INTERVIEW

Busta Rhymes On Ray-Ban Collab, Filming At Concerts, And Protecting the ‘Soul’ of Music From AI

Busta Rhymes recently joined Offset for a special "hands-free" celebration of the latest collection of Meta smart glasses

By Sage Anderson

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August 13, 2024

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Busta Rhymes performing at Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses "hands-free" concert

Ray-Ban Meta

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Busta Rhymes isn’t one to predict how his records will be received decades down the line — then again, he never expected that nowadays, most people would be experiencing performances of those same records with a phone in their hands.

When Rhymes first released his classic “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” in 1997, he couldn’t imagine that not only would countless contemporary artists but their own modern spin on the track, but that concert-goers would be modernizing their own viewing habits with Ray-Ban’s new high-tech Meta smart glasses. “At the end of the day, we never make these records thinking that you’ll still be able to hear it thirty years later,” Rhymes tells Rolling Stone over email, “let alone be able to have it be the center of a campaign for technology in the future that you actually like.”

Ray-Ban

Since its chart-topping release, Rhymes has revisited “Put Your Hands” once again for a brand new campaign for Ray-Ban. To kick things off, the brand recently hosted a special “hands-free” experience celebrating the latest smart glasses collection. Rhymes, Offset and Little Simz performed at the one-night only experiential concert in Brooklyn, NY, along with special appearances by Coi Leray and Rhymes’ son Trillian and music from DJ Saige — all donning their tinted Meta glasses.

As far as smart glasses go, the Ray-Ban Meta are as sleek as they come. Despite the promises of many tech-packed spectacles of the past, the Ray-Ban Meta have the ability to take 12 MP photos and videos up to three minutes on the fly in a way that feels both accessible and fashionable (and less obtrusive than holding up a phone during an artist’s set). They also have five built-in microphones and open-ear speakers, letting you make calls and listen to music without headphones when the concert’s over.

Ray-Ban

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Now, nearly 30 years after “Put Your Hands” dropped (and a lifetime of concert-viewing innovations later), Rhymes sat down with Rolling Stone to talk about the way fans interact with live music, the key to a great concert fit, and the future of music and AI.

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For the Ray Ban Meta campaign, what was it like to revisit “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” nearly thirty years later?

BR: It was an amazing feeling. At the end of the day, we never make these records thinking that you’ll still be able to hear it thirty years later, let alone be able to have it be the center of a campaign for technology in the future that you actually like.

How did you feel when you first heard Offset’s version of the song?

I feel good whenever someone uses a classic and they don’t compromise the original record. So, I was very proud of Offset and Don Toliver. They did the record justice, and they took the classic that I was fortunate enough to create and made a moment that felt like their own.

Not being from the “recording a concert on your smartphone” era yourself, how do you think tech like Ray Ban Meta changes the way fans interact with live music?

It changes it for the better. I don’t fix shit that is not broken. Phones need to be held, and it compromises the interaction of the consumer being in the moment. You know, we must change with the times. My preference of changing with the time is by not abandoning the foundation of what made the time, timeless.

I think that the dopest thing about what the Ray Ban Meta glasses were able to do was create a way that allowed people to interact as humans, especially when we come together to enjoy moments. Finding a way to advance the technology where you can still capture the moments without having to hold your phone in your hands allows people to be able to interact freely. It creates those timeless moments that help reestablish the magic of the human interaction and the human aesthetic of partying and celebrating life. It is not only a dope product, but I am a fan of the product primarily because of that.

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What is the key to a good concert fit?

I am going to give you two perspectives. The key to a dope concert fit as an artist, when you are performing, is to make sure that you light the room up before you even speak just from your presence. Your outfit speaks in volumes not just from a fashion standpoint but from your personality standpoint. So, you know for me, I love to make sure my outfits speak to people from that perspective first and foremost. I think that’s the first key to the fit when you are going out and you are on that stage.

An incredible key to a dope fit when you are going out as a consumer, and you are just going out to enjoy yourself and be a part of the festivities, is finding the balance between being able to do that and still being comfortable. So, looking fresh and still being able to represent your personality, but being able to do it in a comfortable way, so that your outfit does not take away from you being able to enjoy the festivities because you put so much into making a fashion statement that you are not thinking about your comfort in the process. Can’t dance and shit start hurting you. I hear it all the time, when women come inside of these events, they look good as hell and just an hour and a half into the event be like, ‘my feet hurt.’ So that shit really be bugging me out. Like you put so much time into looking sexy that you can’t even enjoy the event, because you got to come up out the fit now because you ain’t comfortable no more. I think that’s very key.

As tech advances concert performances and concert viewing experiences, how do you feel about using AI technology for music making?

There is nothing more precious than human life. There is nothing more precious than the soul of a human. There is nothing more precious than the mind of a human. There is nothing more precious than the energy of a human. The connection of the human mind, soul, spirit, energy is what creates the template for everything that makes life valuable. So, when you want to deal with AI and things of that nature, as long as we don’t lose sight of the value of the soul, the mind, the spirit, and the energy of a human, it is cool. 

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But with that being said, and us understanding that AI is already here, the parameters have not been made clear on how to protect the value of the mind, soul, spirit, and energy of the of the human — that is where the concern comes in for me. So, I think something needs to be done and hopefully it is already happening. I know that a lot of us artists are concerned, and our concern primarily is for protection. Because, if the IP is valuable, and the soul, the mind, the spirit and the energy of the human is the source of the creation of intellectual property, then IP is important and is valuable and we own that. We are supposed to, everyone is supposed to own their IP, and it is extremely important we own the root, the source of what creates the IP — which is the mind, the spirit, the soul, and the energy of the human.

So, something must be done to monetarily regulate and protect the source of the core of the creation of Intellectual Property. And until that happens, there is a concern. Other than that, I don’t think it is a bad thing. I think it is a part of evolution. But of course, it needs to be done with the proper supervision that will allow the protection of the mind, the body, the soul, the spirit, and the energy to be prioritized.

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