Trevor George Smith Jr., born May 20, 1972, records as Busta Rhymes. Born in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, to Jamaican immigrant parents and raised in Uniondale on Long Island, he was given his stage name by Chuck D of Public Enemy. He came up as an original member of Leaders of the New School, which toured with Public Enemy and appeared on A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario," the verse that made him a star. After the group split he became one of rap's most in-demand guests, then launched his solo career with The Coming in 1996. Anarchy, Genesis, It Ain't Safe No More and the Aftermath-era The Big Bang followed, along with the visual language of Hype Williams-directed videos that defined late 1990s rap television. He has 12 Grammy nominations without a win, and returned in 2023 with Blockbusta.