Busta Rhymes fans are wondering what kind of sorcery is at play with the rapper’s appearance lately.
The 52-year-old hip-hop legend was recently photographed with a noticeably protruding belly just weeks after images showed him looking remarkably slim. This fueled speculation that the “Look at Me Now” artist might be using weight loss drugs.
Social media has been buzzing about Busta, whose real name is Trevor Smith, Jr., with many talking about his dramatic weight loss, shedding over 100 pounds and him popping out across the country sporting a fit and trim physique. In the past, he has attributed his transformation to a dedicated workout routine and strict dieting.
However, some fans were skeptical, suspecting that Busta’s rapid slim-down might be due to the same weight loss drugs popular among other celebrities seeking their ideal bodies.
In May, the “Touch It” chart topper looked slender in a few of his courtside photos at a New York Knicks playoff game against the Indiana Pacers on Instagram.
Now other pictures and videos have surfaced over the past three weeks, showing a stark contrast.
Fellow Brooklyn rapper Fabolous posted a picture of Bussa Buss with a pair of crocheted pants, a light blue turtleneck sweater and jewelry around his neck backstage the Chris Brown concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 17. In the pictures posted on June 23, the 12-time Grammy-nominated artist’s belly is clearly visible bulging through his shirt.
In another video, posted on June 19, by his dentist Dr. Mojgan Fajiram, fans get a chance to hear the rap legend sing Joe Crocker’s “You Are So Beautiful,” after getting a side and full-frontal view of his belly.
In both cases, Busta’s taut look that fans saw as recently as June 5 is now giving keg or 40 oz.
2 Cool 2 Blog posted Fabolous’ picture on their Instagram page, where the outlet’s 122K followers responded with hilarious reactions.
“Busta rhymes looks different every photo he takes,” one person joked. Another said, “Ozempic got this ngga weight goin crazy like the NUTTY PROFESSOR.”
Another asked, “Wasn’t Busta Rhymes skinny like last week?”
A third comment quipped, “I never seen anybody go from fat, fit, to fat, to fit, to fat more than Bus!”
Busta has not publicly addressed his apparently fluctuating weight, but one possible explanation for his recent weight gain could be the cessation of weight loss drugs, specifically Ozempic.
These two photos of Busta Rhymes are 20 days apart.
— journalist jawn (@dirtywhiteups) June 24, 2024
Ozempic: 0
Oxtail: 1 pic.twitter.com/zctjoh30hK
According to GoodRX Health, some people experience “Ozempic withdrawal,” which includes a noticeable increase in appetite after stopping the drug, leading to overeating and potential weight gain. This could explain Busta’s recent seeming increase in belly fat, although it remains speculative, since there has been no confirmation that he used such drugs.
In 2019, the “Break Ya Neck” rapper revealed he gained weight while coping with the loss of his father, Trevor Sr., and his manager, Chris Lighty. Busta has also spoken about an incident where he could not breathe while being intimate, prompting him to change his lifestyle and to get serious about his health.
The rapper is not alone in his weight struggles.
A Gallup poll from 2022 found that, on average, 41 percent of U.S. adults considered themselves overweight over the five years from 2017 to 2021.
Additionally, 55 percent of U.S. adults expressed a desire to lose weight during the same period, a slight increase from the previous five-year average of 52 percent and in line with earlier readings from 2007 through 2011.
