Busta Rhymes files defamation countersuit over assistant allegations

Rapper Busta Rhymes filed a defamation countersuit on October 13 in federal court in Brooklyn, denying that he assaulted a former personal assistant and accusing the assistant of fabricating a widely publicized lawsuit that harmed his reputation and business prospects. The countersuit, filed under Rhymes legal name Trevor Smith Jr. and by his company Starbus LLC, comes in response to a civil complaint brought in August by Dashiel Gables, who says he worked for the artist from July 2024 until January 2025.

Gables alleged in his August complaint that Rhymes routinely subjected employees to verbal and physical abuse and that the rapper punched him in the face in a Brooklyn apartment building lobby in January, causing facial injuries that required medical treatment. The former assistant seeks between $6 million and $7 million in damages, citing unpaid wages, emotional distress and alleged blacklisting from the music industry. Gables also accused Rhymes of wage violations, including paying a flat daily rate without overtime, and of humiliating tasks and discriminatory remarks while on the job.

Rhymes response and counterclaim rejects the central allegations and acknowledges Gables...