MTV VMAs: Busta Rhymes honours Ananda Lewis
Busta Rhymes honoured the late Ananda Lewis at the MTV VMAs on Sunday (07.09.25) as he picked up the first ever Rock the Bells Visionary award.
Busta Rhymes honoured the late Ananda Lewis at the MTV VMAs on Sunday (07.09.25).
The Look at Me Now hitmaker received the first ever Rock the Bells Visionary award at the ceremony, and in his acceptance speech, the 53-year-old rapper praised the "incredible" VJ - who died of breast cancer in June - for her support in the early days of his career.
Referencing the fact he had never received a Moon Person statuette before, Busta said: "Y'all know I usually do these long speeches, I'm not gonna do one today. But next time y'all take 35 years to give me one of these, y'all gonna let me talk as long as I want! But let me get straight to it."
After thanking his loved ones, Busta then paid tribute to Ananda.
He said: "I want to thank — and I think we all need to acknowledge — the incredible woman that loved us very much when we came to MTV during the '90s. An incredible woman that loved me and she loved us. She loved the culture; she lifted us up.
"I love her very much. I miss her very much. The late, great, incredible royal empress Ananda Lewis. I want to pick up her mother, her father, her sister Lakshmi.
"The blessings don't stop, so we don't stop, baby."
As well as receiving the Rock the Bells Visionart prize - which celebrated Busta's “boundary-breaking cultural impact and an indomitable musical career" - the rapper delighted the crowd with a career-spanning performance of his songs Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See and Pass the Courvoiser Part 2, for which he was joined by Glorilla, Spliff Star and Joyner Lucas."
Ahead of the ceremony, Busta had admitted on the red carpet that receiving the accolade was an "incredible feeling", particularly because he had brought a number of members of his family to the ceremony.
He told People magazine: "It's probably one of the most incredible feelings for several reasons. It's the first one they ever gave away at the VMAs.
"To have these visions that are constant and you finally get to this place where you go from being to a child to now you pullin' up to a 35-year-later career legacy with three of your children, two of your nephews, I got three other children that were unfortunately not able to be here — because my kids is grown so they got s*** to do, too.
"[It's special] to be able to have six of my family members here, them being born into watching their dad do this, them growing and evolving into being a part of the business I'm in and doing business with me.
"All we gonna do is continue to stay in the blessed energy space because as long as the blessings dont stop, we don't stop."
