Jersey lyricist Joe Budden is striking back at his critics over the fallout of his recent lyrical critique of former Def Jam colleague Method Man.
Last month, Budden drew the ire of veterans Busta Rhymes, Redman, Melle Mel, and Method Man after ridiculing the placement of the latter two above him on Vibe’s Greatest Emcees of All Time list.
After weeks of silence, Budden sat down with Miss Info to address the attacks against him.
“Everybody took offense…you name it, they took offense to it,” Budden began. “Number one I’m entitled to my opinion. If a n*gga get offended at me having an opinion, suck a d*ck. Number two, what world are we in? [Are] we not rappers? We all rappers, some bigger than others. But we rap. Let’s rap. I want to rap, I want to always rap.”
While many cited Budden’s previous Method Man comments as “disrespectful,” the Jersey City native argued his declarations are in line with the main tenets of being a legit emcee in Hip-Hop culture.
“I’m dead-ass when I talk. I have faith in my pen game,” Budden exclaimed. “And that’s how it should be. If you’re a rapper, I can’t see how you wouldn’t have the same attitude. If a n*gga said, ‘yo’ Joe Budden, you versus Eminem, whose gonna win?’ I’m going to say Joe Budden. I’m supposed to say it. Even if it’s the furthest thing from reality, you’re supposed to have utmost confidence in yourself and your craft. And if you don’t something is wrong with you.”
In a recent interview on New York’s Power 105.1FM, Method Man accused Budden of using him to gain publicity after being “benched” (dropped) by Def Jam several years ago.
Budden retorted to the claim by questioning what he could gain from dissing a Wu-Tang founding member in 2009.
“I have a problem with that. Get my foot in what door?” an incredulous Budden inquired. “They keep talking about a door that I’m running away from, and all my actions say I’m running away from. I’ve had offers from major labels; I don’t want it…If anything, you’re on the bench, too. You in the door you want to be in, on the bench. This Blackout 2 sh*t, he says I’m attacking him because he has an album coming out. ..If anything it would be reversed; I’d should be attacking him when I have an album coming out…I’m attacking you?! There’s nobody else that’s popping on a higher plateau and more relevant than you if I want to get my name out there? Huh? I could go diss Kanye West like all these other rap n***as be trying to do. I can go diss Jim Jones, Rick Ross; n***as who are very active and relevant today. They throwing these n***as off a diving board, something I wouldn’t let them do to me.”
Former collaborator Busta Rhymes weighed in on the situation in his own Power 105.1 interview, stating the controversial Mood Muzik creator should be slapped from his comments.
After labeling that statement hypocritical, Budden again brought the argument back to his original point of who can prove they are the better emcee.
“I’m talking about music…he should be smacked for that, by who exactly?” Budden questioned.
“I rap better than n***as! [It’s] my opinion. Because I heard him say that too, about ‘how can he say no disrespect to Method Man and say that dumb sh*t?’ Say what dumb sh*t? It’s my opinion and I’ll back it up. But not [just] to him, to whoever.”
Joe Budden’s latest LP, Padded Room, was released in February.
Albums from Busta Rhymes [Back on My B.S.], Method Man and Redman [Blackout 2] both hit stores on May 19, with the latter scoring a top 10 debut on Billboard’s 200 chart.
At press time, Method Man nor Busta Rhymes could be reached for comment.
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