At the 2025 MTV VMAs Sunday night, Busta Rhymes became the first artist to be honored with the Rock The Bells Visionary Award. To commemorate the occasion, he performed a massive medley of some of his biggest hits, including: “Break Ya Neck,” “Gimme Some More,” his verse from A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario,” “Touch It,” his breakout solo hit “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” and “Pass The Courvoisier.”
Busta was joined throughout the performance by a number of collaborators and artists he’s inspired, from his stalwart sidekick/hype man Spliff Star to contemporary faves like Joyner Lucas and GloRilla. Papoose also appeared to perform his verse from the “Touch It” remix. Busta showed why he earned the Visionary Award over the past thirty years, bringing as much energy to the stage as performers half his age.
Other honorees throughout the night included Ariana Grande, who won the award for Video Of The Year, Lady Gaga, who took home a Moon Person for Artist Of The Year, Song Of The Year winners Rosé and Bruno Mars, and Best New Artist Alex Warren. Rosé’s win made her the first-ever K-pop star to take home the honor, while her Blackpink bandmate Lisa won Best K-Pop. The Best Hip-Hop award went to another branch from the Busta Rhymes lineage, Doechii.
Watch Busta Rhymes’ Rock The Bells Visionary Award performance from the 2025 MTV VMAs above.
