Busta Rhymes is the first subject of Life + Times’ new interview series called The Round Up. Hosted by veteran journalist Shaheem Reid, he gets Bussa Bus to speak on numerous topics including his stint on Leaders of the New School and becoming a burgeoning rap star while still in high school.
“That sh-t was amazing homie because we ain’t have no overhead,” said Busta with a smile. “You still living in your mom’s crib. So everything was just good, it was no bills. The only bill you had was your cell phone ans whatever you was blowing your money on; weed and clothes. It was fun. I think that’s part of the reason why a lot of the sh-t was that was happening back then was so creative because a lot of us was young and we didn’t really have the stipulations and the rules of the politics of the industry to worry about.”
He continued, “You put your records out, if them sh-ts didn’t do well you didn’t give a f-ck because you didn’t have the upkeep of overhead every 30 days. The respect is what you wanted to command more than anything else. And once you commanded the respect, everything else pretty much spun off of that.”
Peep the rest of the interview below, which includes how he was making so much money off features between ’93 and ’96 that he wasn’t even thinking of a solo album and reintroducing the “boom bap in a new way” with his new album.
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Photo: YouTube
