BILFPOD - Busta Rhymes on 20 Years of Guarding J Dilla's Music | #Bilfpod with Busta Rhymes

Episode Date: September 17, 2026

Busta Rhymes explains why he refused to sell a single J Dilla beat for 20 years, and what finally changed his mind on Diligence 2.

I was a knucklehead and I was loud and I was stubborn. You can still get through this wall. You ain't got to run through it, though. You could climb over that shit. You could go around it. You could dig a hole under it. When I got to about 10 songs, 11 songs, I was like, I'm loving everything so much that I just couldn't stop.

So I just ended up making about 40 records. Do your kids think that you're super? Are they like, Dad, you're so cool. Are they just like, uh, all right, dad? I have not figured out what the next thing is yet for me to do. I still haven't found the thing that I'm. love to do like this yet. Who is one artist that you haven't worked with

that you would love to work with? Welcome back to the BiltPod. We're authenticity, Trump's authority. Here on the Biltfod, we love to highlight women in the boardroom, icons, legends, rappers, hip hop artists. And I am so excited today. I mean, I think you can feel my energy, because I am fan girling over here.

Mr. Buster Rhymes, welcome to the Biltz Pod. Woo! Thank you for having me. I'm truly, I'm sure. I wanted to be here with you today, and let's make this a spectacular gathering and conversation and vibe. Let's do it.

I mean, I'm already feeling the vibe over here. I was trying to do the fast, you know, like the fast rap, like you do it, but I'm not that good, so I'm not even going to try. But you're going to have to, you got to give me an oldie. You've got to bring me, you got to take it back. You have to. You got to do it for me at some point. But I do have a question for you.

Do you know what Bilt means? Do you know what it, any chance? No. You have no idea what Bilt means? means? What do you think it means? I don't think it means anything. I just got to be told what it means. It means boss I like to follow. You're a boss. You are a boss, like a real boss, a legendary boss, still relevant. I mean, you know, let's just start there real quick. You know, you've had an iconic you just had an iconic journey, you know, and to still be relevant. I grew up, right? I grew up in the

80s and 90s. I grew up on hip hop. I know the culture real well. I followed your whole journey and to still be relevant today. I mean, how does that make you feel that even my daughter, like when I was like, we're going to go see Buster Rhymes has the album released, but we're going to go there. We're going to see she knew exactly who you were. Knew the songs, pulled up the Janet Jackson song. She knew exactly who you were.

And that says a lot that you're still hitting home to even this generation. Now, it's a blessing because ultimately the goal is to share your gift. And at the end of the day, no matter what the time frame is, that's the most rewarding part. It's like, you know, we do what we love, and as long as we love it, we do it. So if we love it and we do it and it's still being received in an amazing way, that's the most incredible part of the gift and the reward for the gift that you align yourself and just, you know, you're in tune with this thing that's happening.

Once you identify with it and you can share it and people, still willing to embrace it with grace, that shit is an amazing feeling. So it's like, you can't put a price tag on how people choose to appreciate the things that they choose to appreciate because they could also choose to not mess with whatever you're doing at all. So you can't pay for the love. You know what I'm saying? You just, you just, so, so that's an incredible reward, rewarding feeling. And, you know, I just love the fact that you can't put a timeline on greatness neither. You know, something that's a way. great, it doesn't have an expiration date. Greatness doesn't have an expiration day. So

I love the fact that, you know, I was able to hone in on this craft well enough to be able to still be great enough for people to still love it. I mean, you are great. It says a lot. I mean, 35 years, that's a long time. How many one-hit wonders are there? There's tons of them and you're still relevant today, which I think is so, I mean, I think that's amazing in itself that people still know your music, people know who you are, they're not like Busta Hill, they know exactly who you are

and what you represent, but I will ask you this, especially someone that is in, you know, season, I don't like to say I'm older, but, you know, season, what's the bust, what do you think the biggest difference between Busta now

versus 1990s Busta? The growth and the evolution. Yeah, for sure. That's the, that's the, that's the obvious difference. you just kind of learn how to evolve and you evolve with the things that you learn in the evolution process and you just get smart enough to know that to bump your head when that shit swell up a couple of times from the pain of hitting your head the wrong way and you know

we obviously try to make sure that we don't repeat the mistakes and we continue to learn from the things that we still got to experience because obviously no matter what age you at the growth never stops, the learning experience never stops, and the evolution never stops. So I just, in a lot of ways, I'm just really, really understanding and appreciative of prioritizing now the things that are a lot more important to your peace in mind and your happiness and your well-being, as opposed to when you was younger, because, you know, we was reckless as hell when we was younger. So it's like, it's just a great space to be in once you finally figure that out.

Isn't that funny how things work? Like, you know, in your, in your early 20s, you know, you're going, you're going, you're going. Everything is important. And then finally, as you get season, not older, you know, you start to really, you start to be more intentional with who you are, what you're doing, and just taking everything that you've learned. I never say mistakes, more lessons, right? You take that and you're able to finally, as you become more developed and more self-revelling,

assured. You kind of know who you are. But I want to talk about this because I read your story. I know your story. I followed your music for many, many years. And, you know, I was literally thinking about this last night about your character. You know, I meet a lot of people. And character says a lot about who you are, ultimately, right? And at the end of the day, we have to be okay with who we are. And I have to say that reading your story with Jay Dilla, I actually have a few my own, like, serious questions I want to ask you. But your character is impeccable. I mean, Jay Dilla, I know was your friend,

but you could have easily sold all of those, you could have sold all of those beats. You could have made a lot more money, right? You could have. But for me, like, just reading that story, your friendship and your, and your dedication to him and his family just speaks leaps and bounds

about who you are in your character. So I want to point that out. And with all the pressure and every, you know, just everything that's going on, how are you able to like separate that, that no, I'm going to, I'm going to go ahead and recognize him and commemorate him the way that I want without letting, you know, everything else kind of interfere. Well, just for the record, I can't just sell his music because it's his music. And, you know, he gave me the music to use for me, not to sell to people.

You know what I'm saying? And so that was never in my mind as a possibility to sell his music. Which says a lot about your character. I mean, it's not just my character. It's right or wrong. Like there's just certain principle that we live by, you know what right is, you know what wrong is. It's not about just my character. I think that these principles, they existed before me.

It's almost like saying you wake up one day and you want the sun to rotate around the planet. That's an impossibility because that's not a law of man. That's a principle. It's it's never going to be the right way that the solar system works in context of how the planets and the sun work. So you can't just wake up one day and be like you're going to do the wrong thing because that's what you feel like doing when you know that principally is not correct. And principles when you understand right and wrong, they've existed since the beginning of time. I just understand with the fortunate upbringing that I have with my beautiful family that you don't deviate from right or wrong. You know, you might have your perspective and

your opinion on things, and we can agree to disagree, but there's certain things where our opinion don't matter. It's just going to always be, this is the right way to do things. This is the wrong way to do things. And I'm grateful that I was raised to understand those values. So, you know, when it came to his music, I never would do anything with his music without the blessing of his mom or now the blessing of the entire family. Now that, you know, we got to deal with the infrastructure of the estate and the heirs of the estate. And that's his mother, his two beautiful daughters and his brother. So super big up to the Yancey family and super big up to my Dukes and Ilisks. And J and Jemiah and Tamone, which is his two daughters.

And it's going to always be that way because it's the right way to be. Yeah. I mean, you said it, I think you said it beautifully. The way that you put it into words really, look, a lot of people, you make it seem like everybody just knows right from wrong. And the truth is, a lot of people don't know right from wrong. And the way that you held that standard and the way that you really just held what was right and wrong principle before everything, a lot of people don't do that. A lot of you about

their money. I mean, call it what it is. People are selfish. People are shady. They'll do what's good for them before anybody else. So like, I just love how notchalant, you were like, what do you mean? Like, that's the right thing to do. But you'd be surprised. I mean, you know, you've been around. People don't care about right or wrong. A lot of people are doing things for fame and fortune. So I commend you for that. I think the story is incredible. Where was the end- I want to say this, though, right, queen? Yeah. To elaborate on what you're saying, the greatest responsibility and gift is free will and choice, right? Absolutely.

And that's cool, you know, that people can do what they want. But what's really the thing that people got to understand that comes with doing what you want is the invoice that comes with your choice. You know what I'm saying? Every choice that you make, there's some sort of price to pay for that choice. So if you want to do what you want, go ahead. But just be willing to deal with what comes with it. You know what I'm saying? So I just wanted to make sure that we didn't neglect to acknowledge that part too,

because, you know, I hear you and what you're saying as far as people don't, a lot of people act like they don't know, you know, right from wrong. And sometimes more than not, unfortunately, you know, they think that they might be able to get away with something as if everything hasn't already been done under the sun. You know what I mean? So ain't nobody getting away with shit at the end of the day. If you act like you want to do some shit that is against what the right thing is and you know what the right thing is and still choose to do the wrong shit, the accountability will be just as real for it. So that's all. You can tell you have kids for sure.

I tell my kids this is. You could tell me too. This is the same thing. This is the same conversation I have with my son the other day. I'm like, for every action, everything you do, there is a consequence. I'm like, this is what happens in school. I'm like, you see your actions now? This is how you go to jail.

So it was just funny. But yes, absolutely. What, for this album, what really inspired this? Where did it come from? Were you just sitting at home one day and you're like, all right, I'm just going to do, you know, right? Like, where did it come from? And you have some really incredible artists.

on there as well. Thank you. I'm super grateful for the phone call that I received from Maudeau, which is Diller's mom. And last November, 2025, you know, she was, I think, planning some curations for Dillers, Jay Diller's 20-year anniversary of his passing, which is currently this year. So, you know, she, me and her was speaking in, um, She just mentioned to me that, you know, she would like for me to participate in this, um, this 20 year anniversary celebration of his life. And I was just finishing another album actually at the time. I was probably that like the 95% mark of completion. And, you know, I got off the phone with her and was just starting to try to figure out what could I do to make my contribution to the celebration of deletion

of Dilla's life significant and special. And I like to celebrate Diller through his music because he's like one of my favorite producers ever to exist. So it's like being fortunate enough to have this treasure chest of music that he left with me, I had some songs that I was working on because I always work on Diller's music to include him on all of my projects. and that's been the thing that I've been doing

for the last 20 years of his transition. But we actually started working together 30 years ago with 96 on my first solo album. So I always try to include him on all of my projects. And that's just because I'm a fan of his music. When I listen to his music, it inspires me to try shit and do shit that I don't normally do or feel inspired to do to other producers work because they don't make music in the way that

he did and they don't produce music in the way that he did. And it's almost like he's a boutique, a standalone boutique where you've got to go to his boutique to get that particular product, right? So in the process of just trying to figure out what I was going to do, I was going through some songs that I had started and didn't finish, songs that I had finished, songs that I didn't know for sure what project I was going to put them on.

And I was thinking about, like, choosing between which one of them songs that I was going to use to celebrate him. But I just felt like, as I was listening to this music, it needed to be more than a song, because I always give a song to an album. So there wouldn't be nothing too different from what I've been doing to celebrate him by, just putting out a new song.

And then I started the, I was a little torn because all of these ideas that I had and completed songs and half done songs, I was in love with all of them. I just was waiting for the right time to figure out which one I was gonna use for what project. And then I was like, you know what, fuck it. Let me just put all of this on one project.

But I still wasn't, I still did not decide on whether or not I was doing an album. I didn't know if I was gonna do an EP. I didn't know if I was just going to put out a couple of songs. But as I was pressing play for folks that was coming through to the studio, and obviously I only respect the ears of,

the opinions of the ears that I respect, like people that I know that really understands and appreciates music beyond the cliche shit or the mainstream shit or, you know. So as I'm pressing play for folks that would come through at different times, and the room would be filled with different groups of people that I would respect the opinion of.

They, like, you would see this, the general consensus was that everything I was pressing play, majority of the time was like, oh shit reactions. Like, yo, this shit is crazy, or that's all this shit is crazy. Like, that's what I was constantly hearing. So that shit was putting a battery in my back to just keep going. And then when I got to about that, 10 songs, 11 songs, I was like, I'm loving everything so much that I just couldn't stop.

So I just ended up making about 40 records and then I just, I just said, all right, I think I'm a, I'm gonna really do this album and I'm not gonna sell myself short or Diller's legacy short or the people that like love Diller for all of these years and love me and in love what we've done together. And I felt like this was an incredible time. And I just felt like it was a divine timing thing, too, because I got a lot of things that align with the Diller 20-year anniversary of his passing. 20 years ago, I released a Big Bang album with New York shit and touch it.

Diller is on that album. Genesis came out 25 years ago this year as well. Dill is on that album with Break Your Neck and Cavarsier. He did the title track for that album. My first solo album turns 30 this year. Dilla is also a part of that. And then we have two 35 year anniversaries, which is one with the leaders of the new school,

which is the first group that was introduced to the world being a part of. That album of Future Without a Pass came out in 1991, so that was 35 years ago. And Scenario and oh my God with Tribe Call Quest. From the second Tribe Call Quest album, the low end theory came out in 91 as well. So it's celebrating two 35 year anniversaries this year as well. So everything just aligned.

It just was incredible, you know? Yeah, you just took all my, you know what? That was, I was just about to give you all your, I was going to give you all your flowers. And you just took it out. Thanks a lot. Now I got to figure out what I want to say. No, I have a whole thing. You're 35.

And let's talk about how you got, have a Hollywood star. I mean, come on. That's pretty cool. That's amazing. Absolutely. That is, I mean, just all. Look, I can list a million of them, but the reality is, is that your name alone is iconic. You know, when you think Abasta, at least for me growing up in that genre, you know,

when you think of the greats, like you're up there. You're one of the greats, always known. But at this point in your life, I feel like, I mean, not for me because I think I'm always going to keep going. But is there ever a time you're like, all right, I'm just going to enjoy? I'm not going to make music. I'm going to sit back. I'm going to relax.

I'm just going to kind of like go with the flow. what is keeping you motivated to still keep going? I love it. I just love what I do. I love it so much. And I really appreciate being blessed in this way to do something that I love and be able to make money and take care of my people and my family. And, you know, it's interesting because it's like when we started to do this shit, we was doing it because we just loved it. It wasn't no promise that we was going to make money from this shit.

So it's a tremendous blessing to be able to do what you love, get bread doing it, take care of people you love, doing what you love, and still having the ability to do it at such a pristine level after all of these years and still be loved for doing what you love after all of these years. It's like, how do you beat this shit? For me, I have not figured out what the next thing is yet for me to do.

There's a lot of things that I'm, I'm doing while I'm doing this that I'm finding interesting, but I still haven't found the thing that I love to do like this yet. So, you know, while I'm doing other things that, you know, other business, diversifying the portfolio, other hobbies, finding things to do that, you know, I think the thing that I'm really enjoying to at this point in my life is being able to actually chill with my kids like they're homes. Yes. Like my kids, you know, there's a lot of shit that we used to have to hide from them when they was young.

Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about. You know what I'm saying? You don't got to do that no more. It's like we could have very real conversations. We could go and actually hang out together as adults and we can do things that help each other spark thought to just look into shit in life that you probably wouldn't normally do or think of on your own because we're now having these adult conversations. And they're exploring a lot of amazing shit and bringing it to the table. And I'm bringing shit to them now that I wasn't able

to bring to them when they was kids because they've grown and now they understand and they get it. So I'm enjoying that shit a lot too. And it's like, for me, I think the primary focus in addition to still doing what I love is being able to build incredible things with them

that we love to build together and do together. So like, that's really like the, my greatest desire and the thing that I'm extremely excited about right now. You sound like a real parent. I'm telling you, like, one of those proud parents. Because as you're talking, I'm saying the thinking the same thing. Like, my favorite moments, you know, it used to be a go out, have fun. But my ultimate, like, at the end of the day, my ultimate is to sit at the dinner table, right?

And the kids are around and I'm like, I made you, I made you, I made you. You know? And then we're having these conversations. I'm like, wait, what? Like, you guys are adults now. And it is like, because, you know, the one thing, it doesn't matter who you are. You can be Busta, you can be the biggest star in the world, but to them, your dad. And you know what they're saying is authentic.

And that's really, at the end of the day, the kids are, I say when everybody goes, it's the kids that matter. My kids are everything for me. First, they trump. They're the non-negotiable in my life. That's a fact. That's a fact. Non-negotiable. And I love that you say that.

Yeah. That's beautiful. Your kids, your kids think that you're super. Are they like, Dad, you're so cool? Are they just like, uh, all right, dad? It's a combination of both. Yeah, for sure. You know, they love what I do.

They're super proud of me. And they definitely let me know that they are excited about shit that excites them with what I do. But, you know, then we have those real moments where, you know, if we ain't agreeing or if I ain't liking some shit and we got to address something or they don't like something and they got to address it. You know, that, that, that. The shit that's cool is not about the bust-the- rhyme shit. At that point, what becomes cool is the conversations that we're able to have and still uphold the respect that sometimes gets compromised when people are not happy with each other. When we're upset about shit or when we disagree on shit,

sometimes those conversations combined with you know, whatever that space is that the disagreement takes you to energy-wise, could lead you to saying some shit and acting up in a way that it could create a problem. And fortunately, I'm not having those encounters anymore with my kids. You know, even when we're not seeing eye to eye on shit, we address it, and we can walk away from these conversations and still say we love each other. and keep the respect in the space that it needs to always be upheld in. And that's super important in the house.

And that's the way we were raised. So we don't play with that. Yeah. I could tell that you were talking about it at your album, at the party. And you were talking about the way that you were raised. And very similar to the way that I was raised in the respect. And the family unit was always the family unit, no matter what happens. Same thing.

Yeah. I agree with you. I think if you don't have family and you're not close, then you have no foundation. that I 100% can resonate with it. So talking about kids, like I have to ask you. So my kids, listen, I love, I'm a true lover. I told you, 1990s, 2000, but the music today, I'm just not with it. I got to ask your opinion about it.

It was so, I mean, you know, not do you remember, you lived it. Back in the day, look, I'm from Fort Lauderdale, right, from Florida. And you had to choose a side. You were either East Coast or West Coast. Like, that was what it was. There was no in between. Everybody was clear about the mission. Everyone was clear about the goal.

The music, the sounds, the lyrics, everything was so real. And then today, the music, I'm not into the music. I don't, I make the kids turn it off. I don't like it. I don't like it. I'm not going to tell you who my son was playing yesterday. I was like, I cannot hear this shit anymore. Turn the shit off.

I'm like, turn the shit off. I can't hear it. It makes no sense to me what they're talking about. Talking about some bullshit. They're not talking about anything. And I know you're not. I'm not expecting you to shit on the music, but like, what do you think the biggest

difference is between music back when, you know, back in the 90s versus what's going on today? I mean, I think music goes through changes in all of the generations. You know, the shit that our parents was listening to, I learned to love

because I was raised with it in the house. But I didn't appreciate it the way I do until you know, I got older, you know what I'm saying? And I got more grown. When they was playing Marvin Gay and all of that shit in the crib, I knew the songs, but I ain't really want to hear that shit

when I was young, you know what I'm saying? I wanted to hear Run DMC and LL and all in them motherfuckers. So, you know, so I get that, you know, with time and the way things change, some of the changes are going to be changes that we could still appreciate and love and some of them aren't. But that's in every era.

Like even in the 90s or in the late 80s or even in the early 2000, it don't matter what the time frame was. There was always shit that I didn't like in all of those eras. You know what I'm saying? So I can't say it's any different now. You know, there's this certain, you know, music that artists make from several genres that I'm in love with. Then there's certain shit that I don't like.

It's just to me, it's not. not even about the time frame. I just think it's always about, is your shit dope or is your shit trash? Yeah. Yeah. All right. Facts. All right. I'll roll with you on that one. I still think the music in the 90s was better. They were rapping about better stuff. This shit is terrible. What I will say to speaking to what you're saying, I think in the 90s, what I appreciated more of then was that everybody had to understand. No, everybody under. Everybody under understood the importance of sounding like yourself. Yes.

You know what I'm saying? Yes. Yes. That I appreciated a lot because it was almost like a crime if you sounded any, even remotely similar to another motherfucker. Yeah. What would they call it? They call it.

They call it biting or, you know, like don't bite my shit. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was a big deal. That was a serious fundamental. that had to be upheld and followed and respected. And I think along the course of the way things have changed, that definitely is not upheld in the same way anymore.

For sure. I remember, I mean, even seeing you, you were out there. Remember you had your dreads, you were out there, your outfits, I mean, that tin outfit you were wearing, like, you came out. I'm just like, you were out there doing your own thing, making a name for yourself. You sounded absolutely not like any other artist at that time. You know, then you had bone thugs who had their own thing going on. Then you had like Snoop doing his own thing.

L.L. coming out with his. Like everybody like was differentiated, rapping and singing about different things with relevance. Now I just feel like it's like, I don't know, they're talking about things that don't matter. It don't matter. I'm listening to this shit in the car. I'm like, what the fuck?

I was getting so aggravated yesterday. I was like, oh, I was like, I'm like, Liam, turn that shit off. Let's listen to something a little bit better. But there's a lot of dope shit that's out too. Like, you know, it's a lot of dope artists out, you know, and kudos to them and big up to them because some of them new artists, they inspire me and they,

they still give me enough of a drive to come in the studio and keep my blade sharp. You know what I'm saying? So, you know, I'm definitely, I like to pull from many different places for inspiration. And I got to say there's a few artists that I pull from that's hot today or that I just love what they're doing. Even if they're not as huge on a mainstream level, I salute them. Like Conway the Machine is an artist from the, you know, he got his own company drumwork now,

but he's a part of the Griselda family and he's incredible to me. You know what I'm saying? You know, West Side Gun, Benny the Butcher, you know, Jay Cole, Rock Marciano was another interesting. incredible artist to me, and, you know, he kind of fathered that sound. And, you know, I love that. It just shows that your ego that we're always learning. You know, your ego's not too big. And you're all, you know, because if we're not learning, what are we doing? We're just stagnant anyways. So it's, I mean, I can appreciate what you're saying for sure. I'm learning, you know, I've been in sales for so long. And I'm learning from these young kids,

even my own kids, I'm always learning. And I think the best ideas and the best innovation comes and stems from the new values and the new views. So I can definitely appreciate it, but I'm still, I'm still not, I'm not bought on the new music today. You ain't checking for none of that new shit up. Nah, not into it. Nah, I can appreciate it.

I'll give, you know, you gave me a different, different perspective I am with the new, uh-uh, nope, I'm still rolling to work. I'm still, I'm still listening to bus in the car to get me hype. Uh-uh, nope, mm-mm, sorry, we ain't going to have that. Not going to happen. Oh, shit. No, hell no, I don't care.

What you see is what you get. Mm-mm, not going to. do it. So what do you think, you know, watching you two and how unique, you really were so unique. I remember growing up thinking like, oh my God, this guy is willing to go outside of the box and just your creativity. Like, where does that creativity, where did that even stem from? Was that you and your creativity? Was it a manager helping you? Like, you were so unique. The creative always was something that I stood alone on, you know, like I don't think, you know, anybody can help you create if you don't understand what your own creative vision needs to be or what it is.

You can definitely have people, you know, come amongst what your creative approach may be and assist in helping the vision come to life, right? But you got to have some direction and some comfort and being able to be creatively free. and not feel like you worried about what motherfuckers think if they don't get it. And that's the thing that I was really fortunate with. A lot of the times, I think, really dope ideas that artists might come up with,

they might never see the light of day if they don't have enough comfort within themselves to nosedive headfirst without a parachute off the skyscraper roof. And just be like, fuck it, I'm a land and whatever happens happens. A lot of the times the lack of that, it gets in the way of artists really being able to see their shit through.

Me, I never gave a fuck about none of that. Like, for me, I was always, like, my family made me feel comfortable about being different with what I wanted to do with my art and who I needed to be as a human being and as an individual. So I always had that support in the crib. Thankfully, you know, my mom's and my pop. even if my pops didn't agree, because he really wasn't the fan of the rap shit when I was young starting to do it.

So in my younger years, you know, 12, 9, between 9 and 12 when I started to really get into this hip-hop shit, he wasn't digging it at all. But he was always supportive of me being my best self. Even if he didn't agree with it, as long as I was going to do something and win and he could see that the shit is working, he'll respect it once he sees that it's working.

But in the meantime, he's going to support me and everything that he believes is going to work because that's just how Pops is. He wasn't playing with his kids. Like, I ain't gambling with my kids. Y'all are my kids. Y'all are the life that I'm responsible for. So I ain't gambling with y'all.

I'm investing the shit that I know is going to work for me, for y'all. My mom's, on the other hand, she was with all of the shit. So if I wanted to rhyme, if I wanted to break dance, if I wanted to play sports, if I wanted to whatever I wanted to do, my mother was with it. And the combination of having that in the house, it allowed me to feel comfortable enough to just spread my wings and sore. You know what I'm saying?

So I'm grateful. A lot of that shit starts in the home. And I feel like I've been tremendously blessed in that way because my parents, my brother, the household was just loving and super supportive. And I don't know what I would have became if I didn't have that. So I'm super grateful to my family for what I evolved and to be coming. Amen. Look, I'm sure they're so proud of you.

I'm sure of it. Now they're not, you know, now they're like, hey, listen, whatever it was, you know. Were there ever times, I mean, you're human just like everybody else. And there's good days and bad days. was there ever a time where you were like, you started to self-doubt and you're like, am I doing the right thing? Because you said your dad was electrician, right?

So was there ever a time that you were like, man, fuck this. I'm just going to go the straight narrow path. Like, was there ever a time you ever doubted yourself in what you were doing? Yeah, I've definitely felt doubt in a lot of different instances because even when the shit works,

there's times when it ain't working the way you want it to work. It don't always stay up here. You know what I'm saying? Sometimes you go through these dips and you look at shit and you're sitting in the crib or like you're in the call, you're just having an alone moment.

Like even in the studio, I might just come in there and be in there by myself. And I might just, we play certain shit in my head and think like, what the fuck is going on? Like, am I? Like, what?

Was I supposed to bust a left or a right turn and didn't miss the fucking turn? Like, what am I doing? You know what I'm saying? So that shit is, it's definitely been those times where I've had to sit down and just really kind of do some self-evaluation and figure out what the fuck am I doing. And then as time passed, what I started to learn with even those moments that might happen from time to time still. I kind of just learned how to redirect the energy to where it's like, if I need to find a solution to the problem, put that doubt energy into finding the solution energy.

Like, focus on what's the solution because doubting yourself ain't going to bring about the answer to what you need to figure out. So it's like, there's nothing abnormal about doubt, but I don't really like to, I like to balance shit on the balance. scale and I look at what's going to be more productive on the balance scale. What outweighs, what productive things outweigh whatever else is not as productive or counterproductive.

And to me, doubt never will outweigh finding the solution for what you're doubting yourself about. You know what I'm saying? So I just try to redirect that doubt energy if I'm feeling it or whenever it's felt. And that's how I move in my current space. That comes with time, though, I feel. Like, that is a time thing. You try to explain this to somebody in their 20s, 30s. They're just figuring it out. The older you get, the more season, not older, the more season you become, the more you understand that. You know, the one of the biggest lessons

I'm learning right now, not learning, not necessarily now, but in general is, you know, as you grow in fame or you grow in your career, you have all these people that are around you. And then you start to realize that, you know, not everybody can come with me. And some relationships, they're just kind of, they just can't exist anymore. What do you think the hardest lesson for you that, what is one of the hardest lessons you learned in that space, trying to like navigate amongst people that just really couldn't cut it in your life anymore? Be quicker to let the shit go. Sometimes I think we make it a really challenging experience for ourselves because we try to figure out what is the nicest way to just let go, right? We almost feel like

we are doing something wrong to them by letting them go. But that's not the case because people come in and out of your life at different times for reasons. They're not always supposed to just stay. You know, that's just a part of growing. You know what I'm saying? And those who stay,

it's obvious that y'all are growing together. And motherfuckers is bringing shit to the table to help the shit that we're building and growing together continue to sustain itself and persevere and grow into more amazing shit. So I'm always, I embrace that with grace all the time because I don't like the lonely space

of not having incredible people around. I love that teamwork, dream work shit. But I don't love dead weight anywhere near close as I do, the people that help add. You know, when you add and shit, then it's cool. if you bring in something to the table that's cool. If you're in some kind of

way contributing, even if it's just bringing the right energy around, that shit is important, you know. And I'm quick to say this all the time that we just got to make sure we ain't loyal to the wrong shit. You know,

loyalty is a blessing. It's not a burden. I frequently say this. And sometimes it's not easy. But you got to prioritize your peace of mind, your happiness, and your joy. And like you were saying, your kids is non-negotiable. I agree with that because that's a part of the happiness and the joy, especially if your kids is doing the right things and they make you proud as a parent.

My peace of mind and my joy and my happiness, I'm not negotiating that at this point of my life. So that's it. You know, if you ain't doing some shit, that's going to really help my peace of mind, my joy and my happiness. think vice versa, it got to be reciprocal. You know, you got to give that to people, too. You know, it's not just about your happiness. We've got to be a collective happiness, right?

But you obviously got to find your happiness first because you can't give the shit or share it if you don't find it first. So you've got to prioritize that. And that's something that you can never negotiate, especially when you're grown or seasons, as you would say. Yeah, season. Yeah, I don't, or I'll say grown. Grown sounds better than old.

I hate old. I don't like that word, old. Yeah, I don't use the word old. No, I like grown. I'll use grown now. I think I like that better. Season sounds like a vegetable. I'm not going to say that anymore.

Yeah, we're grown. Yeah, we're grown folks over here. Yeah, you know what? We did earn it. We grown folks. I don't want to be a grown folks. I do not want to be a grown folks. What do you think,

what do you think the biggest difference is between Busta in 1990 versus Busta now? I'm a lot more rational thinking. You know what I'm saying? That's because we grow folks. That's why. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? Like I ain't going to front. There was a very, I was younger.

I was so passionate that sometimes it would just rub people the wrong way. And I'm saying passionate now because that's a better term to use. Yeah, passion is good. Good word. Very good. I was a knucklehead and I was loud and I was, I was stuck. You know what I'm saying? I was always loving, but I was super stubborn.

I realized that that shit came with a lot of war scars and bumping your head wounds. So it's like you can still get through this wall. You ain't got to run through it, or you could climb over that shit, you could go around it, you could dig a hole under it, but you ain't got to run into the brick and be so stubborn about getting through that wall

that you forget all of the other ways you could actually get around the wall. So my stubborn turned into determine. So I still got the same passion. I just redirect it. I listen more to still try to execute accomplishing the same thing. I'm more observant so that I can accomplish, executing the same thing.

It's more about the result. It's not about just the way I want to get to garnishing the result that I want because then I ain't hearing all the other amazing ways that I can actually garnish the same result with less war scars. You know what I'm saying? So that was the biggest difference

between then and now, Buster Riles. Yeah, that's Busted No Kids. That's Busted kids. Because that's where we learn it from. That's where we learn it from until we have a kid that's just like us. That's what happens. We have a kid that just likes us

and we're like, what the fuck? And then really, that's what happened to me. And then I was like, shit, I just reincarnated myself. That's what happens. You know, it's busted before, busts after. No kids, kids. That's what always happens.

But what it, you know, you're, I know you, there's a Grammy nomination. What do you, I mean, how exciting is that? That's Grammys. Like, that's not small time. That's pretty fucking big. I mean, what do you think about that? It's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, nominations are always an incredible thing.

Because, you know, any accolade acknowledging you for your work, the acknowledgement is an amazing thing. Absolutely. You have 11 of them too, right? You have 11. 11 nominations. I haven't won a Grammy yet. You will. I'm manifesting it for you. Fuck that. I'm claiming that shit too. I'm claiming that shit too. I'm claiming that shit right here.

Now, it would be even more of a blessing to receive a Grammy for. for this body of work because, you know, this, this, this such a history that is attached to this moment of, of what we're doing with this music, with this album, Diligence tool, available and streaming everywhere,

by the way, to the good folks that's viewing this, but. Say it again, tell them, you better, just say go out and fucking listen. Don't be trying to get that shit for free. You better pay the money, because you know, now, you know, for me, it's important that however way people receive the music,

and love it and appreciate it and support it, greatly appreciated. But the most important thing to me is that people not only listen to the music and appreciate it and love it, but people learn and do the research and the history on what an amazing history and story and friendship and work history that me and Jay Diller had and continue to have. and the rewarding feeling in being able to uphold his legacy and, you know, introduce him to generations that probably never knew he existed or understood his incredible contribution to the culture or what he means to us. You know what I'm saying?

So, you know, for the enthusiasts that love Diller, love me, love our work history, that know about us and they've been following us, yes, this is for them. But this is also for a lot of the new generation that we are now introduced. him too for the first time. And what's even more amazing about this album is like, the songs that I was able to make, like, this woman is a record with me and DiAngelo. Rest and peace to my brother, DeAngelo,

and blessings to the Archer family and the Archer estate, because obviously, you know, they had to give this moment their blessing for this song to be able to be shared. But it's like when we did this record, I was gifted with this record, and this is the first time that I knew that this record existed, and it was on the morning of a listening session that I was doing in L.A. like in February. And this listener session was happening at Anderson Pack's Club. And he blessed me with the opportunity to do this listener session in this club.

A big up to Anderson Pack because he's on the album as well. But, you know, as I'm getting ready to prepare for the listener session, I wake up this morning and this is after the word that already started spreading that diligence tool was happening. So there's a lot of people that were a fan of the first diligence album that I did, which was a mixtape on him, Diller's legacy that we gave away to the people for free. And I did it with this brother by the name of DJ Mick Boogie at the time.

He's D.J. Mick now. But yeah, he brought this idea to me because he loves my history with Diller so much that when Dilla passed, it hit home and a hard, like it hit us hard when he passed. you know? And he passed right after he did the work for me on the Big Bang album, Jay Diller. So we kind of was going through this emotional roller coaster why we did that first mixtape. And this came out in 2007, 19 years ago. So it was like, as we're preparing Diligence to for the listener session, I wake up that morning to the gift. It was sent to me. It's in my phone. I'm hearing DeAngelo's vocals on this incredible Jay Dillabeed, and I'm like, where the fuck did this come from? And I'm immediately bugging. I call my engineer, we're in the four seasons in L.A.

And I'm like, yo, come to my room, because we got the traveling studio. So come to my room, hook this shit up. I need to record something to this and include this in the listener session tonight. So that moment happens. And it turned out to be such a beautiful moment. It's one of the songs on the album that I actually don't curse on at all. There's no clean or dirty version for it. You don't say it's just a clean version.

And I don't even call it clean because I was speaking what was on my heart in describing how beautiful this black woman was that I had in my mind that I was being spoken to through what DeAngelo was singing in the hook. Right? And big up to Sister Nancy as well, DeAngelo was singing something that she did, which was a classic for her called, bomb bomb. But the way DeAngelo did it and the way I received the vibe from what he was doing,

it just was speaking to me like I needed to have this beautiful conversation with this beautiful woman. And that song came together so magically. And months later, I'm like literally like three days away from turning in the album two weeks ago. And because we dropped the album last Tuesday on the 25th of August. And- Yeah, I was there. I'm like, what day? Last, I was there, yeah. Yeah, so the crazy shit is a couple days before the album,

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, because Jimmy Jam was at the listener session in February at Anderson Pax Club, and he actually came on the stage, and he gave a speech about our incredible, he felt about the music, four songs in. You know what I'm saying? So months later, the week that we got to deliver the album and turn it in, I get a call from Joey Harris,

which is one of my team players in the support system of the conglomerate entertainment family. And he goes, yo, boss, I just got a call from Jimmy's. Jimmy and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis want to add some production to this DeAngelo. So we sent it to him, me and Jimmy got on the phone and he sent it back. And the magic that they added to it just took it to another level. So big up to Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis. Big up to Ludacris Anderson Pack. Big up to John Battise.

Big up to comment. Big up to... Oof, you got some incredible artists on there. Yeah, big up to Honey Baby. You want me to pull them up? Yeah, I actually got my list. I'm going to make sure I don't forget nobody. Hold on one second.

Yeah, so I got a big up my dukes. She starts the album. Doesn't she start? She introses it. She introses it and she's actually speaking throughout the whole album. So she kind of like hosts the album. host the album in its entirety. So big up my dukes,

big up Larisi from New Orleans, incredible new artists, body the record that we did together called entry. Big up my two kids, C and Trillian, my beautiful daughter and my son, they're on a song called Royalty, and they did their thing,

and I am super proud of them, and I want everybody to go and look forward the work that they already got. We'll look out, for the work that they already got out and look forward to the work that they got coming. Once again, big up to DeAngelo, rest and peace. I love you, my brother. I miss you, my brother. Jay Dilla, I love you and I miss you, my brother. Big up to CS Armstrong. This brother appeared two times on the album. Big up to Talib Kuali. Once again, big up, John Battis, Khamen,

Ludacris Anderson Pack. Big up Honey Baby, like I said, big up to Big Sean, who's also on the album representing the Detroit City like Jay Diller. And big up to T3 as well, T3 is one of the original members of Slum Village, which is a group that Diller created with another brother by the name of Batten and T3. And T3 is the last, the remaining member of that group that's still alive. So rest and peace to Batten as well. And I think we got everybody, you know. You got everybody.

so you better get this, you better get this fucking Grammy. I mean, who I got to call, who I got to get, I mean, everything that, look,

one thing I do want to touch on is I really hope people do read the story. I took time to read the story between you and Dilla. It isn't, it really, it's,

first of all, it's a tearjerker. Like, it's super sentimental, but, you know, it is a testimony of your character.

It is. Don't sell yourself short on that. It shows a lot about who you are. It shows, I mean, in itself, like,

what could have happened, what didn't happen, how you still value the friendship, how you still recognize him, he's not here. I mean, it's really easy to get caught up. It's easy to forget where you come from, and I don't think that you have forgotten it. So for, you know, for anyone that's listening, go read the story. The story really is, it's a beautiful story with a beautiful friendship and a beautiful person that's still honoring someone that's no longer here.

So you really should take some time in that trophy room and enjoy it because you deserve it. Thank you. I really appreciate you for that. So as we wind down, what do you want to be known for? I mean, you are Busta. Everybody knows that. But outside of being Buster Rhymes, what do you want to be known for ultimately? Just a good human being and an inspiration to many.

You know what I'm saying? Like, I like to speak life into people. I love to pour love into people. And I make sure that I give that love constantly because I was raised to love. and express that. You know what I'm saying? Like, again, in the crib, it's like almost weird if you don't say I love you every time you either starting the day

or we're ending the day. Love you, Mom, love you dad, you know what I'm saying? Like, that shit is every day in the crib. Right. So it's like, and, you know, we hugged and kissed each other on the cheeks and, you know what I'm saying? Like, if you didn't do that, something was wrong. So, you know, when I see new artists or if I see people in general, like, unless you're giving me an energy that I'm not, I'm not fucking with,

I'm going to speak life into you. And I'm going to tell you I love you or what you're doing is great. Or I'm proud of you or congrats. And, you know, like I like to share that. So I would love to always be known for being like a giver of love, a man that stood on principles and respected people. as long as you gave me respect, and just being able to also be known for one that added

for the better to the grand scheme of things. There you go. Amen. I think that's well said. Listen, you gotta give me an old school. You gotta give me a little bit of old school buster. You gotta end it. You have to.

You gotta do it for me. I don't, I can't give an old school buster because I'm not old school. No, all right, okay, fair, fair. We grown, we grown, we grown, you right, you got me. No, but I get it. And I love that you love the journey and you've been a part of it for so long

and you still hold on to those moments that. I'm holding. Yeah, you know, I love that because, you know, even for, like for us, those moments that were impactful in our, and those moments that were, that left impressionable moments on us, those moments we remember what we was wearing, where we was at, what we was doing.

We were the fuck we was with. It's like. Well, we probably shouldn't have been doing. Oh, I remember. Whoa, right? Real shit. It's like we, we cherish those moments. And, you know, we try to still live through those memories.

And that's a beautiful thing. You know what I'm saying? I'm just, I'm just also about being the present in the present. I like to be the present in the present. I don't just want to be present. I want to be the gift in the present. You know what I'm saying? So I love to share mine today.

Okay, go ahead. All right, fine. I got you. You grown now. You can do what you want. Now, I appreciate your love. And again, I'm just grateful to be able to have these opportunities in these moments to share the stories and share the moments, the magical moments. You know, the record that I did with John Battise and.

in common, the song is called What We Got in Common. And those moments is like, the creation in that record was so magical. It's like, I look at the, that's kind of like the space that I'm in now, like what we got in common with each other. You know what I'm saying? And like how these moments come about to even create those moments. It's crazy because it's like, I was, we was leaving the Grammys. And when you leave the Grammys, we all got to go to this designated area to wait for the vehicles to come and pick you up.

And the crazy shit is as we're standing there waiting for the vehicles, John Battise is dead. I think I walk over and I'm waiting for my vehicle. And we just started chopping it up. It's the first time I'm actually meeting him. Me and Comin met a long time ago. I met Common actually before Kamen put out his first record at Howard University doing one of the Howard University homecomings back in like 90, 91. But John Battise, I met in particular for the first time a long time ago,

but I didn't remember until the Dillager's two album came out. And he put a post up on his gram about just how far we've come. And in his post, as he's promoting the song that we did together, he also put up a picture of when me and him was in the studio when we was both. younger, like years ago. And I didn't, I don't even, I didn't recall this moment. So I'm not remembering this when I meet him as we're waiting for the vehicles at the, at the end of the Grammys.

And we're talking. And I just mentioned to him that Diligence 2 was happening. And he's such a fan of Jay Diller. And he expressed how much he got love for what I do creatively that he just kind of offered to be a part of it. And, you know, I was like, I would love for him to be a part of it. And it's like, the way the moments happened to come together. on this beautiful body of work, it was like people felt like they wanted to be a part of this moment and be a part of this legacy and be a part of this magic.

And I love, like I was saying before, with the younger artists, I love the fact that nobody on this album actually rhymed with or did a record with Diller outside of me in common and Talib Kuali on this whole album. Everybody else on this album, and my docks obviously, because that's her son, but everybody else on this album are going to be heard working on Diller music for the first time in their careers. It's super crazy. It's like I love the fact that I'm able to be the conduit to helping people experience what Diller is, who Diller is, what Diller means. Even if they heard of Diller, they may not have gotten the opportunity. to be on an official record with the blessing of the family to be a part of it. And now they can say for the rest of their years, yo, I got music with Jay Diller.

You know what I'm saying? That shit is incredible. That shit is powerful. And I'm just grateful that I had the opportunity to share that. And songs like what we got in common and songs like this woman with me and DiAngelo and the record Back Pain, Chestpain, Chest, pain, head pain, which is another incredible record that it was one of those moments where

I had this beat for a while, because this is one of the ones Diller put in my hand personally at his home in L.A. You know, as he, you know, and big up to Common, because Kahn brought my

Dukes and Diller to L.A. so that he could be closer to his his specialist to treat his medical. condition. And he actually lived there with them to make sure that Diller was straight and was able to be closest to what he needed and be able to get the treatments that he needed. And at that time, I was finishing the Big Bang album, so I was living in L.A. too. And I used to go to Diller's crib constantly

and being there with him and Ma Dukes and just watching that love between Ma Dukes being so supportive of Dilla and Diller giving me this music. Back pain, chest pain, head pain was one of my favorite beats that I just never wanted the rhyme to because I ain't want to fuck it up for years. You know what I'm saying? So when it came to doing this album, this was one of the ones that I felt like, I didn't know I was going to do it for this album, but it was like, shit, man, I couldn't even touch this record until probably like a couple years ago. I recently decided to make this song to that beat because I just loved it so much for so long and was afraid to fuck up the beat because, you know, sometimes you think about.

damn, I don't even want to hear myself sound wrong on this shit. You know what I'm saying? And that was one of those tracks that made me feel like that. So I took my time. But when I finally got to it and I found a pocket in that magic for it, it ended up being one of the favorites on this project. And I'm just pointing out these moments because each one of these songs got a story of how this shit's came together.

But we'll be here for the next two or three hours talking about over that shit. Listen, look, you can unload it's okay. It's late anyways over here. You know, we could go all night. But no, what you're saying, look, it makes perfect sense. And I say this all the time. There's a reason that we, that even you and I right now at this very moment at this very time, you know, at this very date, that there's a reason for everything.

Everything happens for a reason the way it's supposed to happen. The same thing for your album. You know, it came out exactly the way it was supposed to happen at that very moment, at the very time, at that very date. And I know it sounds so cliche, but I do believe. I think everything is supposed to work out the way it's supposed to work out. did for you. So you're going to get that fucking Grammy. Talk that shit. Talk that shit.

I'm talking. I'm talking. Thank you so much. I'm claiming it with you. You got it. You got it. You got it. And back to fruition. You got this. And manifest in a tangible way. Look, I was there that night. Those people in there, they were there. And you could tell that each one of them, first of all knew you. Like, personally, I was sitting next to people that knew you personally.

I think I was the only one that didn't know you personally, but you could feel the love in there. As soon as you walked in, you could tell, I heard, I was standing at the bar and some of them, they were like, bless the got that.

I heard one guy, he was like, bless the got this. He was like, this is going to be it. I'm like, what the fuck? And then the other guy over here, he's dancing. He was, I mean, it was so funny just to hear everybody.

Then there was a woman sitting next to me who must have worked with Dilla at some point because she was like, she was like, girl, this is the real thing right here. It was, but you could feel, a love in the room that night. And that's just, I mean, it just goes to show who you are. And I think

you said it best because you were like, I chose this venue for a reason. I didn't want to do it in a club. And it was like very intentional. I heard you talk about your children as well. And it really gave another perspective of who you are and what you're trying to do. So really, kudos to you, your legacy, who you are. You're just scratching the surface as we are grown folks now. We are just, you know, you're just getting into your, you know, your second part of your amazing life. And I really do hope that you take some time in your trophy room and really enjoy who you were, who you are, and who you're becoming, because it doesn't look like you're stopping any time soon. Oh, no, no time soon. We got too much amazing work left to do. And we still got that fire burning

in my soul. So I don't have any desire to not want to continue, not even in the slightest way. So I'm going to continue to share the gift. And I'm just grateful that people are still receiving it in such an amazing way. And I thank you for having me tonight. And I appreciate you. And, you know, everything that we're doing, if you are available, please pull up and continue to share and be a part of this ongoing journey with us on this diligence to celebration.

Listen, I'm here. I'm here. I'm grown now. I could do what I want. I'm here for it. But no, we're going to have to do part two. I'm going to have to see how you feel in six months so we could do part two. and where you're out there with the new album.

Super with you. Yeah. Super with you on that. And yeah, there's going to be a whole lot of shit to talk about six months from now. I know. I'm excited for you. I'm so excited for you and what you got going on.

And seriously, congratulations on your incredible album. The artist, Class A. Oh, I do have one question before we go. Who is one artist that you haven't worked with that you would love to work with? Shadee. Stop. Absolutely. Oh, we need to bring Shadee back.

I mean, she hasn't gone anywhere in my house. She's there. Yeah, absolutely. My house, too. This is no order to love. Yeah. Yeah, Shadee would be the ultimate dream come true bucketless check off for me. Oh, my God, yes.

Now I'm going to try to find her to come on the podcast. Yes. Oh, my God, Brad, Shade. Oh, man. You pull that shit off. You pull that shit off. I'm going to be right there in your side of the podcast. clean with you.

We're going to do this. Let's get it. All right. Busta, it's been a pleasure. I could say it with you for hours. I feel like we're so aligned. You're like my brother from another mother. I feel like we just, you know, we just got it.

Same thing with the kids, everything. I love it. I love your vibe. I thank you so much for those that were listening today. I hope that you got to see the man behind the Buster. You can see their dad. You see the artist, the friend, the creator, the most amazing. The goat himself, goat.

He is the greatest of all time. So if you like today's conversation, please like, subscribe, unlike unsubscribe. I don't know, do something. But y'all need to show bust of that love and make sure he gets that fucking Grammy. Thank you so much. Thank you. I appreciate you, Queen. Appreciate you too, Queen.

Love.