In interviews with Complex Magazine and MTV News, Busta Rhymes has dispelled all the rumors about being dropped from Interscope, offending Muslims, and he even commented on the recent “Bill O’Reilly vs. Hip Hop” controversy.
On the rumor that Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine dropped him:
“Just for the record, there was no heated argument with me and Jimmy Iovine,” Rhymes tells Complex. “It was kind of a mutual agreement and a mutual understanding… I actually sing Jimmy Iovine’s praises because not only did he let me leave, but he let me leave with my album.”
On his new song, “Arab Money,” offending some Muslims:
“I have quotes from 36-year-old school teachers from Egypt all the way down to real estate developers from Kuwait, and engineers from Baghdad, Iraq, pediatricians from Syria, lawyers from Lebanon, etc, etc. A lot of great people came out to offer their support and make sure that it was clear that we understood that as much people out there shining a light on the negative of the song, there’s quadruple the amount of people that support what the movement is,” he said to Complex. Rhymes also told MTV he carries his fanmail from the Arab community with him every day.
On Bill O’Reilly’s criticism of Young Jeezy and Jay-Z’s inaugural ball performances:
“I just think he needs to, at some point, come to terms with the fact that he’s a dude that needs to find happiness somewhere, because…for a guy that’s so negative, he’s got to be a really unhappy dude. He kind of reminds me of J. Edgar Hoover.”
It looks like Rhymes wants to put all the drama behind him; He even talks about the long delay on the release of Dr. Dre’s Detox, saying “I’ve been in [Dre] sessions where I’ve listened to beats and have cried because I couldn’t have it.” To read the very interesting Complex Magazine interview, click here.