"With every song I have a person in mind who, in a perfect world, would perform with me. Usually I end up not getting that person, and I'm forced to settle for someone else"
About this Quote
Then comes the hard pivot: “in a perfect world” is the tell, a little sigh baked into the syntax. It admits how much of pop music is governed by logistics, label politics, scheduling, budgets, ego, and the quiet hierarchy of who returns calls. When he says he’s “forced to settle,” he’s not just being blunt; he’s staging the gap between artistic intention and industry reality. The word “forced” shifts responsibility outward, implying gatekeepers and circumstances, while “settle” carries a sting of disappointment that doubles as pressure on the eventual collaborator: you’re here because Plan A fell through.
There’s also a sly piece of brand management. By airing the unglamorous truth, Busta positions himself as both craftsman and realist, someone chasing an ideal sound but fluent in compromise. It’s a reminder that the feature era isn’t purely about clout-sharing; it’s about casting. And like any casting process, it’s full of near-misses that shape the final performance as much as inspiration does.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Rhymes, Busta. (2026, January 17). With every song I have a person in mind who, in a perfect world, would perform with me. Usually I end up not getting that person, and I'm forced to settle for someone else. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/with-every-song-i-have-a-person-in-mind-who-in-a-41481/
Chicago Style
Rhymes, Busta. "With every song I have a person in mind who, in a perfect world, would perform with me. Usually I end up not getting that person, and I'm forced to settle for someone else." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/with-every-song-i-have-a-person-in-mind-who-in-a-41481/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"With every song I have a person in mind who, in a perfect world, would perform with me. Usually I end up not getting that person, and I'm forced to settle for someone else." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/with-every-song-i-have-a-person-in-mind-who-in-a-41481/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.


