Busta Rhymes was born Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr. on May 21, 1972. The rapper was born to Jamaican parents in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, New York, and attended Uniondale High School in Long Island, New York.Busta began his music career with the Long Island-based trio Leaders of the New School in 1989. The three earned an opening spot with Public Enemy at the invitation of Chuck D, who also gave Busta and his groupmate Charlie Brown their stage names. The group signed with Elektra Records, and their debut release “Future Without a Past” dropped in 1991. The rapper moved into the mainstream in 1996 with his smash hit single “Woo Ha!! Got You All In Check.” That track climbed to number eight in the U.S. and peaked at number 2 in the U.K. It is included on his debut solo release “The Coming,” which topped the R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart in 1996.