Watch: Busta Rhymes Honored With Walk of Fame Star

The gravel-throated flow. The animated delivery. The unmatched visuals. After more than three decades of shaping the sound, look, and intensity of hip-hop, Busta Rhymes has earned his place on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Brooklyn-raised legend was officially honored with the 2,818th star on the iconic boulevard today — a long-overdue recognition for an artist who, as LL Cool J put it during the ceremony, has remained “a disruptor” since his very first bars.

“I’m grateful for the blessing that has been bestowed upon me,” Rhymes said, visibly emotional as he reflected on his journey. “I’ve been through so many things in life, and I’ve never stopped.”

Flanked by Chuck D, Big Boy, LL Cool J and his children, Rhymes used the moment to reflect not just on his accolades — platinum plaques, Guinness records, Grammy nominations — but on the culture that birthed him and the legacy he’s still building. “This isn’t the destination,” he said. “This is fuel to keep going.”

Born Trevor Smith Jr., Busta’s career began in the late 1980s with Leaders of the New School, but his rise was meteoric after a legendary guest verse on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario.” By the mid-’90s, he was headlining with solo classics like “Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check,” “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” and “Dangerous,” blending high-concept visuals with apocalyptic energy and breathless lyricism.

“He was the original visualizer,” Chuck D said. “Before music videos became billion-dollar business, Busta made every frame matter.”

Known for his versatility, Rhymes has collaborated across genres with artists like Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Eminem, Missy Elliott and Kendrick Lamar. His videos — often directed by the likes of Hype Williams — weren’t just cinematic. They were cultural events.

But behind the spectacle was substance. Busta was a fierce defender of hip-hop as an art form. He famously squared off in rhyme with Jay-Z, Nas and others, but always brought the energy back to unity and celebration.

“He’s the guy who could bring KRS-One and Diddy into the same room,” Big Boy joked. “And still make it feel like a cookout.”

Even with nine solo albums, 12 Grammy nominations and a Guinness World Record for most syllables rapped in a single hit, Busta’s not slowing down. He teased his upcoming album, “Vengeance,” during the ceremony — and he appears in Paramount’s recently released “The Naked Gun” reboot, joining a cast led by Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Cody Rhodes and CCH Pounder. It marks his first feature film performance in nearly a decade.

Victory Pours and Big Mama Vibes: Latto Leads New D’Ussé Push

Latto stars in the new D’Ussé Friday campaign, revealing the brand’s VSOP Magnum Edition bottle as her “mystery date” in a short film that nods to her Atlanta roots, upcoming music and swirling public speculation linking her to a well-known rapper. 

D’Ussé Friday is back — and this time, it’s more than just a toast.

Once a Roc Nation office tradition that marked the end of a hard week, the cognac-fueled ritual returns as a national campaign led by Grammy-nominated rapper Latto. The summer relaunch arrives with a cheeky short film where Latto reveals her “mystery date” — not a man, but the D’Ussé VSOP Magnum Edition bottle.

But beyond the gimmick is a cultural reset. The campaign centers on what it calls “victory pours” — an attempt to shift from grind culture to a space of acknowledgment and pause. With her “Big Mama” persona in full effect, Latto headlines a slate of events in Atlanta and elsewhere alongside breakout singer-songwriter Ravyn Lenae.

There’s even a custom cocktail — the “D’Ussé Peach Lemonade” — referencing her 2024 "Georgia Peach" LP and Atlanta roots.

At face value, it's a seasonal brand push. But behind it lies a long, complex relationship between hip-hop and cognac.

Long before Jay-Z’s involvement, cognac was embedded in rap’s DNA — from Tupac’s odes to Hennessy to luxury shoutouts by Busta Rhymes and Biggie. By the 2000s, the drink had become a staple in Black nightlife and music videos. Analysts estimate that Black consumers have accounted for over 60 percent of cognac’s U.S. sales in past decades — despite having little ownership in the brands they helped build.

That changed in 2012 when Jay-Z co-founded D’Ussé with Bacardi, shifting from endorsement to equity. His role was more than symbolic. Even after selling his majority stake in 2023 in a deal that reportedly valued the company at $750 million, D’Ussé's cultural identity remains inseparable from the blueprint he authored.

This latest rollout doesn’t just reference that legacy — it extends it. While Latto and Ravyn Lenae are the campaign’s faces, the undercurrent is about reclaiming space — economically, culturally, and narratively.

“Everyone knows the grind is nonstop and a lot of times we're not taking a second to celebrate the wins,” Latto said in the official announcement. Her quote, while polished, reinforces a larger truth: in a culture that prizes hustle, the pause often says just as much.

The campaign arrives at a time when more artists are taking control of their narratives — not just what they drink or promote, but what they own and influence.

What began as a low-key Friday tradition inside Roc Nation now lives as something bigger — a nod to the long week, the long road, and the longer game.

Victory, in this case, is served with context.

Judge Weighs $50M Bond Request From Diddy Ahead of Sentencing

Sean “Diddy” Combs appears in a social media video posted in May 2024, in which he apologized following the release of surveillance footage tied to abuse allegations. The hip-hop mogul is now seeking release on a $50 million bond ahead of his October 3, 2025 sentencing for federal prostitution-related convictions. (Photo via Instagram)

Sean "Diddy" Combs is asking a federal judge to release him from jail on a $50 million bond while he awaits sentencing on two federal prostitution-related convictions.

In a motion filed Tuesday, Combs' attorneys urged U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian to reconsider an earlier decision that kept the hip-hop mogul behind bars following a July 2 verdict that acquitted him of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy but convicted him of transporting individuals across state lines to engage in prostitution.

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers are trying to get him out of jail.

“There are exceptional
circumstances warranting a departure from mandatory detention and ensuring that Sean Combs is released.” https://t.co/CxWtj2Key9 pic.twitter.com/1FFrvFqdbF

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) July 29, 2025

“Sean Combs should not be in jail for this conduct,” his attorney Marc Agnifilo wrote. “In fact, he may be the only person currently in a United States jail for being any sort of john.”

Each of the two counts carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. However, federal prosecutors have acknowledged that sentencing guidelines likely recommend significantly less. Combs, 55, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3.

His legal team argues that continued confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn places him at risk. They cited fights in his unit, poor jail conditions, and the nonviolent nature of his convictions as factors justifying release. “There is no plausible reason why he should not be treated like everyone else convicted of a similar offense,” Agnifilo added.

Combs has been detained since September 2024. His lawyers claim that such lengthy pre-sentencing incarceration is rare for defendants convicted solely of prostitution-related charges—especially when those defendants did not financially profit from the acts in question.

The AUSA office has released their petition to the judge to keep Diddy in jail. pic.twitter.com/nlgQhMTTcc

— 𓃶¹𝕁𝕚𝕘 (@JudusMaximus) July 2, 2025

Prosecutors alleged at trial that Combs used threats, physical violence, and his business resources to coerce two former girlfriends into drug-fueled sexual encounters involving male sex workers—events referred to in court as "freak-offs." Combs pleaded not guilty and argued that the encounters were consensual.

Judge Subramanian denied an earlier request for Combs' release immediately following the verdict, citing the “ample evidence” presented during the trial of violent acts committed by the Bad Boy Records founder.

If granted, Combs would be one of the most high-profile defendants in recent memory released on bond after a partial conviction in a federal sex crimes case.