Joe Budden Explains Why He Dissed Drake & Warns He’s Well Prepared For ANY Response (Audio)

At the top of June, Drake shocked the Hip-Hop space when he apparently dissed Joe Budden and Puff Daddy on a la carte release “4PM In Calabasas.” For Joe’s part, the lines were presumed to be a response to Budden’s criticism of Views on his “I’ll Name This Podcast Later” (Episode #64) platform. Following the early June jabs, last night (June 30), Joe Budden responded in “Making A Murderer (Part 1).” Produced by araabMuzik, the record found the Jersey City, New Jersey veteran attacking the Toronto, Ontario MC/singer, whom Joe had cosigned in 2009.

Following the song, Joe released the latest episode (#71) of “I’ll Name This Podcast Later.” On his own platform, the eOne Entertainment artist clarified his song, and just how he reacted to “4PM In Calabasas.” Even though it is his show, the veteran MC faced some tough questions about the song, and why he released it when he did.

Joe Budden Disses Drake For 6 Straight Minutes…And It Gets Really Personal (Audio)

Early in the podcast, Joe Budden made it plain that he is not against Meek Mill, an artist who Joe had criticized in his podcast. To clarify, the onetime Def Jam artist said, “I love Meek” (4:30) […] I don’t even know if that was for me, but even if it was I wouldn’t care. I’m not dissing Meek” (5:42) Notably, Drake and Meek had a very public falling out one year ago, that resulted in a multitude of diss tracks—which the OVO founder would turn into hit singles.

Although Budden’s 15-plus-year career lacks some of the platinum decorations Drake has enjoyed, he believes this lyrical rift proves his worth. “I’m not irrelevant if [people] keep talking about me.” Throughout the discussion, Joe spoke directly to his online commenter critics.

Co-host Rory asked an important question. While Heads speculated that Drake was speaking to Joe in this month’s song, Joe was never stated by name. “Why continue to do a six-minute diss track about something that you’re saying ‘I don’t even think this shit is about me’?,” asked Rory. Budden replied, “Because I felt like it.” (9:20) “I’m the only one who’s being straightforward and to the point. Let me word this correctly. I’m probably the only nigga that has documented this, this far.” In an era of subliminal lines and ambiguous disses, the Slaughterhouse MC believes he is not hiding the metaphoric smoking gun.

Drake Fires Back At Puff Daddy & Joe Budden With His Hardest Rhyme In Years (Audio)

At the 10:00 mark, Joe Budden broke down how he perceives the history of his and Drake’s current tension. “Let’s paint a timeline. Let’s be very clear. Weeks ago, seven or eight weeks ago, Instagram clip went up, Drake said, ‘Pump pump pump it up.'” That line referenced the chorus to one of Joe’s biggest hits, from early in his major label career. “As soon as I heard that clip, I went straight to the studio without knowing what was coming. I ran straight to the studio to be prepared. Be clear, people that are unaware of my history. I’m always the guy to hit first.” Throughout the years, Joe Budden has had on record beefs with The Game, Saigon, and Prodigy, among others. “You don’t ever have to worry about if I’m talking to somebody,” he said.

Of the latest diss record Rory expressed his feeling that Budden’s actions have been hard to follow. “You have a reaction without an action,” to which Budden resolutely responded with “Yeah, it’s called being proactive!” (11:35). “There’s no reason to be prepared if nothing happened,” argued Rory. “I want [Drake] to hear what I’m saying. Because when my entire team sat me down and tried to talk me out of it, all I said was ‘Okay.’ Mind you, I’ve been dissed already in my head. I’m kinda offended that he even thought he could say ‘Pump pump pump it up.’ The MC in me is offended by that. Because I don’t play prevent defense well. I attack. Nobody has ever looked at me as the rapper to poke at. Ever. So, you take the biggest rapper in the world, add that with we know each other, add that we’re probably a little like-minded. You add that with some history,” he expressed.

Budden also spoke bluntly about the contrast of his career to the Cash Money/Universal household name. “Drake is a Pop star. We don’t have to waste time on him. He’s a Pop star. I’m not a Pop star, nigga; I’m not a Rap star, nigga,” Budden declaared. “I’m not a Rap star in any way.” Rory asks for clarification, “So this diss is not catering to anyone at all?” Budden told him “No, it’s catering to the niggas who wanna hear Rap. All of the disses right now are passive aggressive. All of ’em. ‘4pm in Calabasas’ was very passive aggressive.” (14:19)

Rory also led Joe to clarify another target on the song, Drake collaborator Jay Z. “No,” asserts Joe regarding “shots” at Jay Z. “There’s no [Jay Z] jabs. We don’t talk about Hov’ ’til the second verse,” clarified Joe, who has had history with Jay Z when the collaborator was president of Def Jam.

Coming back into his impetus for releasing “Making A Murderer Part 1,” Joe stamped his purpose. (16:30) “This is what I know, and it was weird: Drake was dissing me and [Puff Daddy]—or ‘addressing.’ That’s a fact.” Budden says, that as a combative MC, he went to work. “I did my due diligence. There was a record floating. We know people who heard the record. We know what was said on that record. He might take it off. In the event he takes it off, then I might not get to any of my 90 million Drake disses—my demonstration.” Budden equated it to a true MC battle. “We been cryptically speaking to each other in code. I’m not about that passive aggressive shit he doin’. I’m not that way. I’m direct. For me, when you let somebody else put the diss out first, when you are reactionary—this is just Hip-Hop—you are the equivalent of having beef in the club, and you are the person to leave that club first. That person who’s going to get his gun, maybe, you are going to find a new way out that club. It’s the same exact thing to me. I didn’t like that feeling. I didn’t like the biggest rapper in the world selling a million records in a week, who I know, gettin’ on that clip with somebody else I know and sayin’, ‘Pump, pump, it up.’ You niggas know what you was doing.”

Of the song Joe Budden says he heard exists, he confirmed it has a video and features Bad Boy Records artist French Montana. “We just don’t know if that line is there anymore,” said Joe, if Drake changed the lines. For the Slaughterhouse MC, he hopes the direct diss stays. “I love disses, especially when I’m asking for it.”

For those thinking Joe Budden is out for the spotlight, he asserted otherwise. “I don’t want to be famous, I don’t want a bunch of hits, I don’t want to be on the radio 24/7.” Joe continued, “I’m here 15 years later, relevant, rapping at a high level.” Asked if the reply from Drake never comes, Budden responded, “I smile.” For Joe, an independent artist, this storyline has been liberating. “Other peoples actions never dictate when I rap, and never a fan of prevent-defense. I’m charged up. I made a decision last night that I would die for. Let’s get it. I’m gonna celebrate.”

Joe said that he did not need to consider a label, group, or team, in going at Hip-Hop’s biggest star du jour. “In me doing exactly what I did, no one could tell me not me to do it. I wasn’t effecting anybody else’s well-being.”

In the 80-minute podcast, Joe Budden went on to discuss why he is in a different adversarial position with Drake than Meek Mill. He weighs in on his haters, and his previous position on Meek and Nicki Minaj’s relationship. He further elaborated with why he released the song when he did. (49:00) “At any point anybody says something, I’m well prepared! […] I can’t wait to respond!”

Additional Reporting by Bonita.