Joe Budden Can't Stop Betting on Himself

“Shoutout to my entire peer group,” says the divisive rapper-turned-podcaster, whose brand-new REVOLT series premieres next week. “But I mean, the proof is in the pudding.”This is an edition of the weekly newsletter Tap In, GQ senior associate editor Frazier Tharpe’s final word on the most heated online discourse about music, movies, and TV. Sign up here to get it free.There’s Joe Budden, and then there’s everyone else. Despite the proliferation of rapper-led podcasts and talk shows in the last few years (itself a subset of the ever-ballooning celebrity podcast bubble), there’s no question who leads the pack—at least that’s how Budden sees it. It’s hard to argue with him: in February, Budden’s self-titled and pioneering podcast will turn 12,. Not too long ago, he posted a screenshot that “accidentally” revealed his yearly take-home was a number in the low eight figures.The once lyrically fearsome Jersey rapper’s shift from MC to talking head traces back to Everyday Struggle, the hip-hop talk show he co-hosted with a then-nascent DJ Akademiks for Complex. Contract disputes between Budden and the company led Budden to a loud exit just as the show was really taking off; a subsequent series with Revolt called State of the Culture didn’t fare much better. Budden then took his talents to Spotify; he thrived there, but he felt he deserved to be compensated as handsomely as its star podcaster, Joe Rogan. So he went back to square one, setting up shop on Patreon, where the pod now releases two episodes a week and bonus content to higher-tiered subscribers.Through it all, there've been dramatic cast changes, tense moments with rappers, hilarious must-see breakdowns of big moments in culture, and several dust-ups with Drake, a frequent subject of Budden and his co-host’s. Being part-New Jerseyian, I’m one of the vocal minority that believe it’s a travesty to reduce Budden’s rap career to “Pump It Up” (this is never far from my Recently Played to this day). Our paths actually crossed during his time at Complex, when I served as a sit-in for test episodes of Everyday Struggle while he searched for the co-host that would eventually become Akademiks—and even helped them launch the show with a series of digital short skits I wrote and produced that are probably lost to the internet by now.As an occasional pod listener, I find it fascinating that Budden has defied all odds, and everyone who said he was bound to burn bridges, and now finds himself commanding attention, revenue and even reconciliations with his past employers. Despite how things went with State of the Culture, he’s back in business with Revolt. Joe Budden Network Presents, his new weekly series, premieres on November 13th on its linear network. To mark his next chapter, we talked about the current landscape of rap media and podcasting, the dangers of getting too comfortable, and how he plans to maintain his reign.GQ: I feel like you have so much going on that a half-hour won't even do it justice.Joe Budden: What do I have going on? We’re introducing this new Revolt block this Friday, which is awesome. And we kind of want to be able to explore different licensing opportunities that make sense with and for the brand, especially as one of the only people in the content space that owns their own shit. So, yeah, you want to take advantage of all the perks, but I don't feel like I got too much going on.Well, the Revolt thing I find funny, because it's kind of emblematic of your last 10 years where it's almost like you're never wrong, but always early. Because you had State of the Culture with Revolt years ago and that kind of—[Laughs] Yeah, man. We back.It always comes full circle with you somehow.Yeah, always. I like that. You leave good relationships at the places once you leave. That started after Complex.Well, Complex wasn't so amicable…You know what's funny? Me, and Complex are cool today. It's good to still be somewhat prominent in that space.Do you think that's a testament to your brand or your personality? There are some people who would never spin it back out of spite, or hurt feelings, or whatever.My God is a forgiving God, one. Two, I've been in the business long enough to know that it's a lot of musical chairs. You meet somebody at Def Jam, and they'll end up at Warner Bros. And then they'll end up at Sony, and then they'll end up at... And it's the same in content. So I think it's a testament to the longevity, my ability to adapt and fucking stay relevant for all these years, and speak to different demos about all different types of shit.On the pod, you've recently talked about legacy journalists who are maybe having a harder time figuring out where they fit in the landscape as it stands.Listen, it's tough out here for content creators, journalists, musicians, actors, the everyday person. It's really sink or swim. So, it's not the time to short yourself on focus, commitment, dedication, think tanks, anything that helps your business scale. People are struggling to stay afloat. So I pride myself on being able to adapt and just stay ahead of what's current.How do you keep your finger on the pulse?I'm a good guesser. I trust my gut. I trust my intuitive skills.I saw you had the baby shower over the weekend, right? You’re getting married too. Is it fair to say you’re entering a new phase in your life right now?I'm welcoming a beautiful girl into the world, my first daughter. I’m growing up, Frazier. I did it right in front of everybody. I'm building my house right now. It's a lot going on. 2026 was a transition year for sure, and I hope to build on that in 2027. What other rabbits can we pull out the hat? What else can we do? How else can we shock people, or just continue to innovate?Do you still see podcasting as the core, though? Like, that's still going to be the nucleus of the Joe Budden brand?Well, Joe Budden's at the core of the Joe Budden brand.You know what I mean.I’m blessed enough to have a baseline. The podcast is and will continue to be the anchor to everything that I'm doing.The pod's been going on for so long that now I’ve noticed you get these very hyper-specific critiques, week to week ratings from fans on any given episode. Like, “This week’s topics were off” or “They didn’t talk about this artist’s tour.”I'm the only one that gets them. I'm the only one that gets the super hyper specific critiques. “Too many guests.” “What is he wearing?” “Why did they say that about this topic?” I don't see that about anybody else, but that's part of the blessing that I mentioned. These fans are rabid. These fans are so invested in everything, as they should be—some of them have been listening for 10 years. So, we are over a thousand episodes on the main, on Patreon, we’re probably close to over a thousand episodes. People have been along for the ride. So, go ahead, critique away.Are you actually taking that feedback in though?I always take it in, pause, since my music days. I'd like to think I have pretty tough skin, so I can read it all. I'm one of the people that they've said all of the horrible things they could say about me on the internet, so I read it all. You just have to have a good filter. Apply what needs to be applied, and block out the noise. It's like market research. Some people have really good ideas, or really good ways for you to improve upon your product, so you always want to listen to that and be open-minded.I was watching the episode when Ray Daniels and Charlemagne were going back and forth, and your breakdown was that you enjoyed the general chaos of every [media personality] firing on each other, that it was iron sharpening iron. As the first leader of the pack to have the rapper pod, and to now see dozens of new shows all fighting for the same guests, same exclusives, same viral clips—do you feel like you're in the midst of that as well? Do you feel like you're still battling for supremacy?No way. I'm sorry, not at all. No, no, no. Shoutout to my entire peer group, but I mean, the proof is in the pudding. I no longer feel the need to explain the insane run of dominance. Nah, I don't look out there, and I don't assess the field that way. The people that really are my peers… it don't even need to be said. Everybody's focused on them, and super successful, so you're not going around putting your dick on the table. The people that are fighting for some type of spot, or fighting for some light, or fighting to get some attention, those are the people that have to do that. I think I even said that in my Charlemagne [episode], and Charlemagne handled that in the way that I would expect him to in his position, and the same with Ray Daniels.Styles make fights, so that's what I enjoyed about it. Nobody's shooting at me. If they do, I'm not shooting back. And I think the field kind of knows that I sit alone in my position—not based on success, but based on ideology. What I'm attempting to do with my broadcast, I don't think is the same as what the field is trying to do at all. Again, I take pride in being the owner, founder, COO—I'm all of these things. I didn't take a check from nowhere. I didn't sell out. I didn't go to the hedge fund bros. I didn't do none of that.I never thought we'd see Joe Budden in his “diss me, you'll never hear a reply for it” era.No, no, no, no. Let's not get crazy. I'm always down to jump in. But I think the shots are few and far between nowadays. And who's sending the shots? We got to look at that. We got to look at the intent behind it. Nowadays, people just shoot at me to try to get the algorithm going. I don't believe that it's sincere.Does it bother you when, say, the word “misogynoir” gets thrown out after you criticize a Megan Thee Stallion freestyle or something?I think that you kind of understand the lay of the land if you've been doing it long enough. By the time somebody heard something I said and critiques it, chances are I'm focused on the next thing I'm going to say. But I get what comes with critiquing Meg. I get what comes with critiquing Cardi, Doechii, all of the women, and a lot of the men. It's no longer the days of, "Hey, you give a critique, and all is well in the world." No, everybody got a platform, everybody got a phone, and clip culture is crazy, so somebody sent something you said to somebody. I just assume that whatever I say on that broadcast, that the person is listening.Does that ever affect what you choose to weigh in on?Sometimes it does. I think there's a responsibility that comes with where I sit. So for example, they keep wanting me to talk about Jay-Z, and Des[iree Perez], and I'm like, that doesn't interest me at all. I've never met Des. The story's not interesting to me. Then it’s “Oh, you work with Roc Nation, they're paying you." I'm just not interested in that. So, there's a few topics that have come up where it's like, "What are we talking about here?"I think one of the things that sets you apart is there's a certain theatricality that you bring. I wouldn’t ever want to just listen to your pod, because I know even the facial reaction is going to be a thing.Again, that's showmanship, that's years of being on a stage, that's years of just being in the mirror, practicing rapper hands. You got to be able to appreciate it. And that's some of the stuff that took this thing from being an only audio thing to having a visual component that became super important if you're trying to run a business. So, yeah, people that are in this thing got to recognize you are competing with all the other content. You're not just competing with podcasts, you're competing with the docs, you're competing with the music, you're competing with the Roblox, you're competing with anything that is going to take attention away. So, yeah, you better be theatrical.I also think you have a good knack for not getting complacent within that. Like a casual fan, probably expected you to hate on the Drake drops this year… then you come with a swerve, that still manages to feel genuine.Yeah. I wasn't mad at those three projects. And again, It's about just not wanting to be predictable. As soon as they think they got you pegged, pause, now I'm busting a hard left.You guys have had some crazy Jay-Z takes in recent episodes, though.Such as?Well, first, you said you weren't excited for the Super Bowl.Well, I'm not excited about Super Bowl.But why not?I just left Yankee Stadium.I mean, same. But...If you were at Yankee Stadium, why would I be excited for the Super Bowl?I just don't think he's going to give us a setlist that's all Z100, super pop-friendly radio hits.Well, that would be dope, but I got that in the Bronx. I don't think there's anything like Hov in New York, is what I was trying to say. It's one of us doing the Super Bowl, somebody from my era. So, yeah, I'm excited about that. But I saw Hov in the Bronx. I'm a Hov fan.I also objected to the idea he always ran to whatever sound was hot during his peak.Oh, I never said that. I wouldn't say that, but you don't want to suppress anybody's take.Some of those ‘98-’99 Timbaland beats—I think he had one of the first Neptunes rap beats, right?Listen, nobody said he didn't innovate. Neptunes, Timbaland, Just Blaze, Kanye, Bink—he introduced a lot of them. But if somebody wants to say that he always ran to the hot whatever, I think they're probably talking about the Rick Ross “Hustlin’” remix. They're talking about the Jeezy run. They're talking about when hip-hop took that turn. There was a lot going on at Def Jam. It's a salute to everybody.I still remember when you put your new verse in the “Pump It Up” remix. “Not from round these parts, I’m—”...Oh, the good old days. They had to be there. It’s all such a learning experience. And I look back a lot now because I'm waiting seven, eight years for the “Pump It Up” rights—we're not so far away. But nah, I had a good time. I was young. I traveled the world. I made some money, lost some money, argued with people, fucking made a name for myself, whether good or bad. It's all fond memories. Today, I'm able to say that.We're also about 10 years removed from the start of “Everyday Struggle,” which kind of kicked everything off in a way. How do you reflect back on that time?Greatest hip-hop show ever. I wish it went longer, but it probably went exactly the way it was supposed to go.Some would say you're the reason that it didn't go longer though, right?Well, people might say that because of whatever narratives went out there. But to me, I mean, I completed my contract, and was waiting for a new one, and it never came. They sent some bullshit over and it was like, Oh, all right, that may work for some other creators., but I'm getting the out of here.You did that with Complex, you did that with Spotify. Is there ever any anxiousness that comes with betting on yourself?No, no. I've done it so long, that's like an automatic setting. That's like the headlights being on auto when it's nighttime. Boots on the ground, strap up, time to hit the lab, time to figure it out, time to think, time to get with myself. The Complex one was interesting because I had a baby coming.So, wouldn’t that make a person want to consider a safety net?Never going to. It's not in my DNA. Safety net, the path of less risk? No, no. I'm an artist at heart, man. To be an artist, you have to be psycho. You have to be crazy. You have to dedicate your life to—for all intents and purposes—trying to hit the winning lotto number. That's what it is to be an artist. So, if you've been in that, there's nothing that could really rattle me if you're betting on yourself. And you know what's always been helpful? The upside was never very high in whatever the alternative was. Hey, do I stay at Complex, and be safe? Well, they offered me two rocks and a Big Mac, so at some point you got to have pride. Chuck the deuces. Spotify, I was killing it. They came back, they offered me some dungarees, some shit that was clearly a low ball. And what they basically are telling you is you can't go get it on your own. Why would I ever listen to that? That's like a challenge to me.Look how it turned out.My God don't play about me, Frazier. All faith in the higher power. It always turns out the way it's supposed to turn out. Always.I gotta ask you about some of the extracurriculars you got going on, specifically in the Dick Wolf universe. I saw you on Law & Order the other day.That was amazing. It was good to see the internet have a good time with that one. My family loved it. We're crime fans, so that was good. It was exciting. It was different. I said at the beginning of 2026 that I'm going to try to do some things this year that are outside of my comfort zone. I'm in a position financially where I don't have to do anything I don't want to do. I don't want to get stuck in that. I want to get out. I still want to feel what something different feels like. So, Law and Order was definitely that for me, and it was great.What else are you looking at to do?I want to try some different ideas now that I have a little bit of time to try to execute—different ventures, different shows, different ways to go about things, different ways to present what's already current and existing. I just want to tinker. I never want to be predictable, or boring, or complacent and stagnant. It's easy to fall into that when you are dominant. So, no, I'm not telling you what my exact plans are, but just know I do have some plans, and I hope to continue to build on them in 2027.Fair enough. I want to do a lightning pop culture round pop culture with you because I remembered anytime we’d talk new releases in the office, you would have an insane take. What's the most overrated thing you saw this year?This year was... The Odyssey? I didn't love Odyssey, but what's that horror movie that took over?Obsession.Listen, buddy, I almost walked out of Obsession. I wasn't feeling Obsession the way that America was. But I love the story of the independent who made this huge movie with that small of a budget. I always support that, so I don't really tell people how I feel about Obsession, but yeah, I don't fuck with that.One time you and I were talking not long after Get Out was released and you told me you almost walked out of that.I'm not a Get Out guy either, but let me let your audience know: I will walk out a movie. If this movie doesn't hold my attention, then I'm not going to waste the time. If I don't care about the ending, I'm out of here.Best album that you listened to this year?I really like Wale's album a lot. I'm not going to call it the best. I'm still on RJ the Weirdo. K-1 put out a good project this year. Isaiah Haron put out a really good project this year. I'm on the R&B shit. I ain't going to lie. It was a real good year for R&B. In hip-hop, it seems like the releases are a lot slower than they were last year, but there's a lot less to keep up with.Do you think that changes in 2027? What does the next year in rap look like?That totally depends on if these record labels take the [spending] freeze off and open up some budgets or find some money or actually start showing support to some of these acts. I do expect that to happen in 2027, hopefully. And I see them gearing up for it. They're making all these changes to what a stream is. YouTube counts again now to the stream. To me, that's them preparing for whatever's coming up release-wise.You’ve been doing the pod for so long now. Do you still feel excited by it?Oh, yeah. You goddamn right. I've been doing it for a long time. I also feel like I just started doing it yesterday. I feel like I'm still in my infancy. I feel like there's so much more to come from the podcast. I feel like I'm tasked with figuring out what the next level is for a podcast this seismic. And I'm up for that. I'm up for that task as a 46-year-old. I feel like I could do this for another 10 years and still be young. Oh, they can't fuck with me. Not at all. I still wake up super excited. I'm still eager. I still have fun. I still love doing it. There's a lot more in the tank.It feels like you're one a big part of the way that hip-hop culture at large feels very mature at the moment. Everyone making major noise is like, pushing 40, or over it.Don't you love it? I mean, why not? Who the fuck else? Let the YNs do whatever they're doing. But I like being able to look at my peer group, and see where everybody is. The Clipse album was amazing. It was relatable to me as an adult, as a grown person who was there for the whole ride. It wasn't two old niggas trying to appeal, trying to just do shit that wasn't really in them. I like Styles P owning a juice bar. I like the other businesses that my peer group are running and doing. We’re making aging in hip-hop look fucking fantastic, and I can't say that that was the case 10 years ago.Great to tap in with you, bro.Same, Frazier. Good seeing you. And you're not aging! What are you doing! Can we talk about that before we go? Why do you look the same? What is your diet? What is your workout regimen? Are you running? What's happening?Gym five days a week. That's about it.Good, good. Dope. I also love the health and wellness movement in culture right now. Yeah, niggas try to stay alive.Sign up for Manual to receive useful advice on style, health, and more, six days a week.Frazier Tharpe is an editor at GQ specializing in dictating entertainment coverage and contributing via his Tap In column, where he weighs in on the pop culture conversation of the moment with his unique perspective. Frazier has written GQ cover stories on Beyoncé, Michael B Jordan and SZA, as well ... Read More