A little under two weeks ago, Joe Budden, Rory, and Mal sat down on The Joe Budden Podcast to discuss Royce 5’9’s “Cocaine” music video, Soulja Boy’s recent appearance on The Everyday Struggle, and the announcement of Coming To America 2 being in production. However, the podcast’s main focus surrounded Atlanta rapper, Future. In a relatively recent interview with Genius‘ Rob Markman, Future divulged information about his widely-publicized lean usage, revealing that he had stopped drinking the codeine and promethazine concoction, but had continued to represent that he was using, in his music. Future explained that he was afraid to address it because of fear of backlash from his fans. On his podcast later that week, Budden called out Future, indicating that he should have been honest about his cessation from abusing and using lean much sooner. This week, Budden is back to his chin-checking ways with regard to his Hip-Hop counterparts, but this time his words are directed at Compton, California’s own, The Game.

Over the past few weeks, The Game has been involved in highly publicized listening sessions for his forthcoming, yet to be titled album for 2019. In these sessions, it has been reported by attendees and talking Heads like DJ Akademiks that Game made explicit references to past sexual escapades with Kim Kardashian West in the lyrics of one of his new records. While neither Kim nor her husband, Kanye West, has commented on the song, Game subsequently doubled down by playing further lyrics suggesting that he also had relations with Kylie Jenner, Kim’s sister. According to reports, Game dismissed advice from his business partners who clamored for the 39-year old to remove the controversial references, in order to save his relationships.

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This week, DJ Akademik’s came forth with more revelations about Game’s new music, and this time, they hit home for Joe Budden, who previously worked with Akademiks’ on Complex’s Everyday Struggle series. As Budden acknowledges on the podcast, he and Game have had tension over the years, trading disses on wax, heightened at times by tensions over a series of events. Game and Budden were competing for resources from the record label to which they were both signed in the early 2010s. Also, Budden had problems with Game’s manager, Wack 100, stemming from Budden’s friction with Quality Control–the record label home for Migos and Lil Yachty–because of verbal dustups Budden had with those artists. In between these events, however, Game and Budden had made peace, even recording a song together with 2009’s “The Future.” Despite that armistice, according to Akademiks, Game chose to make references to past sexual exploits with Cyn Santana, who is currently engaged to Budden, on a new song.

In addressing the situation on his podcast, Budden takes Game to task for what Budden believes to be an attempt by Game to revitalize a career that has gone cold. “Game is ice! I’m not saying that to diss Game. I can’t say that to diss Game. Most of my career was spent cold. So, it’s not a diss. I come from a place of identification, not comparison. I understand it. I empathize with it. Game don’t have a single.” Budden also takes the moment to chide the former record label that he and Game once shared. “Telling. It’s telling. You know what it means? It means bad f***ing business practices is what it means. That is what it means when you are signed to E1 and you have to do this salacious, sensationalized bullsh*t. This tasteless bullsh*t where you are calling out people that have clearly moved on and not thinking anything about you.”

Budden continues criticizing the strategy Game is employing, with increasing intensity, questioning what it says about Game’s character that he would use such tactics. “And then, what does it say about that? That you are calling out women that ain’t said a word about you. They’re not proud of you, ni**a. You’re not the brag guy. Why you telling us? It’s off. It’s a little off. But not to me, because your entire career you’ve been the guy that’s just begged for acceptance. I’m the guy that brought the change of heart clip to existence. I know you well, your type. I know that type. Well! I just feel bad that you have to do that. Not just you. There is a plethora of rappers that because their music is not garnering the attention they want.”

Budden expounds on the point that in these times, many artists do not believe that making quality music is enough to gain success, and applies it to Game. “There are too many of the dudes out there that are creating great music. And, when I got my brain into that…The more I got my brain into that, is the more that I felt sorry for Game. It’s the more that I felt bad. You fight with me, Game. Unfortunately, the fight I’m fighting includes you. It’s all-inclusive of creators.” Budden is alternately empathetic and emphatic in his criticism. “Thank God I worked my way out of that fight that you’re fighting, Game! What’s this ni**a’s real name?? Jayceon?? Don’t f*ckin’ talk to me, no ni**a named Jayceon!! You talking about my girl with a girl name. Watch your f*ckin’ mouth, man! I feel bad for ni**as like that, because I understand. Unfortunately today, real good MCs have to do shit like that, because real good MC’ing ain’t really getting it done. And, I never thought about how ice f*cking cold Game was, until…Until.”

The irony of the moment does not escape Budden and his co-hosts, as they acknowledge that if Game was indeed using these moments to garner attention, it is working, as they are using they’re platform (the number 1 music podcast in the country) to address his antics. “That’s the other reason that I try not to personalize this, because people only do what they know to work for them. This has worked for Game’s entire career,” says Budden. To which Rory replies, “It’s working right now.” Budden expands, “That’s the conundrum you’re faced with. When you know someone is doing something solely for attention, and you don’t really give a f**k about it because that’s not your vibe, that’s not your energy, I got nothing bad to say about it at all.”

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As the conversation continues, the hosts move past the strategic implications of The Game’s tactics, and begin to hone in on the sociopolitical implications of objectifying women for monetary gain and clout, in the midst of a nationwide movement refuting such behavior. They add that Game, particularly, should think more deeply before making these moves, given that he has been hit with sexual misconduct allegations in the past, and lost in court.

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“I don’t think he should do it [using women in his lyricism] in 2019,” says Budden. Mal responds, “And let me just say because we do have a platform, so let me just put that out there. Fellas, it is never cool to just talk about and expose chicks that you sleep with just for shock value. There’s nothing cool about that.” Joe extends, “But let’s take it a step further than that. Game has already had some type of sexual harassment claims filed against him in a lawsuit to which he lost. That whole thing from The Game’s TV show. And I’m not saying it’s true or false, but it happened. It happened. So, that’s one. Game has pictures laying up in the park with his finger up underage girls. That happened. That happened. That’s who I know, that’s The Game I’ve seen. That’s what Game put online. That person should stay far away from topics like this, is what I’m saying. For his benefit. Not for mine, not for Ye’s, not for anyone else’s. He should want to stay far away from this. He didn’t even wanna pay the money when he lost the suit!”