Busta Rhymes and his longtime hype man Spliff Star have been friends for years, but the way they met could have turned them into lifelong foes.
“He faked married this girl named Janice I had a big ass crush on, and n—as ran up the block and was like, ‘Yo, yo, that n—ga Trev, he married your girl,” recalled Spliff during an appearance on the “My Expert Opinion” podcast.
The Flatbush native said he was stunned by the claims, so he sought out to find the guy who had stolen his girl. Little did he know the rapper, whose real name is Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., was the culprit.
“Mind you, this n—a tall. I’m short,” added the Flipmode Squad member. “I went and said, ‘Who he at?’…Busta was standing right there. I jumped up and smacked the s—t outta him. Bow!’ “
“Everybody was like, ‘Oh s—t.’ Even Busta was like [shocked]. Bloodclat marry mi gyal. I’m a lil n—ga, skinny n—ga, but that’s how we met. And then after that, we been hanging out with each other and all that, and turn into teenagers,” he continued.
Spliff has long credited the “Touch It” rapper with helping him remove himself from street life. As Busta launched his career, he brought along his childhood friend, who, at that point, had proven himself to have the lyricist’s back time and time again.
Elsewhere in the interview, he expressed gratitude for the new lease on life that Busta helped him afford. In 2018, Spliff found himself in need of dire heart surgery. He said Busta stepped up to help him in an incredibly valuable way.
“When I was dying, I was dying, bro. And there was nobody there to take care of my bills and s—t like that. My brother stepped up without question. You understand?,” Spliff explained. “Not even my own flesh and blood did that. Okay? Not even the people that I helped did nothing for me.”
But his friend of more than 30 years did. Spliff said that is just one of the many reasons he has and will always remain loyal to the Grammy-nominated artist.
“That s—t right there f—k all that, my man’s he showed — he act like he came from my mother’s p—sy. And its’ always been like that.”
He went on to note, “To me when you’re back against the wall you see who step up … that’s how you know. I can never front on him. I can never repay back for the blessing he gave me.”
Spliff and Busta have been friends since they were teenagers. The duo has proudly supported each other in their personal and professional endeavors. But many know Spliff for being one of the best hypemen in the industry.
In February, he joined Busta on stage at the Grammys, where he and several other hip-hop giants paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
