How is The Net Worth of Busta Rhymes a Stunning $20m?

What is Busta Rhymes’ Net Worth?

The Usual Intro

Busta Rhymes is a 50-year-old American rapper and actor. He embarked on his journey to stardom with the hit single, “Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check.”

Throughout the late 1990s to 2000s, Busta Rhymes frequently made headlines as a distinctive personality of rap’s golden era. His song lyrics have a broad theme of complexity, humor, and inventiveness, which makes him a recognizable artist.

Moreover, he also worked as a producer and acted for several roles in movies and shows. He has an incredible fashion sense and has inspired many artists to follow his sense of style. Today, he has a net worth of $20 Million.

Before the Spotlight

Trevor George Smith Jr. was born on May 20, 1972, in Brooklyn, New York City. His mother, Geraldine Green, and father, Trevor Smith Sr., were Jamaican. 

During his childhood, Rhymes traveled around a lot of places. Turning 12, he moved with his family to Long Island. Shortly after that, they relocated to Liverpool. After several years, the family moved back to the United States.

Busta Rhymes studied at George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School. Later, he went to Uniondale High Schooling in Long Island, where he graduated in 1991.

The Journey to Success

Busta Rhymes entered the spotlight when he was only in high school. He met with Charlie Brown, Dinco D, and Cut Monitor Millo to form a four-member band called the “Leader of the New School.” The group soon rose to fame when it became the opening act for the trending group “Public Enemy.” 

At this time, Chuck D gave Trevor his stage name “Busta Rhymes.” The group’s fame skyrocketed with the release of their album “Future Without a Past” on Elektra Records. Two years later, they dropped a second album, “T.I.M.E” (The Inner Mind’s Eye). 

Thanks to his Jamaican influences, Trevor soon became a prime member of the group due to his advanced and unique rhymes. Unfortunately, his rising fame backfired as the internal issues flared up within the group, and in 1994, it was finally dissolved.

With the group’s farewell, Busta began his solo musical career and made huge feats. He collaborated with many famous artists like KRS-One, A Tribe Called Quest, Notorious B.I.G, etc. Working with other artists gave him a better exposure to starting his solo career, and in 1996, he released his biggest single yet, “Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check.” It was a monumental track that ruled the Billboard Hot Rap Singles for seven consecutive weeks.

Just a month later, Busta hit another milestone with his first studio album, “The Coming.” It acquired gold certification by the RIAA only after two months and helped Rhymes bag a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance. The album also ranked No.1 on the Billboard Top R&B/ Hip-Hop Album chart.

In 1997, he released the second album, “When Disaster Strikes.” The singles “Fire It Up” and “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” were massive hits. They helped establish Busta Rhymes as one of the most successful and wealthiest rappers in the United States. The album ascended to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and earned him a second Grammy nomination.

His next album, “Extinction Level Event,” debuted at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2000, he switched to J Records from Elektra Records after the release of his album “Anarchy.” The album “Genesis” featured many well-known artists like Pharrell and P. Diddy, but it failed to do better than his previous releases. 

In 2007, he rocked the charts again with his “The Big Bang” album. It was produced by the legendary Dr.Dre and sold over a whopping 209,000 copies within the first week of release.

Rhymes then penned a deal with Universal Motown record and released his eighth album, “Back on My B.S.” It instantly climbed to No. 5 on the Billboard 200, selling 56,000 copies. 

However, the album was subjected to sharp criticism. It was banned in many Islamic countries as Busta unethically used the Islamic word “Shahada.” Many Arabs vehemently hated his particular single, “Arab Money.”

The Best Moments

• He was nominated for Grammy Awards 12 times.
• He was included in the list of 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time.
• “The Source” listed him in the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.
• Rhymes has collaborated with Gucci Mane, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, and others.

The Private Side

Busta Rhymes had three sons and three daughters from 1993 to 2006. He is a member of “The Five-Percent Nation,” who believe that white people are devils, created by a black scientist named “Yakub” 6,000 years ago.

Busta Rhymes has been charged with countless legal issues. In 2006, he attacked a man in New York City and was arrested for third-degree assault. The following year, he was again charged for assault by his former driver after Busta had failed to pay him back.

The same year, he was arrested for driving while impaired and without a driving license. He was subsequently sentenced to 3 years of probation, community service, and $1,250 in fines, plus a drunk driving program enrollment.

Busta Rhymes’ Related YouTube Video

Busta Rhymes – The Messy Truth with Van Jones and Busta Rhymes (Exclusive Interview)

Famous Quotes of Busta Rhymes

Busta’s words of wisdom are a blessing for us. Let’s glimpse into some of his powerful quotes:

• “For me the best thing about winning an award is when the people cheer for your win. When you can see that the people are really happy that you are winning something, that’s the most reward thing in the world.”

• “I feel like the quality of privacy and respect of people’s personal space has been completely disintegrated. You can ask to take the picture. I will be so glad to take the picture and pose and look good for the picture.”

• “At the end of the day, man, you can’t protect yourself from a haymaker that’s coming in toward your face if you don’t see it coming.”

The Social World

People have greatly applauded his lightning-fast rapping skills. Here is a list of his active social media accounts with their respective stats:

• Instagram: 4.1 Million Followers
• Facebook: 6.7 Million Followers
• Twitter: 3.9 Million Followers
• Spotify: 9,573,855 Monthly Listeners
• YouTube: 1.7 Million Subscribers

Lessons for Entrepreneurs

Busta Rhymes set out numerous life-leading examples for us. Here are some of the significant lessons we can adopt into our lives:

1. Be Original. When Busta started rapping, his style significantly differed from other fellow rappers. Busta had a unique Jamaican element in his verses. He didn’t adopt the typical American style from the other rappers but developed his own. This distinctive element proved to be the driving force for the group’s immense fame.

2. Stay Optimistic. Busta’s career can be associated with a roller coaster ride, having many highs and lows. But you know what’s to note down here? His ability to stay positive in adversity. He faced major setbacks, such as with his album “Back on My B.S,” but he quickly swung the pendulum in the opposite direction by redefining his future albums.

3. Establish Multiple Relations. Rhymes partnered with numerous artists and signed many deals with major labels. Establishing relations is a good practice because you never know when the system will collapse. Over the years, his collaborations paved the way for his grand success.

The Unusual Stuff

Here are some of the mind-blowing facts about Busta Rhymes that we bet you didn’t know of:

• He has a record in the Guinness Book of World Records for speaking the most syllables in one second.

• He once opened a clothing line called “Bushi” in the late 90s.

• His name, Busta Rhymes, was inspired by a former football player named George “Buster” Rhymes.

• Busta has more than 300 song credits.

Answering Frequent Questions

How did Busta Rhymes lose weight?

He has been reported to eat egg whites and oatmeal every 2.5 hours, followed by a steak. He trains three times a day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and two times a day on Tuesdays and Sundays.

Why did Busta Rhymes cut his hair?

After 15 years, Rhymes officially cut off his trademark dreadlocks for spiritual and personal reasons. Busta told MTV, “That growth signifies that new defining moment in my life.”

In which movies have Busta acted?

He started his acting career with the movie “Strapped” in 1993 and followed it up with “Higher Learning.” He has also acted in “Halloween: Resurrection,” “Breaking Point,” and Finding Forrester.”

The Closing Remarks

Busta Rhymes is unarguably hip-hop’s leading rap artist who continues to take the music industry by storm. With his innovative Jamaican-induced beats and god-gifted rapid-fire rhyming style, Busta is a force to be reckoned with. He remains sporadically active, releasing albums such as “Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God” that continue to sky-rocket his fame.

Featured image credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com