Usher’s Lovers & Friends festival took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday (May 6). At 3:40 p.m. on the Bling Stage, Busta Rhymes performed a litany of his fan-favorite career hits, while also sending a stern message to the rest of the music industry.
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Before rapping his verse to Chris Brown’s 2011 track “Look At Me Now,” which also features Lil Wayne, the 50-year-old icon called out artists and musicians who use backtracks with studio vocals when they perform.
“We cut from a different cloth that they don’t manufacture anymore,” he said on stage. “We come from a time where there was no additives or preservatives. No unnecessary mixing, and diluting, and tampering with the holy, sacred, and pure. We (are) the holy, sacred and pure. We don’t sing over our vocals and shit. So with all that being said, that discussion was based on us showing you better than we can tell you.”
After voicing his concerns regarding what is a common trend nowadays for singers and emcees, Busta led by example, rattling off his slick-tongued bars from “Look At Me Now” unassisted. His verse on the song is one of his most beloved in his career, mostly because it sees him rap at an incredibly rapid pace, similar to prior songs of his like “Break Ya Neck” (2001).
With Busta demonstrating he can rap his unbelievably fast-paced verse in a concert setting, he surely got his point across to the world that all performers should rely solely on live vocals for their songs.
Throughout the rest of the day Saturday, Lovers & Friends saw performances from other 1990s and 2000s music legends such as Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, 50 Cent, and of course, Usher. While a scuffle reportedly happened between Usher, Chris Brown, and Teyana Taylor at a skating rink the night before the fest, the show appeared to go on without a hitch.
(Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
