Rapper Busta Rhymes has been charged with assault for allegedly beating up his assistant for being on his phone while working, sources have revealed.
The 12-time Grammy Award nominee, real name Trevor Tahiem Smith Jr., turned himself in over the incident on January 10, the day he dropped teasers for his upcoming album Dragon Season, the New York Post reports.
Rhymes, 52, was previously charged with assault in 2015 for allegedly throwing a protein drink at a staff member in a Manhattan gym.
The Brooklyn-born musician is famous for his fast rapping style, with hits including Look At Me Now and Break Ya Neck.
On the day of the alleged assault, Rhymes posted teasers for Dragon Season on his social media accounts.Â
It comes after Rhymes was recorded throwing a drink at a woman when she touched him in Las Vegas in February 2023.
The music artist was accompanied by a posse when the overzealous fan grabbed him from behind and touched his butt.
Footage filmed by a bystander has been circulating online and shows the moment the star — real name Trevor George Smith Jr. — reacts.
Rapper Busta Rhymes has been charged with assault for allegedly beating up his assistant for being on his phone while working, law enforcement sources have told the New York PostÂ
The 12-time Grammy Award nominee, whose real name is Trevor Tahiem Smith Jr., turned himself in over the incident, which is said to have happened on January 10 – the day he dropped teasers for his upcoming album, Dragon Season
The snippet features Busta, dressed in a dark track jacket and light pants, turning and hurling the beverage.
The Sun reported that he was leaving after attending the MAGIC Fashion Trade Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
A representative for Rhymes did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment at the time.
The woman, identified as Nikita Mathis, confirmed to The Shade Room that she was the person who touched Busta.Â
‘I didn’t mean to touch his behind, honestly. I was just happy to meet him and wanted a picture,’ the fashion boutique owner admitted.
Mathis also noted that she had attended the conference, where Busta ‘gave a very encouraging speech to entrepreneurs.’Â
She added, ‘I have been a long-time fan. I admit I shouldn’t have touched him at all, but he’s Busta. I just felt like I could possibly get a pic.’
The drink thrown was reportedly an open plastic cup of water that Rhymes swiftly used in his defense.
One Twitter user named Nichelle tweeted her reaction to viewing the clip as she wrote, ‘A lot of women feel like they have free range to grope and touch people simply because they’re women.Â
‘Along with the fact that society has created this narrative that any sexual attention towards a man is welcomed and it’s not. Men get uncomfortable just like we do!’
The legendary rapper, 51, shared a before and after picture to Instagram to showcase how much he had transformed his body since committing to regularly workoutsÂ
DJ Kameron Bennett also weighed in on the drama, typing, ‘Busta was not feeling that. had to throw the drink on her.. I don’t blame him,’ while another person chimed in and said, ‘Mf got some good aim tho.’Â
The rap artist has been publicly physically violated before.
In August he was on stage performing to a crowded audience when a woman reached up and tried to grope him.
The scene went viral and showed the entertainer halting the show as he told the DJ to ‘stop the music.’
He then gave fans a mouthful as he said into his microphone, ‘Back up, back up. I dropped my ring down here.Â
‘Hey shorty, you with your man, right? That’s your girl? What kinda sh*t you on letting her continue to grab me up. I’m a grown man. I’ll f*ck your girl, bro.’
He continued, ‘I don’t wanna f*ck your girl. I got a good one at home. This is a weird thing. Weird times. She touched me and sh*t. She might do some police sh*t. I’m not with it.’
Rhymes has also made headlines in recent years for shocking fans by unveiling his buff new gym body on social media.
The rapper shared before and after photos to showcase how much he had transformed his physique since committing to regular workouts.
His photo captures a shirtless Busta showing off his very rounded stomach to the camera.
In the ‘after’ snap he is seen pulling up his red T-shirt at the gym and flexing his newly-acquired muscular frame and bulging biceps.
The New York native also turned around to showcase his six-pack stomach to the camera.
He recently told his fans that by committing to a healthy lifestyle he had shed a whopping 44kg.
Powerful moment: Busta took the stage earlier this month at the 2023 Grammy Awards to perform in a 50th anniversary hip-hop tribute
Busta Rhymes, who was born Trevor Smith Jr in 1972, rose to fame in the early 90s with a host of popular hip hop songs including Turn It Up and What’s It Gonna BeÂ
In August, the Turn it Up hitmaker revealed it was an ‘intimate moment’ which helped spur his dramatic health makeover after reaching a weight of 136kg during the Covid pandemic.
‘One night I was getting ready to have, you know…I was getting ready to have an intimate moment with my ex,’ he told Men’s Health.
‘I had a breathing issue after the intimate interaction.’
The BET award winner went on to say he felt like he was having an asthma attack despite not suffering from the condition.
The hitmaker left the bedroom and walked to the living room where he used deep breathing to try to relax.
‘That was scaring me so much, it was a mindf**k, I had to stay calm and make sure she didn’t hear me panic or hear me struggle to breathe. I’m butt-ass naked in the living room, trying to calm myself down,’ he said.
The shocking incident prompted the Soul Train award winner to transform his life through a new diet and workout regimen, and after months of hard work he finally got the buff body he was aiming for.
Busta Rhymes, who was born Trevor Smith Jr in 1972, rose to fame in the early 90s with a host of popular hip hop songs including Turn It Up and What’s It Gonna Be.
He has also acted in several popular Hollywood movies, including Shaft, Narc and Halloween: Resurrection.
