Busta Rhymes, whose real name is Trevor Smith, has had an iconic career, and he will even be honored at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, September 7. The “I Know What You Want” singer will receive the Rock The Bells Visionary Award, recognizing his legacy and the impact he has had on the music industry. The award will be presented by LL Cool J.
In addition to a successful career, Busta Rhymes is also a dedicated family man. These are five fast facts you need to know about his family.
1. Busta Rhymes Has Six Children
The musician shares his three sons, T’ziah Wood-Smith, T’khi Wood-Smith, and Trillian Wood-Smith, with his ex-girlfriend Joanne Wood. Mariah Miskelly’s mother is Jill Miskelly, and her paternity was established in 1999, People reports.
Rhymes is also a father to Sacario Smith and Cacie Smith, although their mothers have not been announced publicly.
2. Busta Rhymes Became a Father in 1993
Busta Rhymes became a dad for the first time in February 1993 with his son T’ziah Wood-Smith. Raising a child and establishing a career in hip-hop was a balancing act, but in a 2023 interview with Men’s Health, the musician credited hip-hop for helping him become a good father.
“I was the youngest in [Leaders of the New School] to have a child,” he said. “That forced me to understand the seriousness of what becoming a man was. Hip-hop provided the means for me to be a man, a father.”
He continued, “Being able to wake my son up, give him breakfast, dress him, take him to school, go to work, come home at five, help with his homework, read him a bedtime story — I didn’t have a skill set that allowed me to deliver in that way.”
3. He Considers His Children His ‘Greatest Blessing in Life’
Fatherhood has had a tremendous impact on Busta Rhymes’ life, and he has given fans a glimpse into it with interviews and posts on social media. He is a dedicated and loving father, and on February 7, 2025, in honor of Trillian’s birthday, the proud musician penned a heartfelt tribute to his son on Instagram.
“THE BLESSINGS DON’T STOP SO WE WILL NEVER STOP!! MY GREATEST BLESSING IN LIFE IS MY BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN AND I WOULD LIKE TO WISH ONE OF MY INCREDIBLE CHILDREN A HAPPY BIRTHDAY ON HIS DAY!!” his message began, before informing fans it was Trillian’s big day!
To Trillian, he wrote, “I AM SO PROUD OF YOU, MY YOUNG KING!! ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CYCLE AROUND THE SON CHAMPION!! LET’S KEEP IT GOING AND KEEP IT GROWING CHAMP!! I LOVE YOU YOUNG KING!!!”
4. Being With His Kids Brings Him an Abundance of Joy
When Busta Rhymes attended the BET Awards in 2023, he was joined by his six kids. “I’m looking at my kids for the first time all together at such a prestigious moment in my life, and … there was a lot of times that I had to leave home to do this,” the rapper told Entertainment Tonight in an interview at the BET Awards in 2023.
He continued, “I might have missed a graduation, I might have missed a birthday, I might have missed teaching my kid to ride a bike but as they got older they understood. I’m super grateful … and I still feel like I got work to do to make them happier.”
5. His Role as a Father Has Inspired Artwork
There is a mural honoring Busta Rhymes as a father in Raleigh, North Carolina. The artist, Dare Coulter, was inspired by a beautiful photo of the musician and his son, taken when he dropped him off at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.
In an interview with Ebony in July 2023, Coulter discussed their work, saying, “All of my work focuses on positive imagery of Black people—depictions of joy, depictions of family, depictions of love. For me, that photo [of Busta and son] is the epitome of that.”
She continued, “It’s the depiction of the concept of being loved completely. And I know that there are a lot of people who grew up without a father. My father wasn’t in my household, but I was still in contact with him.”
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