During the 2023 BET Awards on Sunday night, Busta Rhymes delivered an emotional speech after he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Alright. So, I’m going to wear it on my sleeve. I do want to cry,” said Rhymes upon receiving the award, at which point he broke down into tears. "I’m going to say I am grateful that the blessing that has been bestowed upon me and this gift that I have been given and this fire that continues to burn as a passion in my soul, that allows me to get into any situation—from the stage to collabing with whoever—and making sure that I am far from the weak link. Because I enjoy walking away from a situation saying, ‘I bust ass!'"
He went on to say that he feels it's his "duty" to "continue to advance the culture and continue to contribute in a significant way." He spoke about some of the many achievements throughout his career, specifically calling attention to his six children. "Long story short, I pioneered the feature," he added, referring to his impressive discography of guest verses.
Alongside the speech, the BET Awards honored Busta Rhymes' impact on hip-hop and beyond with a summary of his career. Among those to offer praise to the hip-hop legend in the short video were Diddy, Janet Jackson, Dave Chappelle, and Pharrell Williams.
Ahead of the ceremony, BET CEO Scott Mills announced that Rhymes would be the recipient of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award. “Busta Rhymes is a multifaceted, award-winning artist who has mesmerized audiences for decades with his original hip-hop sound and one-of-a-kind visuals,” Mills said. “He continues to leave an indelible mark on the culture that we hold dear, and it is with great pride that we present this year’s lifetime achievement award to a visionary, a master of rhyme, and a true pioneer."He continues to leave an indelible mark on the culture that we hold dear, and it is with great pride that we present this year’s lifetime achievement award to a visionary, a master of rhyme and a true pioneer.”
Earlier this year, Busta Rhymes reiterated his prowess as a rapper when he called out those who perform with backing tracks. “We come from a time where there was no additives. No unnecessary mixing, and diluting, and tampering with the holy, sacred, and pure,” he said. "We [are] the holy, sacred and pure. ... I be lookin’ at shows and muthafuckas be playin’ they shit, and it be the fuckin’ soundtrack from the fuckin’ SoundCloud." He suggested that he's "cut from a different cloth" to some of these new rappers, who essentially just rap over their finished songs. Busta, meanwhile, doesn't need all that to prove himself.
