The Masked Singer: Busta Rhymes unveiled as the Dragon in the Season 4 premiere

Busta Rhymes was revealed to be the Dragon on the Season 4 premiere of The Masked Singer, which aired Wednesday on FOX.

The 48-year-old singer, known for hits like Dangerous and Don’t Cha, with the Pussycat Dolls, had underwhelmed voters with his cover of LL Cool J’s Mama Said Knock You Out.

When he unmasked, he said that wearing the dragon costume made him feel like he was ‘in an oxygen tank without oxygen.’

‘Busta, you know how much I love you,’ said panelist Nicole Scherzinger, 42, who’d recorded Don’t Cha with him. ‘You are rap royalty. There will never be another artist like you.’

In his clue package, Busta said that ‘dressing up in funky, outrageous costumes’ wasn’t new to him, and admitted that ‘like a dragon,’ he’d been on a long quest to be the best.

Nicole and panelist Robin Thicke, 43, figured it was Busta behind the mask, citing a visual Statue of Liberty clue that hinted at his Brooklyn, NY birth, and a reference to his song Calm Down.

‘He’s outrageous,’ Robin added. ‘And he has three albums with the word ‘dragon’ in it.’

Other clues in Busta’s pre-taped video included a dinosaur, which nodded to the Reptar character he played in the Rugrats movie, and a barbell, which referenced his fit physique.

Panelist Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, 47, initially thought the Dragon was Detroit Lions football player Adrian Peterson, 35, but changed her answer to rapper DMX, 49.

This season, panelists can win a Golden Ear trophy for having the most correct first impressions.

Panelist Ken Jeong, 51, first believed Dragon could be Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, 34, then seemed sure it might be Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, 35.

But show host Nick Cannon, 39, could tell who the Dragon was by his loping walk, writing ‘My big brother Busta Rhymes’ on a card before the star unmasked.

As the show started, Nick made reference to the coronavirus pandemic, saying, ‘Finally, we have something fun involving masks.’

According to press reports, the Masked Singer addressed current filming restrictions by using old video of its audiences to fill in for a live audience, animating its video packages and recruiting superfans to vote for the season’s contestants as they sang.

Wednesday’s show was the debut of Group A, the first six of the season’s 16 singers.

The Sun got everything started with a bang by unleashing an incredible cover of Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You.

‘Oh my God!’ cried Ken as he listened, and Robin yelled, ‘Yes!’ at the stage.

In her video package, the Sun said she’d had ‘some extreme seasons in my life,’ coming out into the world as the ‘center of the universe’ before enduring a ‘scorching’ spotlight that burnt her out and sent her ‘into a deep depression.’

Visual clues included a card marked ‘Gold member’ and a tiger by a pool.

Allusions to the words ‘frozen’ and ‘ray of light’ in her story had the panel thinking she might be Madonna, 62; other guesses included Katharine McPhee, 36, and Demi Lovato, 28.

The Giraffe was next to perform, with a flat rendition of the Black Eyed Peas’ Let’s Get it Started.

‘I’ve had a roller coaster career, full of ups and downs,’ he said in his video. ‘Music is in my blood. But when I stuck my neck out and took a gigantic risk, I became the butt of everyone’s jokes. I was in knots, and felt so lonely.’

After the Giraffe said he ‘drummed up towering success,’ Jenny thought he could be Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker, 44, though Ken wondered if he might not be country singer Garth Brooks, 58, and Robin guessed Vanilla Ice, 52.

Visual clues included a ferris wheel, castle and museum wall.

Popcorn, who sang Pink’s What About Us, then earned raves for her ‘outstanding’ voice.

In her video, she said she ‘built a career around love, but that doesn’t mean I’m soft—I’m a hard corn hustler’ who works ‘long nights, rushing from one job to the next.’

While she grew up cutting photos out of Vogue, Popcorn recalled, she now jet-sets to exotic places with royalty.

Visual clues included a tiger, gold hoop earrings, and meatloaf.

Guesses included singers Tina Turner, 80, and Mary J. Blige, 49, and Tiger King star Carole Baskin, 59.

Finally, the Snow Owls made their mark with a stunning version of Say Something, by A Great Big World.

The show’s first-ever duo said in their video that they were having a ‘family reunion’ on the show, and had earlier worked together in Hollywood, where the male owl once covered the female owl’s home completely in snow for Christmas.

Visual clues included a pearl, a sofa, and a rose.

Guesses included Schitt’s Creek co-stars Eugene Levy, 73, and Catherine O’Hara, 66, country-music spouses Amy Grant, 59, and Vince Gill, 63, and Donny and Marie Osmond, 62 and 60.

The Masked Singer returns next week on FOX.