The legendary Busta Rhymes has been a prevalent figure in hip-hop for over 25 years and, during the late 1990s and early 2000s, was a prominent figure in East Coast hip-hop. Known for his complex wordplay and ability to rhyme at lightning speed, Busta Rhymes has worked with everyone from Method Man to KRS-One.
However, in a sit-down interview with Ebro Darden of Apple Music 1 Radio, Smith admitted that he struggled with mental and emotional deterioration mid-way through his career but got saved by Pharrell Williams.
Pharrell Williams and Busta Rhymes have worked on a number of songs, one of the most notable being ‘Pass The Courvoisier Part II.‘ Still, besides music, Smith explained that Williams done a great deal for him during his career outside of production.
During the candid conversation with Darden, Busta opened up about some of his personal battles and how both Pharrell and Swizz Beatz guided him when he was down and looking for answers. Concerning his tribulations, Smith elaborated, “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 continued, “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.” Although Smith didn’t pinpoint and expose his issues fully, he did reveal that the two producers helped set him straight when he was lost.
Smith explained that he was lacking happiness, disclosing, “I became so complacent in this space that it was starting to harm me, 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.”
He concluded by praising Williams and Swizz Beatz by divulging, “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.”
You can watch the Brooklyn rapper open up about his issues in the video below.
