Rapper Busta Rhymes was arrested after he repeatedly punched a man in the face on January 14.
The 52-year-old “Round Round” artist, born Trevor George Smith Jr., has since been charged with third-degree assault.
According to police, officers from the 84 Precinct arrived on the scene shortly after 7 p.m. after a fight broke out inside a building on the corner of Jay Street and Front Street in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Police reports indicate that the popular music star hit a 50-year-old male victim “numerous times” during a verbal dispute.
The victim sustained a swelling injury on the left side of his face and was thus “transported to NYC Health and Hospitals/Woodhull in stable condition.”
Busta Rhymes hit a 50-year-old male victim ‘numerous times’ in the face and is now facing third-degree assault charges (Getty Images for Paramount)
Rhymes has been given a desk appearance ticket, meaning he’s not being held in police custody but must appear in court to answer the criminal charges against him. An investigation is still ongoing.
The alleged victim is thought to be Rhymes’ assistant, Dashiel Gables. However, Gables refused to comment on the incident, admitting his lawyers told him not to speak with the press when the New York Post contacted him on Thursday (January 16).
Rhymes has had quite a few police reports written up over the years. In fact, ten years ago the “Break Ya Neck” vocalist was arrested after he’d supposedly hit a Chelsea gym employee in the back of the head with a protein drink.
Before that, he was arrested and charged with a DWI in 2007. At the time, police said the rapper’s GMC Denali SUV was seen driving uncontrollably in Manhattan.
The news of Rhymes’ most recent arrest comes just as the rapper released his new EP, Dragon Season… The Awakening, on January 17.
The Independent has contacted Rhymes’s representatives for comments.
Rhymes was born in East Flatbush, New York. The music sensation rose to stardom in the late 1990s, releasing his first hit single, “Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check,” a month before his solo debut album, The Coming, was published in 1996. Rhymes’ single was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance the following year, solidifying his reputation as a breakout rap star. The artist has received 12 Grammy nominations throughout his career.