Trevor Smith, Jr., better known as Busta Rhymes (born May 20, 1972), is a Grammy-nominated Jamaican–American rapper, songwriter, and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the name Busta Rhymes (from former NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes) after watching him perform.

Early career – Elektra

Busta Rhymes was a member of Leaders of the New School and released two albums with the group before breaking out with a 1996 solo hit single, "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check" from his platinum record album The Coming.

His second album, When Disaster Strikes, released in 1997, produced the hit singles "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and "Dangerous".

In 1998, Smith recorded Extinction Level Event (Final World Front), further expressing his view that the world would end in the year 2000. Its single, "Gimme Some More" – which sampled Bernard Herrmann's theme from Psycho – reached number 5 in the UK singles chart in January 1999. Smith enjoyed further transatlantic success in April when the single "What's It Gonna Be?!", featuring Janet Jackson, reached the US and UK Top 10. The album received prominent notice for featuring the fastest rapping Busta has yet done, on a song called "Iz They Wildin Wit Us & Gettin' Rowdy Wit Us?", featuring a guest appearance by Mystikal.allmusic Biography

1999 was a challenging year for Smith. He paid a visit to a courthouse regarding confusion involving child support, and he received 5 years of probation for possessing an unregistered gun. Elektra, not fond of the bad publicity, began to offer less promotions and studio time for his forthcoming album "Anarchy". Busta realized this and transferred Flipmode Squad to J Records after fulfilling his contract with Elektra.

J/Arista/BMG (2000-2004)

After defecting from Elektra, Smith signed to J Records, a label started by the then recently ousted Arista Records chief and founder Clive Davis. In 2001 he released a greatest hits collection alongside a new album of original work.

Continuing the Biblical theme of his previous albums, he titled his record Genesis. The album featured collaborations with Mary J. Blige, P. Diddy, Kelis, and others. Genesis was powered by the hit single with Kelis, "What It Is," and his solo single released in November 2001, "Break Ya Neck." The final single was the summer smash "Pass The Courvoisier Part 2," which featured Pharrell and P. Diddy. Despite the two powerful singles, this album did not sell as well as previous releases.

In 2002, Smith released his sixth studio album It Ain't Safe No More. The album was moderately successful, with a hit song featuring Mariah Carey and the Flipmode Squad called "I Know What You Want." Another hit song was "Make It Clap", featuring Spliff Starr. The remix of "Make It Clap" featured Sean Paul. After its release, he left J Records. In 2004, he signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.