Busta Rhymes didn’t mince words when he addressed a message to fans using their devices in the crowd at Essence Festival on Friday.
“Ayo, fuck those camera phones too,” said the legendary rapper, who performed on the opening night of the festival’s concert series at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
“Let’s get back to interacting as people. Put down those weird devices. I’m not from that time. That shit has no control over the soul. Fuck your phone.”
The 52-year-old rapper continued his explicit message, encouraging the crowd to pay attention.
“I’m going to point you all out until you’re all up,” said Rhymes, who noted that he’s “not used to” people sitting down at his shows.
He added that he had “zero tolerance for bullshit energy” because it was his first time performing at the Essence Festival.
“Make me feel like we’re home,” the rapper declared.
Saturday in an Instagram postRhymes appeared to dismiss claims that he was frustrated with the crowd, describing his response as “SHOWMANSHIP” in an all-caps caption to the post.
He went on to write that it was “TRULY AN HONOR” to perform at the 30th anniversary festival and thanked the New Orleans crowd for their “INCREDIBLE ENERGY.”
In an interview before the performance, Rhymes told “The View” last month that he grew up with Essence magazine and “lived” in its pages while in the barbershop as a child.
“I used to see all the heroes, and I saw the afros, and I saw the beautiful, natural beauty of our beautiful black women and queens and kings,” he said.
“And I saw record executives, and I saw artists, and I saw athletes, and I just thought, ‘Yo, I’m going to be one of these dudes.’ I’m going to be like one of these greats,” he continued. “And that’s really where it started.”
Rhymes is currently one of the opening acts for Missy Elliott’s ‘Out of This World’ tour, Elliott’s first-ever headlining tour of her career.