State Champ Radio Busta Rhymes
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The Rock the Bells Festival is back and bringing serious heat for Summer 2025.
Dubbed Class of 2025: Summer’s Kool, the legendary hip-hop celebration is going down June 28 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. This year’s lineup is stacked with icons, including Busta Rhymes, Redman, Eric B. & Rakim, Too Short, Scarface, Fabolous and Lil’ Mo, Plies, Boosie, KRS-One, M.O.P., Remy Ma, Capone-N-Noreaga, Big Daddy Kane, Coast Contra, and State Property featuring Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Peedi Crakk, and Chris & Neef.
The festival will be hosted by the one and only Roxanne Shante, with DJ Kid Capri holding it down on the turntables. And that’s not all—there’s a special Uptown Records tribute on deck, featuring performances from Mr. Cheeks, CL Smooth, Father MC, Al B. Sure!, Christopher Williams, Soul for Real, Jeff Redd, Donell Jones, Horace Brown, Monifah, and more.
Founded by the GOAT himself, LL Cool J, Rock the Bells has always been about preserving and uplifting the culture, giving flowers to the legends who laid the foundation. This year’s edition promises a perfect mix of old school and timeless flavor, pulling together generations of hip-hop under one roof.
From golden-era greats to R&B favorites, the energy is set to be off the charts. If you’re a real fan of the culture, Rock the Bells 2025 is where you need to be this summer.
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It’s time for Busta Rhymes to lawyer up. He recently turned himself in on assault charges for allegedly beating up his assistant.
As per TMZ, the Rap icon might need to clear his name in a court of law. On Friday (Jan. 10), Busta Rhymes apparently got into a physical altercation with his personal assistant. According to the report, he struck a gentleman named Dashiel Gables over the fact that he was using his phone while he was supposed to be working while at the lobby of his condo in Brooklyn. In turn, Busta Rhymes is alleged to have struck Gables in the face several times before being separated.
Sources tell TMZ Busta fled the scene and Dashiel called the police. Upon arrival paramedics and law enforcement took his report and rushed him to a local medical facility to be treated for an injury to his left eye. The New York Post reached out to Dashiel via telephone and he was very careful with his words. “Maybe later. Maybe in the future. I can’t mess up my case, bro” he said. “It’s just not going to be worth it. An article in the paper as opposed to a 6 or 7 million-dollar settlement? I’m not risking it, sorry.”
On Tuesday (Jan. 14), Busta Rhymes turned himself in to the New York Police Department and was formally issued an appearance ticket for misdemeanor assault, attempted assault, and harassment. He is due to appear in court Feb. 2 for this incident. Busta Rhymes has yet to comment on the matter.
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With more than three decades of the Hip-Hop game under his belt, Busta Rhymes is one of the few remaining MC’s from the golden era that can still go bar-for-bar with your favorite rappers today and absolutely destroy them.
Demonstrating as much in his latest visuals to “Unleash Me,” Busta Rhymes finds himself chained up in a dungeon before morphing into a man-beast and taking to the streets which is experiencing an apocalyptic event of biblical proportions.
Meanwhile fellow Brooklynite Troy Ave is doing what he can to rep for his hood and for his clip to “Blood Money,” the BK rapper utilizes an eerie red atmosphere to get into that mode and spit his bars and keep the streets buzzing.
Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from Polo G, Paul Wall, and more.
BUSTA RHYMES – “UNLEASH ME”
TROY AVE – “BLOOD MONEY”
POLO G – “THUG MEMORIALS”
PAUL WALL – “POCKET FULLA MONEY”
ROCKNESS MONSTA – “WINNERS CIRCLE”
A$AP TWELVYY – “AIN’T GON CRY”
ROD WAVE – “HARD TRUTH”
MARIO – “KEEP GOING”
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Busta Rhymes was simply not about the mincing of words at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, where he checked the audience for “sitting down at my show” instead of giving the Extinction Level Event rapper the energy he’s used to while delivering the kind of vibrant performances only he can deliver.
But Bus a Bus didn’t stop at cursing out the crowd over its lackluster participation, he also got on audience members for a relatively new thing that has been addressed often recently as it relates to live performances: audience members enjoying the show through their phones instead of being present in the moment.
“Ayo, f*ck them camera phones, too,” Busta Rhymes, born Trevor George Smith Jr., said to the crowd from New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome stage on the festival’s opening night. “Let’s get back to interacting like humans. “Put them weird-ass devices down. I ain’t from that era. Them sh*ts don’t control the soul. F*ck your phone.”
Apparently, some festivalgoers were slow to put their phones away as the former Leaders of the New School member demanded, so Busta emphasized that he was not asking, he was telling them to put the phones away while he was on stage.
“I will point every last one of y’all out until y’all asses is up,” he said, adding that he had “zero tolerance for bullshit energy” curing his first Essence Festival performance.
“Make me feel like we home,” the “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” artist demanded.
In a fiery Instagram post, Busta explained that his outburst over his frustration with the crowd was about “SHOWMANSHIP” and that he wasn’t “CONCERNED WITH THE SH*T TALK AND THE FALSE NARRATIVES” in regards to the backlash floating around social media in response to video clips of him going in on the audience.
Seriously, who doesn’t get hyped during a live Busta Rhymes show? Maybe that lack of energy is just what happens when you’re watching a live show through a small screen.
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Busta Rhymes is a consummate professional and one of the top performers to ever grace the stage. Over the weekend, Busta Rhymes ended his set by teasing a possible remix to Kendrick Lamar’s massive hit “Not Like Us.”
Busta Rhymes was at the Essence Festival in New Orleans over the weekend and the veteran Hip-Hop performer had DJ Scratchator rock a portion of his verse from the assumed “Not Like Us” remix. However, it isn’t known if it’s an official release. DJ Scratchator ran the verse back twice as Busta and Spliff Star continued to exit the stage.
If this remix is the genuine article, it appears that Busta has chosen a side in the ongoing feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, with many declaring the Compton, Calif. star the victor over his Canadian counterpart.
Also during Busta’s set at Essence Fest, the former Leaders Of The New School rapper checked the crowd for being too subdued for his tastes and said in his three decades of performing, he’s never had folks play the too-cool for-school position.
“Thirty-three years of doing this sh*t, I ain’t used to n*ggas sitting down at my show. I don’t give a f*ck! All age groups, get your ass up now,” Busta said to a crowd still trying to settle in their seats.
You can watch clips of both moments featuring Busta Rhymes below.
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Photo: Getty
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It seems there is more to learn about 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G.’s story. Busta Rhymes reveals that a popular Biggie Smalls verse was actually going at Pac.
As spotted on Vibe, the Rap legend recently paid a visit to the All The Smoke podcast. While the “Touch It” MC discussed a variety of topics, ranging from his storied career to current events, it was a story he told about a studio session with B.I.G. that has since gone viral. Back in the mid-’90s Busta Rhymes was aiming to secure Biggie, Method Man and Nas as features on one song. While the track didn’t come together like how he originally intended, it birthed a very memorable performance by the King of New York.
“So there’s a song in the middle of the Biggie and 2Pac beef and he [Biggie] recorded the verse in my studio session. At the time I thought it would be brilliant to have these three MC’s on a J Dilla beat. I think B.I.G. just got into the car accident with [Lil’] Cease and his leg was messed up and the elevator wasn’t working,” Busta explained. “I got to Soundtracks [on] the third day. Elevators fine,” Busta continues. “Big and [Lil’] Cease come. They pull up. Meth and Nas came two days in a row now. No Biggie. So, they was not coming on the third day.”
The former Leaders of the New School member would go on to detail seeing B.I.G.’s creative process for the first time ever. “One hour, two hours; he just smoking. He ain’t writing nothing. About three hours in I’m like ‘My ni**a you ain’t going to do this verse my ni**a?’ That ni**a said, ‘I’m ready Buss.’”
Busta Rhymes would go on to recite the verse and emphasize the lines directed at 2Pac via his cadence and pitch. “Diamonds on my neck, chrome drop-top / Chillin’ on the scene, smoking pounds of green / Oooh-wee, you see, the ugliest / Money-hungriest, Brooklyn Loch Ness / Nine millimeter cock test, wan fi’ test? / And the winner is, not that thinner kid / Bandanas, tattoos, my fists never bruise / Land still cruise.”
At the time, Bus was good friends with 2Pac thus he told B.I.G. he would not be releasing the song. Years later, the verse would reappear on the posthumous Notorious B.I.G. album Born Again on “Dangerous MC’s.” You can hear the original verse below.
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Even with his animated personality, Busta Rhymes has never be known as a man to play around with. Apparently, a rapper named Nizzle Man found that out the hard way as he and the Dungeon Dragon seemingly bumped heads at a club this past weekend.
As seen in a clip making the social media rounds, Busta Rhymes and Nizzle Man got into some kind of scuffle while attending French Montana’s album release party this past Friday night (February 23). From the looks of things, Nizzle took the L as he was dragged away by Busta’s crew as the “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” rapper barked in his face. Though no hands were thrown, it seemed like quite an aggressive situation unfolded that ended with Busta and Nizzle disappearing into the crowd.
Sometimes all it takes is one misunderstanding for things to go completely left. Hopefully, cooler heads prevailed and the two men were able to hash out whatever problem might’ve occurred.
But as far as from Busta’s camp on an explanation, nothing but crickets.
What do y’all think of the situation? Peep the video and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Last week Busta Rhymes released his 11th studio album in Blockbusta and for his day-one fans that have been following his career for the past few decades, the Hip-Hop icon decided to treat them with some brand new visuals to go along with the album release.
Collaborating with DaBaby and T-Pain for the visuals to “Big Everything,” Busta Rhymes and company get on some Dick Tracy ish with their brightly colored tailored suits as they hit some CGI’d streets and hit up the strip bar where they make it rain with CGI dollar bills. Is that like an equivalent to Bit Coins? Just asking.
Bubba Sparxxx meanwhile is still out here rapping after decades of laying low and in his Adam Calhoun assisted clip to “They Just Don’t Know,” Timbaland’s former artist hosts some young women in his home where he and Adam get hype while playing the leather sofa that you’d find at an old lady’s house. Bubba living hella humble. Can’t be mad at that.
Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from Luh Tyler, Teelow, and more.
BUSTA RHYMES FT DABABY & T-PAIN – “BIG EVERYTHING”
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BUBBA SPARXXX FT. ADAM CALHOUN – “THEY JUST DON’T KNOW”
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LUH TYLER – “CHANGE MY WAYZ”
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TEELOW – “FIND A WAY”
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PHAEVA PHAWTY & D-WEEZY – “BOSS MOVES”
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MONEY MAN – “COUGHING”
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KARRAHBOO – “RUNNING LATE”
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VERSA THE RAPPER – “THIS IS FOR ME”
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BYRON MESSIA – “LA LA”
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Azealia Banks is more known for her acidic remarks against fellow entertainers than her music these days but often displays a softer side despite her reputation. After apologizing to Lizzo, the Harlem rapper took aim at Busta Rhymes and essentially body-shamed the veteran MC.
Over the weekend, Azealia Banks took to her Instagram Stories feed and issued a written apology to Lizzo, complete with a tag.
“I was having a conversation last night and realized that I owe @lizzobeeating a huge apology for popping so much shit,” Banks began in the Stories thread.
She added, “If hip hop will allow a 55+ severely overweight @bustarhymes who exhibits major signs of anabolic steroid abuse, adrenal gland failure, and constipation, and will also allow him to have a face full of blackheads and acne from what appears to be testosterone shot abuse ALL whilst drinking molly water in 2023 and wearing cartoon-like Neon yellow fake gold slick Rick chains…We have absolutely no right to be trying to skewer a YOUNG black woman – for anything.”
For the record, Busta Rhymes turned 51 this past May.
It isn’t clear why Banks took the shot at Busta Rhymes but her apology to Lizzo seemingly stems from comments she made in 2019 about the singer’s weight and appearance and referred to her as a “millennial mammy” all while acknowledging her talents.
As of now, neither entertainer has responded to Azealia Banks.
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Busta Rhymes has been an electrifying force in Hip-Hop since before many of today’s rappers were born. Last month, the Brooklyn bred emcee took home the 2023 BET Awards biggest honor as this year’s Lifetime Achievement recipient.
Some of music’s greatest talents, including Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Diddy paid homage to the 12-time Grammy Award nominated rapper in a heartwarming video. Fans took to Twitter to share their favorite Busta Rhymes moments while reiterating that a Lifetime Achievement Award was overdue for the “mayor of Hip Hop.”
Busta’s award sparked an even bigger conversation about other icons whose contributions in Hip-Hop have seemingly gone unnoticed. Check out our list of Hip-Hop legends who deserve their flowers while they can smell them.
Ludacris
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Before rappers like Big Sean and DaBaby captivated fans with their animated delivery, wild punchlines and humorous videos, Ludacris had the game on lock. His major label debut album Back for the First Time, spawned several hit records that many fans deem to be instant classics — including the Neptunes- produced track “What’s Your Fantasy.”
While Atlanta was still finding their identity in Hip-Hop, Luda continued cranking out chart topping records and big budget music videos throughout the 2000s. But after years of hard work and a Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2007 for Release Therapy, he started to feel that his contributions to Hip-Hop weren’t being acknowledged. In May 2023, Luda appeared on the All The Smoke podcast and revealed that Jay-Z credited his outlandish videos as the reason why Luda doesn’t receive the lyrical credit he deserves. “People ask me, ‘Why don’t you think [you] get the credit?’ Because I played too goddamn much…And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Luda said.
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