Busta Rhymes Curses Out Essence Fest Crowd for Sitting Down, Being on Phones: 'Let's Get Back to Interacting Like Humans'

The 30th Essence Festival of Culture got off to a rocky start, with Busta Rhymes blasting the New Orleans crowd for being disengaged.

July 6, 2024

Busta Rhymes was visibly upset during the opening night of the 30th Essence Festival of Culture.

Performing at New Orleans' Caesars Superdome on Friday, July 5, the veteran rapper halted his set to chastise the crowd for their inattentiveness.

"Ayo, fuck them camera phones, too. Let's get back to interacting like humans. Put them weird-ass devices down," Busta shouted, as seen in video from the livestreamed concert below. "I ain't from that era. Them shits don't control the soul. Fuck your phone."

To the surprise of attendees and viewers, he threatened, "I will point every last one of y'all out until y'all asses is up."

"Thirty-three years of doing this shit, I ain't used to n****s sitting down at my show. I don't give a fuck! All age groups, get your ass up now!" Busta added.

The rapper continued calling out individual attendees and sections of the venue, albeit smiling while doing so. Busta then explained that he had "zero tolerance for bullshit energy" due to it being his first time performing at the festival. "Make me feel like we home!" he concluded.

Busta's speech echoes Method Man, who performed alongside Redman at the Hot 97 Summer Jam last month, but swore off returning due to a "generation gap."

"Not our crowd at all," he commented on a Hot 97 Instagram post following the performance. "Thanks again, New York and the whole tri-state (that showed up to the event) plus Pete and Ebro. I got love for you guys. But never again.. at this point the generation gap is just too wide for me. #nevercomingback."

Busta's fans can catch the emcee as an opener for Missy Elliott's Out of This World Tour, which continues until late August.