Rough month for Busta Rhymes.
Just weeks after the fatal shooting of his bodyguard, the "Gimme Some More" emcee has been slapped with an assault suit filed by an autograph-seeking fan.
Melvin Smith, 37, filed the civil suit in Manhattan Supreme Court alleging that he was beaten by the rapper (whose real name is Trevor Smith, but is no relation to the plaintiff) and another member of his security team. The suit says Rhymes and his lackey attacked Smith with their "hands and fists for no rhyme or reason" when he approached the rapper for a John Hancock.
The incident supposedly took place six months ago at a sandwich shop near New York's City Hall, according to Smith's lawyer, Bruce Regenstreich.
"My client was not aggressive in seeking the autograph," Regenstreich told reporters. "Melvin went in to get an autograph and got a knuckle sandwich instead."
According to the New York Post, Smith initially claimed it was just Rhymes' bodyguard, Troy Green, who was beating him, but has since amended his story and suit to include the Grammy winner.
Smith is seeking unspecified damages from Green and Rhymes, claiming he was unable to resume his job as a handyman due to the "serious bodily injuries" he sustained from the run-in.
According to Regenstreich, Smith suffered severe neck and back pain as a result of the scuffle, in addition to a deep cut near his eye that required four stitches. The attorney told the Post that his client is "continuing to have headaches, back problems and sleepless nights" due to the purported pummeling.
"He asked for an autograph, and the next thing he knew he was lying on the floor," Regenstreich said. "He just wanted [Rhymes'] autograph. He didn't want his fingerprints on his face."
Rhymes has yet to comment on the suit's allegations, which is proving to be a pattern for the legally in-demand rapper.
Last month, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly slammed the hip-hopster for refusing to speak with investigators probing the slaying of bodyguard Israel Ramirez, gunned down during a Feb. 5 video shoot in Brooklyn.
Police involved in the case say the rapper's silence is impeding the officers' investigation and may result in the case, and Rhymes, going before a grand jury.
The 29-year-old Ramirez was killed after being struck by a bullet fired by an unknown assailant, who unloaded more than a dozen shots in a crowd of nearly 500 on-set extras. Ramirez had accompanied his boss of more than a decade to the star-studded set, where Rhymes was filming a video for a remix of "Touch It" featuring cameos by DMX, Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige and G-Unit members Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo.
Last week, the New York Daily News reported that police were examining an audiotape of the altercation that led up to the shooting, but the department has refused to elaborate on the contents.
Rhymes has since returned to the West Coast to finish work on the video. The rapper's label released a teaser clip of the remixed song on Wednesday.