MTV to Celebrate Busta Rhymes With First-Ever Rock the Bells Visionary Award

The MTV Video Music Awards have been at the helm of culture-shifting recognition since their first ceremony in 1984. In 2025, the VMAs tradition continues, as they honor Busta Rhymes for his lyrical and visual contributions to hip-hop with the inaugural Rock the Bells Visionary Award, cementing his legacy as one of rap’s most inventive and imaginative artists.

The accolade, introduced in partnership with VMAs host LL Cool J’s burgeoning Rock the Bells empire, was created to celebrate artists who have pushed past the limitations of traditional sound, style, and performance, and is designed to spotlight boundary-breakers whose creativity inspires both their peers and future generations. With Busta’s kinetic rap flow, extraordinary visuals and unboxed creativity, he is the embodiment of a visionary.

Busta Rhymes has a storied history with the VMAs, performing for the first time in 1997. Since then, he’s had four additional performances and earned nearly a dozen nominations. Now, the full-circle moment will be witnessed by millions. His captivating cinematic visuals, his one-of-a-kind stage presence and his ability to shape how hip-hop is viewed globally are just a few of the reasons why he’s the perfect artist for this honor.

The New York native’s career spans over three decades and includes 14 albums, countless features, and appearances across television and film. He’s multifaceted to say the least. From his lightning-speed delivery and animated cadence, to working alongside some of music’s biggest names — Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Chris Brown, Kendrick Lamar and more — Busta Rhymes is a fixture in the genre who not only normalized unique approaches to music, but is bridging generational gaps.

For fans, Busta’s artistry is more than music, it’s theatrical. Videos for songs like, “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” and “What’s It Gonna Be?!” featuring Janet Jackson were full-on cultural experiences brought to your living room. 2002’s “Pass the Courvoisier” video was an All-Star affair that paid homage to the 1989 film Harlem Nights. Throughout his entire career, Busta Rhymes set a bar that he has consistently raised himself.

The Rock the Bells Visionary Award recognizes his lasting impact. This is more than a trophy that’ll simply be displayed in an acrylic case at Busta’s home; it signifies reverence and appreciation for an artist whose imprint is all over hip-hop, past, present and future. Busta’s influence can be seen within the works of younger artists as well, with many of them citing him as an example of how to fuse music, fashion and visual storytelling. Beyond that, his ability to mesh his Jamaican heritage with futuristic sounds has created a blueprint that still resonates across the music world. 

The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by fellow hip-hop legend LL Cool J, will be a celebration of music of all genres but especially Black music (Mariah Carey will also be honored with the Video Vanguard Award), highlighting its prowess, authenticity, autonomy and power that has influenced not only fans of rap, but supporters of lyrical and visual artistry. And on September 7, MTV will honor Busta Rhymes and declare him as one of hip-hop’s visual architects and lyrical trailblazers. A feat accomplished by very few.