Yesterday was Busta Rhymes’ birthday and you’re probably asking yourself, “How old is Busta Rhymes?”
The rapper turned 43, and in honor of this celebratory Busta Rhymes birthday, we look into the Busta Rhymes net worth of $65.0 millionand what made the rapper rich.
Early Life
Busta Rhymes was born on May 20, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York, as Trevor Smith, Jr. His parents, Trevor Smith, Sr. and Geraldine Green, are from Jamaica. Rhymes is single but has a family with four children. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave the rapper his stage name after former NFL football player George “Buster” Rhymes and the name stuck ever since. Before being the well-known singer and actor he is today, Rhymes was known for his wild style and fashion until being recognized for his fast rapping technique. Busta Rhymes songs have a lot of internal rhyming and half rhyming, which he is still known for today.
| Back on My B.S. | $195,000 |
| The Big Bang | $910,000 |
| It Ain’t Safe No More | $750,000 |
| Genesis | $1,500,000 |
| Total Net Worth | $65.0 million |
Source: TheRichest
Music Career
Rhymes has had a thriving music career, having been active in the business since 1989. He has released 10 studio albums over the span of his career. Many of his albums have achieved either gold or platinum status, which alone explains his talent as an artist. He first got noticed when he was part of a rap group with Long Island natives Charlie Brown, Dinco D, and Cut Monitor Milo. Together they formed the hip hop group Leaders of the New School. They got their big break when they opened for the hip hop group Public Enemy. The group achieved moderate success but later broke up. After the breakup, Rhymes would be part of the rap group known as A Tribe Called Quest and would work on tracks with artists such as Mary J. Blige and Boyz II Men.
Rhymes recorded his first solo album, The Coming, in the summer of 1995 and released it in March of 1996. A month before the album was released, he introduced the hit single “Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check.” He later began working on his next album, When Disaster Strikes (1997). The album produced singles like “Fire it Up” and “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.”
Fast forward to 2001 with the hit single “Pass the Courvoisier,” featuring Sean Combs (P.Diddy) and Pharell as part of Rhymes’ album Genesis. Rhymes has also been affiliated with Nicki Minaj, Keri Wilson, the Pussycat Dolls, Ludacris, and more.
His latest album, Year of the Dragon (2012), received mixed reviews from critics; however, Rhymes is currently working on a new album, titled E.L.E. 2 (Extinct Level Event 2) End of the World, which has an undetermined release date.
Financial Problems
In 2014 it was reported that Rhymes owes $789,577 in back taxes and the IRS claimed that the rapper failed to pay $611,000 in taxes for 2008 and $178,000 for 2012. He hasn’t publicly commented on the subject, nor his yearly salary, but it has been suspected as being a part of larger financial problems. Rhymes is talented but has yet to reach the wealth of his fellow artists such as P. Diddy, Kanye West, or Jay Z. His legal issues and assault charges also hinder his wealth somewhat, having to pay thousands of dollars in fines, involving battery of a concertgoer and a man who vandalized his car by spitting on it.
Car Collection
Rhymes is known to have two vehicles in his car collection: A Rolls Royce Phantom and a green Lamborghini. Not bad choices if you’re going to pick expensive cars, though the Lamborghini would probably look better in red or white.
Endorsements
For a long time now, celebrities from all mediums are paid for their endorsements, whether it be shoes, cars, makeup, or food. Rhymes apparently did not receive a paid endorsement deal for his smash hit “Pass the Courvoisier,” which had increased revenue due to the rapper’s name drop of the famous cognac. Surprisingly, he didn’t mean to drop the drink’s name as a marketing strategy, but either way, he wasn’t compensated for it. He also freely endorsed dairy protein drink Muscle Milk and even threw it at a gym employee’s head while in New York City. If Rhymes started endorsing products for money, his net worth might actually be increased. Now, there’s no way a celebrity will endorse anything for free and many can be seen endorsing things they don’t even like.
No matter how you look at it, Busta Rhymes songs are the kind of house music fans can listen to over and over again. Hopefully he keeps that up in order to add to the current Busta Rhymes net worth of $65.0 million.
