NEW YORK (NBA Website) -
Busta Rhymes passes more than the Courvosier on EA Sports' just-released NBA Live 2003.
On the latest edition of the popular PlayStation 2 title, Rhymes appears not only on the game's Just Blaze-produced soundtrack - with the Flip Mode Squad track "Here We Go" - but also as one of the "unlockable" characters available for gameplay.
"This is my first video game," Rhymes said at a press conference on Tuesday (Oct. 9) at the Omni Berkshire Hotel in New York. "This is the one that goes up on the wall in a glass casket, like the first dollar you ever made, or your first check with the Time-Warner logo in the corner. The first nut is always the best one."
Busta takes his place alongside the likes of Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant - as well as hip-hoppers DJ Clue and Fabolous - as a fully pixilated baller on the hip-hop-centric game, which also includes tracks from Snoop Dogg, Angie Martinez, Freeway and Memphis Bleek, Brandy and Fat Joe, and Monica and Jermaine Dupri.
"I was very involved in the modeling," he said, "right down to the smallest tattoo on my arm - so I know that they worked hard to get my character right. But I still haven't had time to sit down with the final product to make sure I look sexy in 3-D. I still wanna see the particular style they gave my dreadlocks in the game."
As for his competition, Rhymes had this to say: "My point man at Violator checked the game the other day and he played my character against Fabolous and DJ Clue and he told me I was bustin' they asses on the court. I'm a 95th level character in the game - that's the highest you can get. That's like Kobe or MJ, you know? Fab and Clue - I love 'em - but they can't touch that!"
"I'm definitely a baller," he continued, "I ball all day. We grew up on street ball, freestyle ball. But I'm not very good with the rules. I play more of a street-style ball, Rucker park-style. I've always been a big gamer, too. I got the PlayStation in the trunk of the truck and on the tour bus. There's nothing better than kicking back with some 'dro and some games on the bus. But now that I'm in a game I think I'm gonna be walking around with the PlayStation strapped to my back so everyone can check my ass out."
But for all the hype, the artist kept things in perspective: "This video game thing is cool, but I've got to do the final master of my new album in 10 days, so I'm really not tryin' to be doing nothing else right now - because that's what puts food on the table. If I can't put out an album, then these video games and shit don't mean nothin', because Busta Rhymes ain't hot in the street."
Busta's new release, It Ain't Safe No More, hits stores Nov. 25.
