50 Fun Facts About Busta Rhymes

Busta Rhymes's "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" video salutes which Eddie Murphy comedy?

Coming to America was playing on the studio television while the track was being mixed, and Busta felt the beat had an African sound.

Which singer joins Busta Rhymes on "What's It Gonna Be?!", one of the costliest videos ever made?

Janet Jackson stars in the effects-heavy video, which cost upwards of $2 million and has Busta forming out of spilled silver liquid in a suit of armor.

The violins in Busta Rhymes's "Gimme Some More" are sampled from the theme of which Hitchcock film?

Psycho's opening theme, composed by Bernard Herrmann, loops under what is often rated the peak of Busta's breathless, high-speed delivery.

Busta Rhymes raps on "Don't Cha", a chart-topper in 15 countries for which girl group?

Pussycat Dolls, a burlesque troupe turning pop group, took their debut single to number two in the US. Tori Alamaze had first recorded it a year earlier.

"Touch It" by Busta Rhymes is built around a sample of "Technologic" by which electronic music duo?

Daft Punk returned the favor by working the Busta Rhymes single into their live album Alive 2007.

Which singer returned to the US top five with Busta Rhymes on the 2003 hit "I Know What You Want"?

Mariah Carey and Busta reached number three in the US, and reunited in 2021 for Where I Belong, whose video continues the same storyline.

The Busta Rhymes hit "Turn It Up (Remix)/Fire It Up" samples the theme from which 1980s TV series?

Knight Rider's theme replaced the Al Green sample of the album version, and the reworked single became his third US top-ten hit.

Busta Rhymes raps one of his fastest verses on "Look at Me Now", a 2011 hit by which singer?

Chris Brown's single, which also features Lil Wayne, reached number six in the US and gave Busta his seventh top-ten hit there.

"Break Ya Neck" by Busta Rhymes contains an interpolation of "Give It Away" by which rock band?

Red Hot Chili Peppers' hook is replayed rather than sampled, and singer Truth Hurts adds vocals to the 2001 single from the album Genesis.

Busta Rhymes raps on a 2011 cover of "The Little Drummer Boy" recorded by which Canadian pop singer?

Justin Bieber's Drummer Boy, from his Christmas album Under the Mistletoe, topped People's 2013 list of the weirdest holiday duets.

Busta Rhymes broke out at 19 with the final verse of the posse cut "Scenario" by which rap group?

A Tribe Called Quest released it on The Low End Theory, and Time later picked the track for its All-TIME 100 Songs list.

Which rapper traded ever-longer verses with Busta Rhymes until 2014's "Calm Down" ran six minutes?

Eminem answered each extended Busta verse with a longer one of his own, a back-and-forth that took about seven months, and he mixed the finished track too.

Which Public Enemy member gave Trevor Smith the name Busta Rhymes at a talent show around 1989?

Chuck D handed out the name, and soon afterward the Bomb Squad, Public Enemy's production team, took the teenager's first group under its wing and taught its members to produce.

The name Busta Rhymes was borrowed from George "Buster" Rhymes, a 1980s pro in which sport?

Football's George Rhymes was a Minnesota Vikings wide receiver who set an NFL single-season record for kick return yardage in 1985.

In the "Dangerous" video, Busta Rhymes is made up as Mel Gibson's character Riggs from which film?

Lethal Weapon supplies the video's plot, with sidekick Spliff Star made up as Gary Busey's villain Mr. Joshua.

Which director shot fisheye-lens videos for Busta Rhymes hits such as "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check"?

Hype Williams went on to direct Dangerous, Gimme Some More and Break Ya Neck, and his Woo-Hah!! clip earned an MTV nomination for Breakthrough Video.

Busta Rhymes joined Coolio and Method Man on "Hit 'Em High", the Monstars' anthem from which film?

Space Jam gave its villains their own theme, which missed the main US chart but reached number one in Norway and number eight in the UK.

"Pass the Courvoisier, Part II" by Busta Rhymes is named after a brand of which French spirit?

Cognac house Courvoisier ranks among the four leading names with Hennessy, Rémy Martin and Martell. The song's video has cameos from Mr. T and Jamie Foxx.

"Rumble in the Jungle", a Fugees single with Busta Rhymes, samples "The Name of the Game" by which pop group?

ABBA had never before let one of their recordings be officially sampled, a decision Benny Andersson later put down to the group's admiration for Lauryn Hill.

Which "Break Ya Neck" co-producer later released a Busta Rhymes album on his Aftermath label?

Dr. Dre shared the 2001 production with Scott Storch, and five years later was among the producers of the rapper's first chart-topping album.

Which 2006 Busta Rhymes album, led by the single "Touch It", was his first to top the Billboard 200?

The Big Bang sold 209,000 copies in its first week and unveiled a new look: Busta had cut off the dreadlocks he wore for most of his career.

Busta Rhymes first recorded for Elektra as a teenager in which Long Island hip-hop group?

Leaders of the New School won their name in a song battle set by the Bomb Squad; the losing crew had to settle for the name Young Black Teenagers.

Busta Rhymes was born to Jamaican parents in the East Flatbush area of which New York City borough?

Brooklyn was home until he was 12, when the family moved to Uniondale on Long Island, where he later formed his first group.

Which producer gave the "Touch It" beat to Busta Rhymes after Eve turned the instrumental down?

Swizz Beatz recalled that Eve simply wasn't feeling the track at that moment, while Busta was eager to take it.

Which rock band joined Busta Rhymes on the 2008 single "We Made It", a top-ten hit in Britain?

Linkin Park kept springing to mind when Busta heard the beat, and the band's Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson added production to the finished single.

Which rapper joins Busta Rhymes on the official single version of the dancehall-flavored "Twerk It"?

Nicki Minaj recorded her verse one day and filmed the video in Flatbush soon after, on a set so large she said she hadn't known it was a real video.

Which dancehall star joins Busta Rhymes and Spliff Star on the single remix of "Make It Clap"?

Sean Paul was added for the remix, which replaced the original as the official single in January 2003 and reached number 46 in the US.

The Puff Daddy single "Victory", featuring Busta Rhymes, samples Bill Conti's music from which film?

Rocky's soundtrack cue Going the Distance drives the track, which carries the last verses the Notorious B.I.G. recorded, a day before he was shot.

Busta Rhymes and Black Thought remade "My Shot" for a mixtape of songs from which Broadway musical?

Hamilton's mixtape version, which also features Joell Ortiz, took the trio to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform the song.

Which rapper's "Hey Lover" beat "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check" by Busta Rhymes to a Grammy Award?

LL Cool J won Best Rap Solo Performance, and Will Smith then beat Busta to the same award in each of the next two years.

The Busta Rhymes single "In the Ghetto" samples "Ghetto Life" and features which funk star?

Rick James is heard through a track from his album Street Songs, and the single closes with a clip of him speaking at a 2004 awards show.

On 2013's "Thank You", Busta Rhymes trades verses with which rapper, his partner on a joint mixtape?

Q-Tip heard the beat in his studio, jumped on it, and suggested adding Lil Wayne and Kanye West, whose labels were rumored to be at odds.

Which actress plays the wife of Busta Rhymes in the film-spoofing video for "I Love My Chick"?

Gabrielle Union plays Mrs. Smith opposite Busta, whose real surname made him a natural Mr. Smith in Benny Boom's send-up of the married-assassins film.

"Arab Money" by Busta Rhymes is the favorite song of the character Yusuf Amir in which video game series?

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony made it Amir's theme in 2009, and the song came back with the character in a 2023 online update.

Which heavy metal singer guests on "This Means War!!" from the Busta Rhymes album Extinction Level Event?

Ozzy Osbourne shares the writing credit with his Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, alongside Busta himself.

The cover of the Busta Rhymes album Extinction Level Event was inspired by which disaster film?

Deep Impact uses the same phrase as the album title: in the film, the initials E.L.E. stand for an extinction-level event.

Which singer-producer wrote "Don't Cha" before the hit version added a rap by Busta Rhymes?

CeeLo Green built the chorus on the hook of Swass by Sir Mix-a-Lot, and first cut the song with former OutKast backing singer Tori Alamaze.

Busta Rhymes borrowed the "Woo-Hah!!" chorus from "8th Wonder", a 1980 single by which rap group?

Sugarhill Gang's record ended a seven-month writer's block: Busta had the beat ready but no words until he heard it.

Which rapper guests on the "Woo-Hah!!" remix after a 1994 freestyle battle with Busta Rhymes?

Ol' Dirty Bastard had sparred with Busta two years before the single, and some of Busta's lines from that battle ended up in the song itself.

Busta Rhymes raps beside Twista and Yelawolf on "Worldwide Choppers", a 2011 single by which rapper?

Tech N9ne gathered rapid-fire rappers from several US cities plus Turkey and Denmark, and a video was never made because so many artists couldn't be filmed at once.

Busta Rhymes and the Notorious B.I.G. both rap on the Bad Boy remix of "Flava in Ya Ear" by which rapper?

Craig Mack only got the beat because Apache, the rapper it was meant for, was away on tour with Naughty by Nature.

Which rap trio's "It's Like That" remix kept "Turn It Up/Fire It Up" by Busta Rhymes off the UK number one?

Run-DMC's track, reworked by Jason Nevins, held the top spot, though the Busta single still led the UK dance and R&B charts.

Busta Rhymes's "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" samples a 1976 track by which soft rock duo?

Seals and Crofts supplied the loop for the first beat producer Buddah ever made, and it reached Busta through his road manager.

Which R&B act sings with Busta Rhymes on "It's a Party", the second single from his debut album?

Zhané member Rene Neufville co-wrote the song, which Easy Mo Bee produced and which peaked at number 52 in the US.

"Touch It" by Busta Rhymes peaked at 16 in the US but reached number one in which country?

New Zealand sent the single to the top, and in Britain it climbed to number six after first charting on download sales alone.

Busta Rhymes plays reality-show director Freddie Harris in a 2002 film from which horror franchise?

Halloween: Resurrection has his character dress up as Michael Myers to scare the contestants, only to be followed around the house by the real killer.

A tiny pond island in Shrewsbury was unofficially named after Busta Rhymes in which US state?

Massachusetts resident Kevin O'Brien picked the name because the island had rope-swinging, blueberries and other things he thought Busta would enjoy.

In which Gus Van Sant drama does Busta Rhymes play Terrell, the brother of a gifted teenage writer?

Finding Forrester pairs the teenager with a reclusive novelist, and Terrell helps his brother sneak the old man onto the empty field at Yankee Stadium.

The Busta Rhymes album Year of the Dragon came out as a free download through which digital store?

Google Play gave the album away in 2012, months after the Busta single Why Stop Now launched as a free exclusive on the same company's music store.

Which female rapper spent over a decade in the Flipmode Squad, the crew fronted by Busta Rhymes?

Rah Digga left in 2007, saying the crew's members had turned to their solo careers and that her own second album had been shelved.