Who

Busta Rhymes is the gravel-voiced rapper who's these days as famous for his frequent run-ins with the NYPD as for his music.

Backstory

Trevor Smith Jr. was a childhood basketball champ in Brooklyn and Long Island before forming the hip-hop crew Leaders of the New School and inking a deal with Elektra at the age of 17. Around seven years later, in 1996, Busta released his first solo record, The Coming, which featured the hit single "Woo Hah!" The video for the song was shot entirely with a fisheye lens and showed off the goofiness that would become Rhymes' trademark. Rhymes jumped to Clive Davis' J Records in 2001, where he released a pair of albums (Genesis and It Ain't Safe No More) and a greatest hits compilation. Two years later he was on the move once again, signing with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records, cutting off his signature dreadlocks and releasing his latest album, 2006's The Big Bang. It was Rhymes's first record to debut at number one, and has since gone double-platinum. His next, Back on My BS, is due sometime in mid-2008, presumably whenever Rhymes gets a chance to promote the record in between all his court hearings.

Crime file

If Rhymes's rap sheet proves anything, it's that he hasn't yet learned to keep his hands to himself. In early 2006, he was sued by a fan who claimed he'd been beaten up by the singer after asking for an autograph. A few months later, Rhymes reportedly assaulted a fan for spitting on his car after a concert on Randall's Island. In 2007, he took Boxing Day a little too literally when he pummeled his former chauffeur because of a financial dispute. He also drew the ire of the NYPD for refusing to cooperate with an investigation into the shooting death of one of his bodyguards. (Rhymes was standing next to the man when he was killed.) Lately, he's been a menace behind the wheel. In February 2007, he blew up a plea agreement when he was arrested for driving with a suspended license, and three months later he was pulled over in Hell's Kitchen and arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

For the reocrd

Smith's nom de rap was bestowed on him by Public Enemy's Chuck D after watching him perform.

Personal

Busta has three children—T'ziah, T'Khi and Trillian—with ex-girlfriend Joanne Wood. His current girlfriend is rumored to be Deelishus, the curvy "winner" of the VH1 reality show Flavor of Love 2. He lives in a loft in Tribeca. In 2004, Busta purchased three units in Brooklyn's Gretsch Building at 60 Broadway, each worth between $300,000 and $2 million. He flipped the apartments months later.

No joke

The windows on Rhymes' 2006 Yukon Denali are so dark, he's actually been ticketed for it.