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All the United States Massachusetts Shrewsbury Busta Rhymes Island

Busta Rhymes Island

One man is on a singular quest to name an island after a famous hip-hop artist.

Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
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Busta Rhymes Island in March   Brendanfrombeer / Atlas Obscura User
Busta Rhymes Island in March   Brendanfrombeer / Atlas Obscura User
Busta Rhymes   mp3waxx.com
  TheDiscoveryService / Atlas Obscura User
  TheDiscoveryService / Atlas Obscura User
  TheDiscoveryService / Atlas Obscura User
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About

There is a small piece of land sticking out of a Shrewsbury, Massachusetts pond that doesn't seem to belong to anyone in particular, but, as 99% Invisible has reported, one local man is crusading to name the spot Busta Rhymes Island.

The tiny, 40x40 outcropping has no official name, but Shrewsbury resident Kevin O'Brien, who uses the island as a hangout spot with his friends, is determined to change that. O'Brien began frequenting the island after moving to the city over a decade ago, and has become its de facto caretaker, picking up after other drunken visitors and even planting blueberry bushes on the land. Realizing that his adopted scrap of land was nothing without a proper name, O'Brien and a friend decided to dub the island, "Busta Rhymes Island," after the famous hip-hop artist. When asked by the Boston Globe why he named the island after the rapper, O'Brien said it was because the island had, "rope-swinging, blueberries, and . . . stuff Busta would enjoy."

O'Brien tried to make the monicker official, first by geotagging the spot in Google Maps, and then by officially attempting to register the name with the US Board on Geographic Names. Unfortunately the byzantine restrictions surrounding naming a geographic feature state that they cannot be named after celebrity until five years after their death. Undaunted, O'Brien is now attempting to make the name stick via "local usage," which is one of the US Board's considerations. So next time you are in the Shrewsbury area, make sure to ask for directions to Busta Rhymes Island. WOO-HAH!

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Islands Music

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At the very end of Pond View Drive there is a small park where the island is visible on Mill Pond.

Community Contributors

Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

Andy L J, TheDiscoveryService, Brendanfrombeer

  • Andy L J
  • TheDiscoveryService
  • Brendanfrombeer

Published

October 10, 2014

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  • http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/one-man-is-an-island/
Busta Rhymes Island
24 Pond View Dr
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, 01545
United States
42.284325, -71.740784
Get Directions

Nearby Places

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury

Massachusetts

Places 4

Nearby Places

Spag's Memorial

Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

miles away

Worcester State Hospital

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury

Massachusetts

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