Joe wants to get the word out fast about his views on this whole Method Man, Melle Mel and Hip-Hop fiasco that originated from a Vibe magazine list of the Top 50 rap artists. For this interview, we decided to allow the AllHiphop Ill Community and our followers on twitter.com (follow us!) to exclusively ask the questions of Joe. Forgive us for the length of the piece, but the people have a lot of question of Mr. Budden.
This is Part 1 of 2. In this installment, Joe defends his position, but also asks several other questions about his life, his desire to battle Redman and how he really feels about Trey Songz and Bow Wow drooling over his girl’s booty. Hey, even Drake gets a nod in this one. Read on.
AllHipHop.com: meedymek: “Question for Joe Budden, do u think people take your comments so personally because they are intimidated by you?”
Joe Budden: I think some people may be intimidated. I don’t think the majority of the people are. I think there are more idiots in the world than there are intelligent people. A lit of times I’ll say something and people aren’t able to comprehend what I am saying. I don’t know if their listening skills aren’t good or what, but they just take what I’m saying and misconstrue it.
AllHipHop.com: This is one from the AllHipHop.com Ill Community. LESkidd asks, “Do u think u better than Redman?”
Joe Budden: [Laughs] You see what trouble that’s gotten me in. [laughs] Questions like that have gotten me in trouble as of late.
AllHipHop.com: I’m just asking their questions.
Joe Budden: [answering] I don’t know. I would like to find out though.
AllHipHop.com: You would like to find out? What do you mean by that?
Joe Budden: I mean, I would be more than willing to find out [if he’s better than Redman].
AllHipHop.com: OK. I’m just asking the questions. [Jigsaw thinks about his Top 5 Dead or Alive with Redman on it.]
Joe Budden: I don’t know what school these other rappers come from. I come from somewhere where battling and competition is great for the sport. Its great for Hip-Hop. I wouldn’t mind seeing what would happen between me and Redman or me and him on a track together. I’d love to see it. He’s a legend also.
AllHipHop.com: A little friendly competition…
Joe Budden: [long pause] I’m probably the most competitive person in Hip-Hop. Its all for competition. There’s nothing to gain…there’s no money on the line. People are more concerned about their reputation. I can’t speak on what people are concerned about, but…me, I’m just extremely competitive. Its nothing to be taken personally.
AllHipHop.com: From the IC’s TheKnowledge: “What are your 5 favorite Hip Hop albums ever?”
Joe Budden: It Takes A Nation of Millions [To Hold Us Back by Public Enemy] Mama Said Knock You Out [By LL Cool J], Me Against The World [By Tupac], Ready to Die [By The Notorious B.I.G.]..then…I don’t know. It’s a toss-up between The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, The Marshall Mathers LP and Makaveli [By Tupac].
AllHipHop.com: This is from the Ill Community. “Do you think that Method Man can out-rap you in a battle?”
Joe Budden: Today?
AllHipHop.com: Yeah.
Joe Budden: I don’t think there are too many people that can out-rap me in a battle.
AllHipHop.com: Somebody asked this earlier, but somebody also asked if you were in the year '93-'95, could you best Meth in a rap battle? Do you feel the same way?
Joe Budden: If me, my present self was in that era I wouldn’t be so confident.
AllHipHop.com: hiphopadvocate: “Ask him if Slaughterhouse is actually releasing an album on Koch on 7/7/09. Koch has an offer on the table.”
Joe Budden: I’m not sure, but there have been some talks. There’s nothing concrete so I wouldn’t be able to answer.
AllHipHop.com: dannyh2009: “Ask him if he thinks he woulda won the beef lyrically if jay z responded to the last verse to 'talk to em’'”
Joe Budden: No, because there were only about six bars on “Talk To ‘Em” that was directed toward him. So, if Jay-Z, one of the best ever, would have lyrically responded – no. I would not have won.
AllHipHop.com: vondalia: “Ask Joe Budden when his next solo album is coming out?”
Joe Budden: Before the year-end.
AllHipHop.com: Is that The Great Escape?
Joe Budden: Yeah.
AllHipHop.com: 4RealDeric “is buddens trying to get a bad guy rep, attention, exposure from mentioning other rappers names. Why not go after a current mc?”
Joe Budden: For one, there aren’t too many current MC’s in my opinion. So that list would be extremely short. I’m not one of those guys that does things to get attention. Like I said, I am extremely competitive. I never say anything out of my mouth that I’m not willing to stand behind and or defend, or at least debate about.
Maybe I was wrong for singling out Method Man, because that derailed my entire argument. Maybe because of the name value. My argument was a valid argument, but by that time I was on a tangent. I wasn’t even talking about the list. With MC’s today, there are top-notch that their older classmen would have a hard time competing with. I’d like to get your opinion on this.
AllHipHop.com: I think a battle between you and Meth would be an interesting one. I think you have to be careful about what you say on any artist. I did an article called “Twitter Will Ruin Your Music Career” and it was just about all ways of communicating that they didn’t have before. They have a voice that they didn’t have before. It works both ways, positively and potentially destructive. After my article, then Asher Roth had his incident with twitter. My thing is, as a star, you have be careful about what you say and how you say it or somebody is going to take it the wrong way. A lot of times, people don’t listen or they are going to home in on one particular part of your conversation.
I do say that Melle Mel got a bad rap in this. His credentials are irrefutable. Even though his hey-day is many years gone, what he did is not to be questioned to me. I think he is one of the all-time greats.
[More talk about the list.]
Joe Budden: I’d never say a word against Melle Mel.
"Drake was beefing with a local Toronto rapper and the guy accused him of jacking Joe Budden’s style. And Drake told him, “If I’m jacking his style, you’re jacking his career.” It was a low blow..."
AllHipHop.com: hiphopadvocate: “ask him anything is formulating with a TV Show. he & Tahiry had a meeting with Russell Simmons & the Rev a couple weeks back.”
Joe Budden: Yeah, we’ve been meeting with a few people. Some people are interested in producing a television show. Those just happened to be some of the more known people. We’ve been meeting with people for the fast few months.
AllHipHop.com: Koolhand79: “do u foresee yourself returning to a major label and dropping an album?? It's a shame the masses don't know Buddens.”
Joe Budden: I don’t know. In terms of my slave ship days, it would have to be worth wild. And, I haven’t received an offer that’s been worth while I think that’s something about people that they don’t know. I could give two f**ks about a major label or selling records or No 1 hits. Its not very high on my list of priorities.
AllHipHop.com: It’s just for Hip-Hop?
Joe Budden: I love Hip-Hop. I just love Hip-Hop.
AllHipHop.com: This from the IC. “Where do you rank Method Man, Redman, and Melle Mel as one of the all time greats????”
Joe Budden: I don’t rank them. It’s not my place.
AllHipHop.com: Ill Community asks, “Who is your favorite Wu Tang Clan member?”
Joe Budden: I don’t know, it would be difficult to say. I go to different ones for different things and it changes at various points in their legacy. At one point, I was the biggest Method Man, fan and then the Purple Tape came out and it was all about Raekwon. It was all about Ghost at on point. It always rotated between Meth, Rae, Ghost and [Inspectah] Deck.
AllHipHop.com: NStarks007: “ask budden why he cant let his music speak for itself instead of beefing with some rapper every time he gets some buzz.”
Joe Budden: Beefing is what I have a problem with. Beefing, I’m not beefing with anyone. People may term it into a beef. It was a challenge. It was me challenging anyone on that list who felt a way about what I was saying to prove me wrong. In a court of law, you need proof. I strictly wanted to keep this “a rap thing.” I probably owe Method Man an apology for singling him out. It was in bad taste. I still meant exactly what I said.
AllHipHop.com: I gotta intervene. You said you’d cut the man’s head off, Joe.
Joe Budden: That’s how I feel. Its my opinion and I’m entitled to it. Its not like I said, Chuck, I’ll chop his head off and that’s the end of it. I said, “I’ll chop his head off and I’m willing to prove it.” If somebody is telling me there’s something wrong about being confident or overconfident then guilty as charged.
AllHipHop.com: this is from Nupe in the Ill Community. “Also, ask him if he heard the critiques on Padded Room (poor engineering/mixing) and whether he agrees.”
Joe Budden: I do agree. That’s an internal problem that’s been taken care of and I apologize.
AllHipHop.com: Do you think Padded Room was too dark?
Joe Budden: No that came out exactly how I intended for it to be, which is dark.
AllHipHop.com: Somebody asked about Drake and a beef with Drake. I didn’t even know about this.
Joe Budden: Drake was beefing with a local Toronto rapper and the guy accused him of jacking Joe Budden’s style. And Drake told him, “If I’m jacking his style, you’re jacking his career.” It was a low blow, but Drake’s buzz wasn’t as big and, by the time I caught wind of it, it was way after the fact. So, who am I to rehash something that was extremely old. When I talked to Drake, he was an extremely humble guy and well spoken. It was a good line in a battle.
AllHipHop.com: Do you regret putting your girl in front of the cameras the way you do?
Joe Budden: No, I love when a plan comes together.
AllHipHop.com: TheGantanaShow asks, “who are his top 5 rappers ever,.and who wins in a battle feat all the members of slaughterhouse.”
Joe Budden: Royce.
AllHipHop.com: Why is that, because of his emotions or pure lyrics?
Joe Budden: Royce is…it definitely wouldn’t be on pure lyrics, but I’ve seen Royce write verse after verse after verse after verse in extremely short periods of time. And its never in a wack way. I’m gonna say him. That’s assuming the battle went the distance, excluding myself of course.
AllHipHop.com: DeeDarling wants to me to ask “if he ever regrets putting his girl in front of the cameras the way he does.”
Joe Budden: No, I love when a plan comes together.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah?
Joe Budden: Hell yeah, I had a plan! She’s happy. If she’s happy, I’m happy. She’s making all of this money from what God has blessed her with, which is a great shape.
AllHipHop.com: You feel she gets more attention than you do at this point?
Joe Budden: She gets attention from different people. She gets attention from people that wouldn’t or shouldn’t be paying me any attention.
AllHipHop.com: Was this a career move. I guess I am trying to clarify what the plan was.
Joe Budden: I’m not going to reveal what the plan was, but I’m not going to say it was a career move. She’s an intricate part of my life. She’s 95% of my life. There’s no way for me to do Joe Budden TV and her not be involved. Did I know she would attract attention from people that wouldn’t pay me attention? Yes! Did I know that opportunities would present themselves that would have presented themselves before? Yes. Did I know that or plan on taking all these production meetings? Yes. I didn’t plan on it happening so fast.
AllHipHop.com: OK.
Joe Budden: Did I know that rappers would use her to attack me personally? Yes. I factored all these things in, before I put her in front of the camera. Did I know that rappers would say disrespectful s**t like, “I’m gonna f**k her and put my d**k in her a**?” Yes. All of that is predictable; I see it a mile away. I have the thickest skin in the universe. Other rappers need the thickest skin in the universe.
AllHipHop.com: What did you think about what Bow Wow said?
Joe Budden: Which one was his?
AllHipHop.com: He said something like, “No disrespect, I’ll eat it.”
Joe Budden: That’s the new thing though. To say “No disrespect” and to be disrespectful.” That’s the latest trend. I don’t have a problem with Bow Wow or JD or Trey Songz, especially JD. Everybody’s wanted to do something with his girl (Janet Jackson) at some point in their lifetime. The other side of me starts to say, there are other people out there of notoriety with attractive girlfriends and you don’t hear these rappers speak in such a manner about them [their girlfriends]. So when I see Bow Wow, should I f**k him up? He’s not going to get on camera and say, “Yeah, Beyonce…I’ll f**k the s**t outta her.” Or “I’ll stick my d**k in her butt,” so when I see Trey Songz, should I f**k him up? That’s what the other side of me says. Aside from that, when I ignore that…she’s a beautiful girl. I would say the same thing..maybe not on camera, but I would think it. They can try and they will fail.
AllHipHop.com: torbenb: “In Joe's recent radio interview, he said their were some emcee's he would ‘leave alone.’ Who are they?”
Joe Budden: I’m leaving Eminem alone. I’m leaving Rakim alone. I’m leaving Big Daddy Kane alone. I’m leaving LL Cool J alone. I would leave Jay-Z alone…if there weren’t other situations pending, I would leave him alone. Nas. Black Thought. Ras Kass. There’s a long list of guys I would leave alone. Ghostface I would leave alone. Raekwon, I would leave alone.
AllHipHop.com: What’s this based on? Career or lyrical merits?
Joe Budden: If I got into a lyrical quarrel with these people, I would be unsure of what would be taking place. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten into it with anybody were I didn’t know what was going to happen.
AllHipHop.com: tangomega: “Ask Joe has he learned to cope with his well-pub. issues w/ depression?”
Joe Budden: I would thinks so. I’m gonna go with “Yes.” [laughs]
To be continued...
