FlyerTalker: Busta Rhymes Threatened Me in First Class
Meg Butler July 30, 2019
We’ll say one thing, FlyerTalk gets around.
Not one but two FlyerTalkers have reported an incident on a British Airways flight (29 July 19: BA112 [JFK-LHR]) where rapper Busta Rhymes lost his cool.
What happened exactly? The quick summary of the FlyerTalk reports on the thread is that Busta Rhymes was upset at the amount of overhead bin space on his flight. Although there was room elsewhere in First Class, Busta Rhymes wanted to put his bags above his seat. However, a woman in 2E who boarded before him (and sat in a seat that did not have an overhead bin above it) had already stored her bags in the overhead bin above his seat.
According to the FlyerTalkers also in First Class on Busta’s flight, the rapper “immediately became aggressive” and asked the woman to move her items to the other side of the plane so that he could put his bags in their place. She broke into tears, her husband asked Busta Rhymes not to be rude, then FlyerTalker 81romeo stepped in and—according to Reality Check, another FlyerTalker on the flight—”courageously tried to defend [the couple].” In response, says RealityCheck, Busta Rhymes threatened 81romeo.
That’s when the Cabin Services Director got involved. When he asked if everyone felt safe continuing the flight while Busta Rhymes was on board, 81romeo said that he was fine to fly, but requested that the police meet the flight at the gate at their destination as he “felt not safe after his direct threats. I disembarked first escorted by Police and was asked to give a statement.”
No word on what happened after the flight so far, but keep checking in on the forum thread on the topic for more details. And, in the meantime, enjoy this blast from the past:
Absolutely have to agree with Pickle here; guy is calm, certainly not threatening. May have had a DYKWIA moment about his bags or not, but I don't see what's worth calling the police about...
Well in that video he appears to be calm, reasonable and not at all aggressive. Also due to his work and the rapper persona habitually carrying expensive equipment and jewellery he wanted his stuff near him. If I'm paying eye watering amounts to travel I'd also expect there to be space for my valuables close by. Other reports claim he was indeed patronised by the locker hogger and doubts raised as to his presence in the first class cabin by the other passengers. The whole thing smacks of unpleasant passive aggressive bullying by the woman, her husband and the other passenger, who as Busta rightfully said had no need to butt in on the conversation. The flight crew should have smoothed this out immediately but I don't have much sympathy for the weeping accuser who thought it was her right to assume all the storage over his seat was only for her. Ridiculous entitled behaviour. If anyone was rude it was her.
So what kind of buffoon writes about someone committing a criminal act and then rewards that behavior by posting their music video?
Never heard of him.
I have had many people who are not celebrities demand that I move my bag or smash it or tell the attendants they have the RIGHT to extra overhead space. I may not be 6'Tall but I can stand up to bullies. I am sick and tired of people who think they are "special". I hope the next time I say NO some others stand up with me.