Busta Rhymes has been accused of assaulting his assistant.
via: EW
The "Break Ya Neck" rapper, 52, was arrested in northwestern Brooklyn and charged with assault in the third degree on Tuesday night, law enforcement officials tell Entertainment Weekly. The NYPD responded to a 911 call near the intersection of Jay Street and Front Street in Dumbo around 10:15 p.m. on Friday, wherein a 50-year-old male victim reported past harassment, which included multiple punches from an unidentified assailant.
Police say the victim experienced swelling on the left side of his face and was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, where he is in stable condition.
Representatives for Rhymes, whose real name is Trevor Smith Jr., did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.
The New York Post reported that Rhymes' alleged victim was his assistant, whom he allegedly berated for using his phone while working. He declined to detail the encounter during a conversation with the Post, telling the outlet, "An article in the paper as opposed to a six or seven-million-dollar settlement? I’m not risking it, sorry."
Rhymes has been vocal about his disdain for cell phones in the past. During a 2024 performance at the Essence Festival of Culture, he told the audience, "Ayo f--- them camera phones, too. Let’s get back to interacting like humans. Put them weird-ass devices down!" He also said, "I ain’t from that era. Them s---s don’t control the soul, f--- your phone!"
This isn't the first time Rhymes has faced legal issues. The rapper was arrested in 1998 for a gun possession charge, to which he ultimately pleaded guilty in 2000. He was sentenced to five years of probation over the incident.
In 2008, Rhymes pleaded guilty to assault and drunk driving charges after his driver accused him of attacking him during a pay dispute, as well as a subsequent arrest where he told police that he'd done a shot of cognac shortly before driving. He also faced charges of attacking a fan at the AmsterJam Music Festival and driving without a valid license around this time. He was sentenced to three years' probation for these incidents.
In 2015, Rhymes was arrested in 2015 on an assault charge after throwing a protein drink at a gym employee. He pleaded guilty to a non-criminal harassment charge after agreeing to attend anger management classes.
Rhymes released his 11th studio album, Blockbusta, in 2023. He recently lent his voice to the animated series Everybody Still Hates Chris, and is set to appear in the upcoming Naked Gun reboot alongside Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, and Paul Walter Hauser.
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