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Trevor Smith Jnr., 20 May
1972, Brooklyn, New York, USA. Rapper Busta Rhymes
became the toast of the American hip-hop community
with the release of his Elektra Records debut,
The Coming, in 1996. Although offering nothing
outstanding in its lyrics, album tracks such as
"Everything Remains Raw" and "It's
A Party" highlighted his compelling ragga-influenced
delivery to good effect, and the catchy single
"Woo-Hah!! Got You All In Check" broke
into the US Top 10. Rhymes had originally rapped
as part of the highly praised Leaders Of The New
School, with MC Charlie Brown, Dinco D and Milo
In De Dance, releasing the acclaimed A Future
Without A Past in 1991. He has also worked with
a stellar cast of singers including Boyz II Men,
Mary J. Blige, TLC and A Tribe Called Quest, and
appeared in the movies Who's The Man? and Higher
Learning. Attempts to promote The Coming in the
UK ended in disaster. His planned performance
at the Kentish Town Forum in May ended in calamity
when delays in securing a work permit prevented
him from appearing. Outraged fans caused an estimated
£75,000 of damage after they rioted in protest.
Rhymes released the ambitious US Top 5 album When
Disaster Strikes ... in September 1997, exploring
pre-millennial fears and the future of rap. The
album included a powerful duet with Erykah Badu
on "One" and "Turn It Up/Fire It
Up", with a remix of the latter entering
the US Top 10. The track also provided Rhymes
with his highest UK chart placing the following
April when it debuted at number 2.
The same year he released The Imperial as part
of the Flipmode Squad, a collaborative project
with rappers Rampage, Lord Have Mercy, Spliff
Star, Rah Digga and Baby Sham. Rhymes' fascination
with film informed the same year's Extinction
Level Event: The Final World Front, which took
its title from the disaster movie Deep Impact.
The frenetic "Gimme Some More" reached
number 5 in the UK singles chart in January 1999.
Rhymes enjoyed further transatlantic success in
April when the highly catchy "What's It Gonna
Be?!', featuring Janet Jackson, reached the US
and UK Top 10. Rhymes" has kept up his frantic
work rate, juggling his music career with his
acting roles. In 2000 he worked on several movie
projects, including the remake of Shaft, and released
his final album for Elektra, Anarchy.
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