In this revealing conversation, Busta Rhymes, a legendary rapper known for his dynamic style and impactful lyrics, opens up about his tumultuous journey. He candidly shares how growing up in a challenging environment shaped his identity. Busta recalls the struggles of his early career, facing rejection and familial pressures. His reflections on grief from losing his manager and the near-death experiences that changed his perspective on life are particularly poignant. Ultimately, he emphasizes the importance of resilience and the drive to succeed against all odds.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Early Influences
Busta Rhymes grew up in a Brooklyn neighborhood where respect and discipline were enforced by the entire community.
This upbringing shaped his values and provided a foundation for his later success.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Alternative Path of Hip Hop
Busta Rhymes acknowledges being involved in selling drugs as a kid, but hip-hop provided an alternative path.
Community members, lacking better opportunities, guided and protected him while encouraging his music.
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Impact of Divorce
His parents' divorce at 11 was disastrous, increasing his misbehavior and anger.
Conflicts between his parents affected his visitation schedule and relationships with extended family.
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In this book, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma reshapes both the body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores various treatments, including neurofeedback, meditation, sports, drama, and yoga, which activate the brain’s natural neuroplasticity to aid in recovery. The book emphasizes the power of relationships in both causing and healing trauma and offers hope through descriptions of novel approaches to treatment. It is based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists in the field[1][2][5].
If you enjoy hearing about inside the music industry and its artists, I recommend you check out my conversation with will.i.am, which you can find here:
From Trevor to Busta, love of the rap game to global success, and rock bottom to rebirth. This is Busta Rhymes as you’ve never heard him.
Trevor George Smith Jr. or ‘Busta Rhymes’, first reached fame with the hip-hop group, ‘Leaders of the New School’, and began his solo rap career in 1996, since then has released 11 studio albums and received 12 Grammy Award nominations for his work.
In this conversation Busta and Steven discuss topics, such as:
Growing up in the hood
Starting out in music
Becoming an MC by accident
Using rap as a way out of work
Becoming addicted to entertaining and the reaction of people to his raps
Rapping to protect himself
Selling crack at 12 years old
Failure not being an option for his father
His father standing in the way of his musical career
Getting booed off stage early in his career
His mother signing his record deal at 17 years old
What lessons he would tell his kids to reach success
Why you need to be selfish to reach success
His manger dying in 2012
How his manager taught him ever he knew
His emotional down turn
How his whole life was going in a totally different direction
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett 