Joe Budden
Joseph Anthony Budden II[1] (born August 31, 1980)[2] is an American media personality, broadcaster, cultural critic, and retired rapper. He first gained recognition in the latter occupation with his 2003 single "Pump It Up", which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of his eponymous debut studio album (2003). Met with critical and commercial success, the album peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200, although it served as his only major label release for Def Jam Recordings; he thereafter released seven albums independently to continued critical praise. While doing so, he performed as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, which were signed to Eminem's Shady Records in 2012; the group released two studio albums.[3][4]
For the album, see Joe Budden (album). Not to be confused with Joe Biden.
Joe Budden
August 31, 1980
- Media personality
- rapper
- songwriter
- broadcaster
1999–present
2
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Vocals
- Mood Muzik
- Empire
- E1
- Amalgam Digital
- Desert Storm
- Def Jam
In 2018, he retired from recording and shifted focus onto his career in broadcasting. Three years prior, he began hosting The Joe Budden Podcast, which was received positively and ran for seven hundred episodes. In 2017, he had a much-publicized run as a co-host (alongside DJ Akademiks) for Complex magazine's web show Everyday Struggle. He hosted State of the Culture alongside Remy Ma for the network Revolt from 2018 to 2020. Re-emerging for his outspoken views on prominent hip hop figures, Budden has been described as "the Howard Stern of hip hop".[5][6]
Early life[edit]
Budden was born to Joseph Budden and Fay Southerland on August 31, 1980, in the East Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, New York.[7] He moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, at the age of thirteen with his mother and older brother, where he attended Lincoln High School.[8] Budden's father was absent from his life during his childhood, a subject he would later address in his music.[9][10]
Budden was a troubled youth[11] and sent to Laurinburg Institute, a boarding school in North Carolina, where he began to hone his skills as a rapper. After returning to Jersey, he began using drugs, developing an addiction to angel dust.[12][5] After an emotional confrontation with his mother, Budden voluntarily went into rehab on July 3, 1997, in exchange for him being allowed to attend his senior prom.[10][12][5] Budden did not earn his diploma and fathered a child with an older woman by the age of 20.[12][5] With his son on the way, Budden began taking music more seriously. In 2001, he teamed up with producer Dub-B, also known as White Boy, and began releasing his first mixtapes and demos, one of which ended up in the hands of Hot 97 radio host and Desert Storm Records label head DJ Clue.