Busta Rhymes celebrated his Rock the Bells Visionary Award at the 2025 MTV VMAs by putting on a show-stopping performance, running through some of his biggest hits before accepting the award Sunday (Sept. 7) at New York’s UBS Arena.
After LL Cool J announced the rapper, Busta hopped up alongside Spliff Star and performed a medley of hits that included guest appearances from Joyner Lucas, Papoose and GloRilla. Utilizing his spitfire flow, Busta breathlessly attacked his songs “Gimme Some More,” “Touch It” and “Pass the Courvoisier.”
“Let me get straight to it,” Busta said before quickly shouting out Yo Gotti, Ciara, his mother and father, DJ Scratch and, of course, God. He closed out his speech by giving props to the MTV VJ and talk-show host Ananda Lewis, who died in June after a battle with breast cancer at 52 years old.
“I think we all need to acknowledge the incredible woman that loved us very much when we came to MTV during the ’90s,” Busta said. “An incredible woman that loved me, she loved us, she loved the culture. She lifted us up. I love her very much, I miss her very much. The late, great, incredible royal empress Ananda Lewis.”
He concluded with, “The blessings don’t stop, so we don’t stop, baby!”
The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards were broadcast in front of a live audience, and aired on CBS and MTV, and also streamed live on Paramount+. LL Cool J hosted the event, which included performances from Doja Cat, Tate McRae and more.
Check out Busta Rhymes’ performance and acceptance speech below.
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