Busta Rhymes is denying allegations that he assaulted his former assistant after the assistant filed a federal lawsuit against the rapper earlier this week.
In the suit, filed in federal court on Tuesday, Dashiel Gables accused Rhymes, whose real name is Trevor Smith, of assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and several violations of minimum wage, overtime pay and wage statements. Gables asked for unspecified damages.
“I have been made aware of the claims made by Dashiel Gables, and I completely and categorically deny these allegations,” Rhymes said in a statement Thursday. “For a very brief period, Dashiel assisted me, but it did not work out. Apparently, Dashiel has decided to respond to being let go by manufacturing claims against me in an attempt to attack and damage my reputation.”
Gables claimed in the suit to have been employed by Rhymes starting July of 2024. He alleged that Rhymes “routinely degraded, screamed at and made unreasonable demands of Plaintiff and other employees.” He alleged that Rhymes had assaulted him on January 10, 2025 at around 4 a.m. at Rhymes’ residence in New York. He claimed that Rhymes punched him in the face twice after Gables was using his phone on the job to text his daughter.
“This sent Busta Rhymes into a rage,” the suit said. “He screamed ‘stay the fuck off your phone’” per the suit, with Gables explaining it was his daughter, who had called him. He declined the call but texted her instead to make sure it wasn’t an emergency. “‘Don’t tell me about your fucking kid, what the fuck that gotta do with me,” Rhymes allegedly said.
“When plaintiff responded that it could’ve been an emergency, Busta Rhymes asked ‘are you talking while I’m talking?’, and then, with a closed fist, punched plaintiff in the face,” the suit said.
Per the suit, Rhymes punched Gables again, and when he walked away, Rhymes became “even more enraged,” with Rhymes “screaming like a petulant child.” Gables allegedly went to the hospital to be treated for swelling and bruising on his face, subsequently filing a police report. Gables said in the suit that the assault and the police report has left him “frozen out of the hip-hop industry.”
“The blacklisting has caused and continues to cause Plaintiff severe economic harm, preventing him from obtaining employment in his field of expertise and forcing him to seek work in other industries at significantly reduced wages,” the suit said.
On Thursday, Rhymes said in his statement that he was readying a countersuit to Gables’ claims.
“I look forward to proving these allegations false, and am preparing a countersuit, which I am confident will expose this for what it is — an attempted shake-down by a disgruntled former assistant,” Rhymes said. “Ultimately, I am certain the truth will prevail.”
