!

I assume the "Jimmy" Busta references in the last verse is Interscope honcho Jimmy Iovine. 50 Cent also name dropped the former Stevie Nicks producer in a single recently, and I'm wondering if these recent on-track shout-outs are meant to stave off the release delays that Iovine has become notorious for in recent years. It was always common for Arista artists to open their liner notes with a thank you to God and Clive Davis, but I'm pretty sure he never inspired a rapper to announce they were staying alive, making money like Clive.

Busta Rhymes ft. Linkin Park - We Made It [GREAT QUALITY!] [Youtube]

Busta Rhymes was sentenced to three years ...

Maura Johnston — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:25:31 EDT

Busta Rhymes was sentenced to three years of probation today in New York after pleading guilty to one count of assault, two driving infractions and weapons possession. [Reuters / Photo: AP]

Busta Rhymes Has Something He'd Like To Apologize For

Jess Harvell — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:20:50 EST

ARTIST: OneRepublic feat. Busta Rhymes
TITLE: "Apologize (Remix)"
WEB DEBUT: Feb. 20, 2008

ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: You already know how you feel about wuss rockers (and now charting R&B stars) OneRepublic and their remorseless, Timbaland-produced smash. (And possibly unintended Phil Collins tribute.) Unsurprisingly, a ragga-tinged rapper best known for growling like a dungeon dragon sounds pretty silly-assed (and not in the good way) dropping broken-hearted rhymes over Timbaland's milquetoast piano. (Not to mention this world-class groaner: "As sweet as a cup of peppermint tea can be, it can still taste bitter." Someone give the dear a hug, already.) But perhaps this wackness is the unfortunate result of Busta picking the wrong backing track on which to bare his soul? For his next mixtape, we suggest the newly emotional Mr. Rhymes let rip over the intro to a truly deserving song, a classic recognized by sensitive dudes of all stripes:

WHERE TO FIND IT: Nah Right, who probably wants everyone to know he's just doing his job.

Speaking of the Super Bowl, apparently Busta ...

Maura Johnston — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:25:45 EST

Speaking of the Super Bowl, apparently Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, and Missy Elliott are good enough to appear in a Diet Pepsi ad during the broadcast, but not good enough to actually do anything beyond stupidly rehashing an old Saturday Night Live skit from 10 years ago. Anyone want to bet on how well Haddaway will fare on next week's Digital Tracks chart as a result of this little bit of ad placement? [Nah Right]

What Does Busta Rhymes Have In Common With Elton John?

jharv — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:30:00 EDT

Aside from working with Enimem and a batshit wardrobe?

They both hate the Internet! Specifically, Busta goes on a tear in this video about how teenage new jacks with laptops and YouTube have "devalued" what he does, i.e. he can no longer take major labels for millions of dollars in studio time. Welcome to the new model, pal, where the $2 million videos featuring neon elephants or CGI Janet Jacksons are long gone.

[EDIT: I'm actually behind the times since a link about this video showed up in our own YouTube aggregator almost a week ago. I didn't even know we had one of those, but c'mon, it's not as this job gives us time to read our own site.]

Aftermath Studio Session Vol. 1 [YouTube via Billboard]

Today In Trials: One Date Set, One Postponed

jharv — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 14:47:08 EDT

What's dumber than whipping out a gun and decking a guy because a simple pick-up basketball game wasn't going your way? Why it's purportedly pouting with a pistol in your hand on a playground commonly used by area young people. And then getting arrested for it. When you're a (moderately talented at best) rapper of some renown. Which is why the BBC reports the Game will be appearing before judge and jury in California at the end of the month. And he's not the only artist with a court appearance in the upcoming busy fall ~~release~~trial schedule:

Another judge, in another jurisdiction, facing another rapper has postponed Busta Rhymes' trial—charges stemming from supposedly being a drunk-driving, no-liscense-having, beating-up-multiple-people kinda guy—thanks to the prosecution not being quite ready to roll with it case. According to XXL, this is after Busta rolled the dice in July by turning down a one-year plea for the whole shebang and going for broke before a jury, in a trial that will now kick off in November. Perhaps he picked up some tips for delaying proceedings from the master.

Rap Star The Game To Stand Trial [BBC]
Busta Rhymes Trial Postponed Until November [XXL]

Man Sues Over Busta'd Head

jharv — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:43:59 EDT

As if shaving off the dreads wasn't heartbreaking enough for longtime fans like me, Busta Rhymes is now being sued by a 20-year-old New Yorker for allegedly kicking the guy in the head last summer. Roberto LeBron apparently hocked a loogie onto Busta's car, or one of the cars used by his nine-man bodyguard crew, leading to the alleged beatdown. Lets tote it up, shall we? Criminal charges leveled against Busta stemming from allegedly whupping LeBron after a New York concert, beating up an ex-employee, and now being sued by the guy he booted in the noggin. And that's not even counting the non-violent offenses he's dealing with. When did hip-hop's clown prince ('90s division) turn so goddamn angry?

Man Sues Busta Rhymes In Alleged Assault

Busta Rhymes has four trials to look forward ...

mjohnston — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:09:02 EDT

Busta Rhymes has four trials to look forward to. We smell quadruple album—with a bonus track dedicated to the court reporter who he kissed on the cheek on his way out of the courtroom. [Reuters]

Busta Rhymes' Personal Life Now Nearly As Predictable As His Music

Brian Raftery — Thu, 03 May 2007 14:30:18 EDT

- In order to save precious Liner Notes prep time, we just added a special keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+Ampersand) that automatically types the phrase "Busta Rhymes Arrested." [TMZ]
- Celine Dion—who's been performing at Las Vegas' Caesars Palace for more than four years—will be replaced next February by Bette Midler. Expect a hint-hintish text message about this from your mother in about three hours. [Billboard]
- Speaking of moms, Usher may be about to fire his. [Rushy & Molloy, second item]

"60 Minutes" Discovers Why Snitchin' Ain't Easy

Brian Raftery — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:00:51 EDT

Nah Right points us in the direction of last night's 60 Minutes segment on the "Stop Snitching" phenom, which includes an analysis of the Cam'ron/50 Cent feud and plenty of criticism about how Busta rhymes handled the shooting death that took place on one of his video sets last year. While the piece only touches upon the cultural and sociological reasons behind the anti-snitching effort (which you can read more about in last month's detailed but depressing Atlantic piece by Jeremy Kahn), it does wonder if the record labels would think twice about releasing snitch-dissing records—a notion Cam'ron accurately describes as implausible:

ANDERSON COOPER: If your record label said to you, "Look, we're not going to promote you, we're not going to distribute you, if you keep calling Curtis Jackson a snitch, or [if] you keep writing about guns and selling drugs," would you stop?
CAM'RON: No record company in the world would say, "We're not going to promote you if you call somebody a snitch." They know what makes money. A record company would never be that stupid. Never.

"Stop Snitching" on 60 Minutes Pt. 1/2 [Onsmash]
"Stop Snitching" on 60 Minutes Part 2/2 [Onsmash]

Liner Notes: Busta Rhymes Has Not Been Arrested In Nearly Twelve Hours

Brian Raftery — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:41:07 EST

- Busta Rhymes has been arrested again, this time for driving without a license. He still faces criminal charges for an alleged attack last December, as well as for wearing a sleeveless velour vest from July 2003 to August 2005. [AP]
- Usher's mom is worried that the singer's personal-stylist-turned-fiancée is unworthy of marrying her son. As with all matters in the Raymond household, this will be settled with a three-hour dance-off. [Daily News]
- The members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ron Jeremy have many things in common: They all love strippers, they all look like out-of-shape bikers, and they're all known for going on way too long. [Page Six]

Busta Rhymes Expected To Throw "World's Best Boss" Coffee Mug At Employee

Brian Raftery — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 08:48:31 EST

Nearly two weeks after allegedly assaulting a former employee, Busta Rhymes put on his best Christmas sweatshirt and turned himself into police last night in Manhattan. Rhymes was charged with third-degree assault for a Dec. 26th incident in which Rhymes (again, allegedly) pummeled his ex-driver after being asked for money. The New York Post has a summary of Rhymes' crimes so far:

This isn't Rhymes' first brush with the law. He's already facing assault, attempted-assault and harassment charges for allegedly beating up a fan who spit on a car in the stars' entourage on Aug. 12. Rhymes, a resident of Baldwin, L.I., is accused of kicking Roberto Lebron in the head and torso.

Last month, he was slapped with a weapons charge because a machete was found inside the car that night, police said. Prosecutors have reportedly offered Rhymes a plea bargain for six months behind bars in that case, but the rap star has refused to take that deal.

Police also believe Rhymes witnessed the unsolved murder of his bodyguard, Israel Ramirez, 29, last February but he so far has refused to cooperate with investigators.

In addition, police also want to question Rhymes about his role in 2002's Halloween: Resurrection; the question is, "What the hell were you thinking when you starred in Halloween: Resurrection?"

Busta Busted [New York Post]

Liner Notes: All Judge And Jury Edition

mjohnston — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:13:05 EDT

-A New York City judge denied Foxy Brown's request to change her assault-case plea from guilty to not guilty. Are we the last people to know that this whole brouhaha is over a tussle at a nail salon? [TMZ]
- Busta Rhymes cleared of weapons possession charges, is free to take out the courtroom sketch artists he hit on during his court appearance. [AP via Newsday]
- In a legal victory for shorter word counts everywhere, a judge has ruled that C-Murder can be photographed, but not interviewed, during promotional appearances for his upcoming album. [SOHH]

Busta Rhymes' Amsterjam Slightly More Exciting Than Yours

Brian Raftery — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 09:12:16 EDT

We told you that getting out of Randall's Island can be a pain in the ass: Just after his Saturday-afternoon Amsterjam set, Busta Rhymes was picked up by the cops for an August 12th incident in which Rhymes and some pals allegedly kicked a Bronx man who spat on Rhymes' car. According to the Post, Rhymes was charged with assault, not to mention a weapons-posession rap for the ten-inch machete in the back seat of his armor-plated SUV (he really, really hates it when people block the box). The cops held him for twelve hours, and Rhymes' lawyer claims it was revenge for the rapper not cooperating with police in the investigation of his slain boydguard; we think it may also be payback for that awful Flipmode Squad "Cha Cha Cha" song from a few years back.

"Rapper's Yapper Is Sealed" [New York Post]