Busta Rhymes has revealed he is a very unlikely fan of the late British comedian Benny Hill, who he called a ‘superstar’.
The American rapper, 52, explained how he discovered the funny man, whose provocative series The Benny Hill Show ran from 1955 to 1989, at the age of 11, while staying with his aunt Velma during a children’s holiday in Morecambe, Lancashire.
New York-born Busta, real name Trevor Smith, made the revelation while walking the red carpet at Sunday’s MTV EMAs in Manchester, where he was honored with the Global Icon Award.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘I went to karate school [in Morecambe] and we entered nightclubs illegally to make some money by breakdancing’.
‘Back then Boy George was cool, Wham! was cool, the shaggy haircut that was low on top and thick in the back, that used to be cool.’
Busta Rhymes, 52, has revealed he is a very unlikely fan of the late British comedian Benny Hill, who he called a ‘superstar’
The American rapper, 52, explained how he discovered the funny man (pictured 1975) at the age of 11 while staying with his aunt Velma during a children’s holiday in Morecambe, Lancashire.
The Benny Hill Show, which consisted of short, often risqué sketches, was first broadcast in 1955 and ran until 1989
‘The Brit who was the superstar in our time was Benny Hill. Benny Hill was our favorite at the time, to this day I don’t think anyone is as funny or as charismatic as Benny Hill.”
Reminiscent of the holidays GQ in 2022 he said: ‘We didn’t live in England. My mother’s other sister, Aunt Velma, lived in Morecambe, England at the time, so we went there to spend two summers.
“When we went there one summer, I was 12, my brother was 8, so my aunt made sure we actually went to school in England. Regular school and then we also went to karate school.
“We were also doing break dancing which was so crazy that we ended up getting into break dancing in clubs as minors. And our cousins were showing us around and they advertised us as TJ and Paul because my government name is Trevor Junior. We We actually still have memorabilia from that time, we have the flyers, a few newspaper clippings.’
The Benny Hill show, which consisted of short, often risqué sketches, saw more Britons tune in at the height of his fame than watch the moon landing.
The comedian suffered a mild heart attack in February 1992 and spent four weeks in hospital before dying three months later at the age of 68.
Taylor Swift dominated the winner’s board at the MTV European Music Awards on Sunday night, despite not attending the star-studded ceremony at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.
The Blank Space hitmaker, 34, who is about to embark on the final leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour Canada, won four gongs, including best artist, best American act and best live performer.
New York-born Busta, real name Trevor Smith, made the revelation while walking the red carpet at Sunday’s MTV EMAs in Manchester, where he was honored with the Global Icon Award
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘I went to karate school [in Morecambe] and we went to nightclubs illegally to make some money breakdancing’
The Benny Hill show saw more Brits tune in at the height of its fame than watch the moon landing
The award for best video also went to Taylor ft. Post Malone for their hit Fortnight from her latest album The Tortured Poets Department.
Taylor missed the awards held in Britain when she attended her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s football game where his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, played the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.
Elsewhere, the best song award went to Sabrina Carpenter for her smash hit Espresso from her Short n’ Sweet album.
Speaking before the event, Rita said: ‘I’m over the moon to be back with my MTV family hosting the EMAs for the third time!
‘The EMA stage has become a second home to me, and this year’s show in Manchester is going to be absolutely incredible!
‘We have a great line-up with music performances and many surprises in store. We’re all ‘crazy about it!’.”
She joined Maya Jama, Vick Hope and Jodie-Turner Smith in bringing the red carpet glam earlier in the evening.