“Immediately yes,” Apollo Theater executives reacted when learning Rolling Stone magazine wanted to host their infamous “Musicians on Musicians” at the historic Harlem venue.

The joint venture between the theater and Rolling Stone on Friday, November 22 solidified the venue’s mission for its next 90 years as a continued hub for Black creatives. 

Icon Busta Rhymes, Grammy-nominated rap superstars GloRilla and Doechii and genre-bending artist Brittany Howard packed the theater on a rainy New York City day with fans, journalists and celebrities like Carmelo Anthony and Elle Fanning as they discussed their unique introduction to music and how their journeys have progressed since then.

It also served as a homecoming for Busta, who got “boo’d” by The Apollo theater’s brutally honest crowd during Amateur Night – an experience that made him come back time and time again to prove he belonged in the rap industry.

Howard and Doechii were the first to sit next to each other for the “Musicians on Musicians” conversation, moderated by TV personality, podcaster, and author Touré. It was a love fest – with each artist praising the other for their authenticity.

“I love how boundless and limitless we both are in music,” Doechii told Howard, who later advised her to “Always listen to your inner voice on what you want to do and what you don’t want to do.”

Howard also stressed the importance of “filling your cup” as you rise in success with activities unrelated to music, which for the Alabama native looks like fishing and spending time with loved ones.

The artists closed by discussing how much they love performing. “I like being on stage more than I like being in the studio,” Doechii admitted, revealing that her stage persona is inspired by her days in theater.

“Sometimes when I’m on stage, I feel like I’m 20 feet tall,” Howard added, noting that it’s the one place she doesn’t shy away from taking up space.

The musicians then did what they do best: perform.

Howard’s raspy voice filled The Apollo as she sang “Stay High” and Nina Simone’s “Revolution.”

Doechii followed with a campy version of her hit “Persuasive,” although it was interrupted by mic issues. Brushing off the hiccup, she demanded the crowd get up and moving as she continued with “Denial Is a River,” “Nissan Altima,” “Boiled Peanuts” and more from her latest album “Alligator Bites Never Heal.”

Up next: a conversation between Busta and GloRilla.

“What I love about GloRilla… We see ourselves in her,” Rhymes gushed, adding that the young rapper was “untainted by the industry” and stays authentic to her Memphis roots.

GloRilla had the New York audience giggling at her country accent as she discussed her love of “murzic” and proceeded to ask Busta what everyone was thinking, how does he rap so fast? “I could never do that. My tongue too big or something,” she joked.

Busta shared that his speedy flow was inspired by Jamaican artists Lieutenant Stitchie and Papa San and he perfected it by learning to “relax,” giving credit to his hypeman Spliff Star for keeping the crowd energy up so he could lock in. “I thought they were superheroes and I wanted to be a superhero,” he said.

Following their conversation, GloRilla performed her hits “Yeah Glo!,” “TGIF,” and “HOLLON.”

Busta promised to keep the crowd entertained and closed out the evening with the whole audience jumping as he performed fast tracks “Look At Me Now,” “Ante Up,” and “Pass the Courvoisier, Part II.” 

The rapper gave a whopping 30 minutes of full energy, ending by telling the crowd to stay “grateful” and “blessed.”