"I ain't from that era" - Busta Rhymes tells the audience to put away their phones in wild video from Essence Fest '24

A video of American rapper and actor Busta Rhymes yelling at the audience members using their phones during his performance at the 2024 Essence Festival in New Orleans has gone viral.

According to a video that X user @LucyTakesOnNOLA uploaded on Friday, July 5, Busta Rhymes interrupted his performance to speak with the audience members who were taking videos of him using their cell phones while seated.

Busta Rhymes addressed the crowd and asked them to put down their phones and engage with one another. He went on to say that because he was not born into this era, he didn't comprehend the idea of documenting everything. He continued,

"Excuse me, gentlemen, thank you very much. I won't point every last word of y 'all out until y 'all ask yourself 33 years of doing this sh*t. I ain't used to n**gas sitting down at my show. I don't give a f*ck. All age groups, get your a*s up now. I see you, beautiful queen, get up too. F*ck going on everybody."

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Busta Rhymes urged fans to put away their phones during his 2024 Essence Fest performance

The Efoc 2024 kicked off with a bang (Image via Getty)

During the Efoc 2024, on the first night of the concert series, Cash Money Records honored 30 years of achievement. T-Pain, Raphael Saadiq, Ari Lennox, The Roots, and Busta Rhymes were among the artists who performed during the event.

Cash Money's final performance of the first night of the festival was the highlight of the evening. Under the direction of CEO and co-founder Bryan Williams, 30 Years of Cash Money featured several exciting developments and some high points.

Nevertheless, out of all the performances, Busta Rhymes' performance was quite eventful. In a viral video that was widely circulated online, it could be seen that during his set, it looked like his fans were on their phones.

When he noticed this, he reportedly became irritated about the entire thing. He then took a jab at the audience, saying,

"A-yo, f*ck them camera phones, too. Let's get back to interacting like humans. Put them weird-a*s devices down. I ain't from that era. Them sh*ts don't control the soul. F*ck your phone."

Busta Rhymes continued by saying that, despite having been in the industry for more than 30 years, he was unaccustomed to having people sit and videotape everything at his concert.

"You, too, get your big head a*ses up. Look, the reason why there will be zero tolerance for bullsh*t energy in here is because this is my first time in New Orleans at the f*cking 38th anniversary. This is my first time, this is my brother's first time, this is my other brother's first time. Make me feel like we home. Y'all, was there wrong to my tone?"

Busta Rhymes then informed the audience that it was his first time performing at the Essence Festival, and he was hoping for an engaged response from them. The crowd, initially seated, ultimately got up and gave the seasoned rapper the confidence to carry on with his performance.

On the other hand, apart from this, the entire festival was exciting for the crowd. Actor and comedian TK Kirkland opened the event, and then former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial addressed the crowd.

A plaque honoring Cash Money Records' achievements to music and philanthropy over the years was also presented by Morial to the record label.

Additionally, after accepting the prize, Ronald Williams began the eagerly awaited performance, showcasing the 1991 impression he and his brother had made. The Cleveland Browns' Grant Delphitt and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo were also candid about their lives both on and off the field, especially in regards to money, during the first conversation.

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On the other hand, Busta Rhymes has yet to say anything regarding his recent viral video from the festival.