Sound off

Will Busta pay a visit to the island named for him when he's in the area? (Chris polk/associated press)

A funny thing happens when you Google the words "Busta Rhymes" and "Boston." The first thing you get is a link to Busta Rhymes Island in, um, Shrewsbury. There's a 508 number listed; naturally I had to call it earlier this week.

Kevin O'Brien answers the phone and cheerfully explains why, since 2005, he has maintained and named a tiny, nondescript island in honor of his favorite rapper.

"It's a very small little island [with] rope-swinging, blueberries, and . . . stuff Busta would enjoy," he says of the 40-by-40-foot plot of land in a pond about a half-mile from his home.

O'Brien, 27, describes himself as an independent user of the island, but at some point he'd like to take official ownership. He's consulted a lawyer to see about the state's laws of adverse possession, which dictate that if land isn't being taken care of, someone can maintain it continuously for 20 years and eventually be considered the property's owner.

For now, O'Brien says, he's just having a good time on his island paradise, a place where he and his buddies can go to camp, fish, and "throw the dog and a 12-pack in a canoe."

A Busta Rhymes fan since he was 13, O'Brien says he doubts the rapper, who performs at Showcase Live on Monday, is aware of the island.

"I don't know, but I hope he's going to find out, and he's welcome to visit anytime," O'Brien says. "I got a music studio in the basement, too, so we'll see what comes up out of it."