Why You Should Be Excited About this weeks episode of Origins of Hip Hop on A&E

This week’s episode of Origins of Hip Hop on A&E features Busta Rhymes who's been putting out hits for more than 3 decades and has collaborated with with a broad range of artists, from Pussycat Dolls, to Linkin Park, to Jay-Z, and more. Here are a few reasons why we're excited to learn more from this weeks episode.

He is a master of storytelling through rhyme

Busta Rhymes is widely known for his masterful ability to weave a story through his lyrics, often adding humor and unexpected twists to his rhymes. This ability is widely credited to have helped bring a broader appeal to the genre of hip hop and has influenced a generation of artists, including Drake and Childish Gambino.

Rhymes also has a long-standing tradition of including obscure references in his rhymes, paying homage to the world of books with references like “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die” in his song “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” and “Unleash the dragon within” in “Ladies and Gentleman.”

He has worked with everyone who’s anyone in Hip Hop

Busta Rhymes has worked with an incredible array of artists throughout his career, including Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G., Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and many more. Rhymes is credited with helping bring East Coast and West Coast Hip Hop together during the East Coast/west Coast feud, due to his close relationship with both Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur.

His single “Gimme Some More” was the first collaboration between east and west coast artists, and features both Biggie Smalls and Dr. Dre, as well as Coolio, who is from Southern California.

He has an incredible work ethic and never gives up

Rhymes and his group, Leaders of the New School, were the first Hip Hop group signed to a major label, but were dropped from their record deal only six months later, due to their music and lyrics being too “urban” for their label. Despite this, Rhymes never gave up, continuing to create music and release it independently, and collaborating with artists on their own independent labels, including Missy Elliot and Timbaland.

Rhymes’ hard work and determination reportedly earned him a $500,000 record deal with Elektra Records, which later became $1.7 million, and set the stage for his future success.

There’s still time to catch this week’s episode of Origins of Hip Hop

This week’s episode of Origins of Hip Hop airs on A&E on Tuesday, June 7th at 10pm Eastern Time. You can watch it live, record it, or view it on 72 hour lookback with Frndly TV. If you don't already have a subscription, you can try it free for 7 days. If you can’t catch this week’s episode, there’s no need to worry, as there’s more Origins of Hip Hop episodes every Tuesday. Stay tuned!

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