Busta Rhymes Goes Off On Essence Festival Crowd: “F*ck Your Phone!”
Recently, Busta Rhymes graced the stage at the 2024 Essence Festival in New Orleans. Unfortunately, however, not everyone was on the same page throughout the show. At one point, the NYC-born performer paused his set to call out crowd members for sitting down and filming on their phones. He didn’t hold back, making it clear that he’s not from an era where that was acceptable.
“A-yo, f**k them camera phones, too. Let’s get back to interacting like humans. Put them weird-a** devices down,” he shouted. “I ain’t from that era. Them s**ts don’t control the soul. F**k your phone.” Obviously, he wasn’t having it and wasn’t afraid to let the audience know.
Busta Rhymes Gets Heated As Fans Use Phones, Sit At Essence Festival
“I will put every one of y’all out until y’all a*ses is up,” he also added. “Thirty-three years of doing this s**t, I ain’t use to ni**as sitting down at my show, I don’t give a f**k!” The outburst has managed to spark a debate in The Neighborhood Talk‘s comments section, as commenters share their takes on the unexpected moment. While some think Busta Rhymes was in the right to call out the crowd, others think he took things too far. Some are also arguing that a majority of his fans are older, and simply aren’t looking to stand through an entire concert.
“We not in YOUR era anymore big dawg, people paid to see you calm down,” one Instagram user says. “What he has to realize is that his main demographic is older as well!!!” another writes. “They like to sit at concerts because they are older.” What do you think of Busta Rhymes cursing out fans at Essence Fest for sitting and having their phones out? Does he have a point, or did he simply overreact? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
About The Author
Caroline Fisher is a News Writer at HotNewHipHop from Chicago, Illinois. She started at HNHH this year, and has since spent her time writing about all that is newsworthy in the world of hip-hop. With a drive for hunting down the hottest stories, she enjoys documenting new developments in culture and entertainment. She also has an appreciation for hip-hop and seeks to cover the most important trends and shifts.
She has a Bachelor of Arts which she received at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Having graduated in 2022, she majored in English with a concentration in Media, Rhetoric and Cultural Studies.
Specializing all things music, pop culture and entertainment, some of her favorite musical artists include Snoop Dogg, OutKast, and Nicki Minaj. When she’s not writing about music she’s also a fan of attending shows, watching the latest movies, staying up-to-date with current events, photography, and poetry.