Busta Rhymes took the stage at Carnegie Hall for a sold-out show on February 27. For days leading up to the event—dubbed "Carnegie Hall Presents Power Network: A Black History Month Conversation and Concert"—he shared behind-the-scenes snaps of himself practicing with an orchestra, clearly excited about the opportunity.
During the big soirée, Bus-A-Bus donned a fancy tux and sailed through his set, performing "Baby If You Give It To Me" and "Give Me Some More," among many of his other hits. At one point, Busta Rhymes stopped the show and talked about his childhood then brought it up to current times.
“While [my mother] was making breakfast, I used to see Transformers and Voltron, so names like Optimus Prime, Megatron and Soundwave [I would hear]," he said. "It was interesting when I went to the corner store to get my Charleston Chews, I would see brothers on the corner and they would have names like Lord Victorious and Supreme justice. Peace to the Gods! The point that I’m trying to make is that I learned a lot tonight while in my dressing room looking at the TV monitors and watching these incredible gentlemen speak.
“Interestingly, what I learned today they don’t teach at school. Same way I learned from these brothers that stood on the corner, like how much is the earth weighs? How far the was each planet from the sun? What’s the total square mileage of the planet? The original man is the Maker, the Owner, the Cream of the Planet Earth, the God of the Universe.”
He continued, "So, to come from those humble beginnings, I was being taught like this from dudes that looked like the ones would racially profile. I was taught by these brothers to believe that I was made in the likeness of God and I believe this so much I claim that divine that everything that I wanted after I would just claim. Thirty-two years later by professional recording career on stage at Carnegie Hall,” he continued. “Leading up to this moment, I had two tear-jerking moments. I cried a lot. They were tears of joy. I am so happy to be here.”
Watch the full performance below.
