Busta Rhymes Honored With Hip-Hop Icon Award

Busta Rhymes holds up the Hip Hop Icon Award during Harlem Week’s Harlem Day celebration at St. Nicholas Park in New York. The Brooklyn-born rapper was honored for his three-decade career, global impact, and contributions to hip hop culture. 

Busta Rhymes, whose rapid-fire flow and high-voltage performances helped redefine East Coast rap, was honored Sunday with the Hip Hop Icon Award during the finale of Harlem Week. The Brooklyn-born emcee received the recognition from the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce at St. Nicholas Park, where his son, Trillian Wood-Smith, also performed.

 

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The honor came as part of Harlem Day, the signature closing event of Harlem Week, a 51-year-old celebration themed this year as “Celebrate Our Magic.” Harlem Day featured three stages of music and tributes to Congressman Charles B. Rangel, Dr. Hazel Dukes, and the late Harry Belafonte, along with a musical salute to Quincy Jones led by Ray Chew.

Organizers selected Busta Rhymes not only for his chart-topping hits, platinum albums, and Grammy-nominated career, but also for his enduring influence on hip-hop culture and his global representation of New York. Over more than three decades, he has collaborated across genres and delivered boundary-pushing music videos and performances that inspired generations.

On Instagram, Busta thanked Harlem Week’s organizers and the community, writing: “THE BLESSINGS DON’T STOP SO THE BLESSINGS WON’T EVER STOP!!! … AIN’T NOTHING BETTER THAN TO RECEIVE YOUR FLOWERS WHILE YOU CAN SMELL ‘EM IN ABUNDANCE!!!”

The award follows another milestone for Busta Rhymes earlier this month, when he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, cementing his place among hip-hop’s most influential figures.