Busta Rhymes rarely opens up about his vulnerabilities, but a new interview about Pharrell Williams inspired him to open up about some of his personal battles.
In a new Apple Music interview with Ebro posted on Friday (June 30), the Flipmode leader went into detail about how Pharrell (who he referred to as a “god”) and Swizz Beats helped get him back on track during a difficult phase in his life.
AD LOADING...
“There’s been some times in the last four-five years where I needed to make some changes that was very serious changes, personally and professionally,” he explained. “Because I’m the type of person where I love hard and I’m loyal to the point where it can be a burden as opposed to the loyalty being a blessing.”
Though Bus didn’t elaborate on his issues any further, he did explain how much his friends contributed to setting him straight.
AD LOADING...
“I became so complacent in this space that it was starting to harm me,” he proceeded. “And I needed to talk to somebody and try to help get a navigation to help me reach to the destination that I needed to reach to get up out of that, and get back to my happiness and my peace of mind.
“Pharrell and Swizz very specifically in this area of my life, in this time of my life, were just the two people that I was able to trust with my most vulnerable space.”
AD LOADING...
The 51-year-old rapper then made it a point to acknowledge the extent of their influence on his current self, saying: “Not only did I trust [them] with the truth, them n-ggas helped fix Bus Rhymes.”
Watch the New York spitter get candid about his moment of weakness below:
Last week, Busta Rhymes was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 BET Awards, and he took the opportunity to impart some OG wisdom on the rap game during his rousing acceptance speech.
Taking the stage to rapturous applause and a standing ovation inside Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater on Sunday night (June 25), he reflected on his trailblazing career while calling for more unity and positivity in Hip Hop.
Busta’s powerful speech began on an emotional note as he became overwhelmed with the love and adoration from inside the room. “I’ma wear it on my sleeve: I do want to cry,” he said before removing his sunglasses and wiping the tears from his eyes, prompting more cheers of support from the audience. He went on to look back at his successes and the struggles he overcame in his 35-plus years as a musician.
Busta teared up once more while talking about his genuine, loving nature and paying tribute to his “best friend” Spliff Star and longtime collaborator DJ Scratch, both of whom stood behind him.
AD LOADING...
The “Woo-Hah!!” hitmaker capped off his speech by channeling his inner Hip Hop pastor, urging his rap peers to “stop these little petty beefs,” record executives to promote more than just negative stereotypes and OGs to set an example so that younger generations want to follow them.
