Podcast host weighs in on the dynamics between Drake, SZA, and Kendrick Lamar ahead of their highly anticipated Super Bowl performance.
The announcement of Kendrick Lamar and SZA headlining the Super Bowl halftime show has set the internet buzzing, and no one seems more intrigued by the dynamics surrounding it than Joe Budden. On the latest episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, the host offered his take on how Drake might be feeling about the collaboration, especially in light of past events. Budden pointed out that while Drake mentioned SZA’s name positively on his track “Push Ups,” he didn’t receive any support from her during his rap battle with Kendrick, a moment that Budden believes may have stung.
Budden speculated that the news of the Super Bowl performance could hurt Drake, given the complex web of loyalties and rivalries at play, particularly with SZA’s connection to Kendrick Lamar. The podcast didn’t delve into their romantic history over a decade ago, but the optics of the situation are hard to ignore. However, with Drake gearing up for his Australian “Anita Max Win” tour, it’s possible he won’t be watching the halftime show at all.
Despite any behind-the-scenes tension, fans are thrilled about the show, especially after Kendrick and SZA’s hit collaboration “30 For 30” soared to No. 1 on Apple Music. Whether or not Drake acknowledges the spectacle, it’s clear the excitement around the halftime performance is palpable.
Tag: Joe Budden
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Joe Budden Accidentally Reveals Podcast Earnings — Over $900K From Patreon Alone
Joe Budden may have unintentionally given fans a peek behind the curtain of his podcast empire — and the numbers are impressive.
In a recent Instagram Story post meant to show off the views his podcast videos were getting, Budden failed to fully blur out a section of the screen that appeared to reveal his Patreon revenue. The slightly blurred text clearly indicated that The Joe Budden Podcast has raked in just over $900,000 from Patreon subscriptions alone.
Importantly, this figure does not include revenue from YouTube, ad deals, sponsorships, or merch — meaning Budden’s actual podcast earnings are likely well into seven figures.
The revelation adds some weight to Budden’s past claims about the financial success of his show. Last year, in a lighthearted conversation with rapper Doe Boy, the former Slaughterhouse MC estimated that he’s made around $4 million over the last decade from podcasting — though even his co-hosts questioned the accuracy of that figure.Budden laughed it off at the time, but doubled down:
“Probably about three and a half to four and a half mil,” he said, adding that his gross income might be closer to $7 million.
He also used the moment to encourage aspiring podcasters:
“This is not unimaginable. If you work hard and keep your head down to the finish line and just focus on your content.”
While Budden’s numbers are solid, they still trail the likes of Twitch and YouTube megastars like Kai Cenat, who regularly pull in multimillion-dollar revenues through diversified digital content. Still, for someone who began his podcasting journey as a passion project, Budden’s accidental earnings reveal proves he’s built a legitimate business — whether he meant to show it or not. -
Joe Budden Slams Bruno Mars and Sexyy Red’s “Fat Juicy & Wet” Collaboration
Budden Compares Bruno Mars’ New Track to Donald Trump’s Tactics
Joe Budden has heavily criticized Bruno Mars’ new collaboration with Sexyy Red, “Fat Juicy & Wet,” calling the track’s approach to attracting Black listeners a marketing gimmick. On his podcast, Budden lambasted the song’s sexually explicit nature, comparing Bruno Mars’ change in style to tactics used by Donald Trump to appeal to certain audiences.
“Will it work? Yes. They’re gonna pay for this to work,” Budden said, acknowledging the track’s likely commercial success thanks to strong label backing. However, he took issue with what he perceives as a formulaic approach to capturing the attention of Black audiences, particularly with the song’s raunchy lyrics. “Sexyy Red, when it’s time to sell a mixtape or get shit poppin’ in the hood… it’s the raunchiest, nastiest shit that works,” he explained.
Budden then compared Mars’ new approach to Trump’s use of controversial tactics, suggesting that both involve pandering to Black listeners by leveraging certain stereotypes. “I’m sick of… white people, or Bruno Mars, thinking that in order to attract us, they need to start talking about gangbanging,” he added.
Bruno Mars and Sexyy Red have not publicly responded to Budden’s criticism. -
Joe Budden Cleared of Lewdness and Stalking Charges After Trial
Budden was cleared of lewdness and stalking charges after trial
Joe Budden charged with lewdness and stalking because of his neighbor has now been cleared of these charges. To prepare his audience for the trial at the beginning of the year, Budden went on a recent episode of his podcast and gave some details. The charges were related to an incident in which Budden, who suffers from sleepwalking, allegedly woke up trying to walk outside naked to his neighbor’s door and then after failing to get inside proceeded to walk by and continue his walk after attempting to input his door code.
What the neighbor said was that Budden had masturbated in public because he claimed that was the activity he had seen. This, however, was disputed by Budden, who explained on his podcast how much sleepwalking affected this incident and how he didn’t want to bring his doctor in to lengthen the process. He brought his girlfriend to witness, who stated that Budden was not fully erect in the Ring camera footage, which disproves the neighbor’s allegations.After several days of testimony by different persons, the judge took the weekend to decide, and Budden ended up with a clean slate. He had been cleared of all charges, according to the judge: “Mr. Budden was not erect. He was not masturbating;” the behavior appeared to be an attempt to cover himself. Budden praised the judge in the courtroom for her fairness and attentiveness during the trial, saying, “She wasn’t on no bullsh*t.”
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Joe Budden Suggests Apple Music Could Be Stirring Up Conflicts Against Drake
Joe Budden hints Apple Music might be creating conflicts with DrakeJoe Budden spoke at length about Drake and the future of the Toronto rapper’s career in a recent episode of his podcast. Budden expressed his desire for Drake to make emotionally naked music again and hinted at some demonization by Apple Music toward him for possible behind-the-scenes things.
“In 2025, I would love to hear vulnerable Drake make a return,” Budden started. “Not mafioso Drake, not ‘No Face’ Drake, just tell us how you feel for real, once.“The ‘No Face’ video came and went,” he added. “You got high hopes for what this Drake-Party album’s supposed to be? I do because I love Party and R&B Drake, but I don’t think that’s gonna move the pendulum the way that it needs to.”
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Joe Budden Asserts His Mixtape Catalog Surpasses Lil Wayne’s and 50 Cent’s
Budden claims he has superior mixtape catalog
Joe Budden has assured that his mixtape collections are much more than what 50 Cent and Lil Wayne have in their mixtape stables.
In the segment for a future episode of The Joe Budden Podcast that was shared on X (formerly Twitter) Monday (October 7), the former Slaughterhouse rapper suggested how his mixtape discography-themed primary Mood Muzik series stands the test of time.Involved in the debates between the co-hosts about the mixtape legacies of Lil Wayne and 50 Cent, Budden saliently insisted that his collection was the best. When asked, who else he would think competed, he said: “It’s me, it’s 50, it’s Fab[olous], it’s Kiss [Jadakiss], it’s Wayne.”
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Drake appears to have unfollowed several of perceived enemies
Drake severs ties with several opponents
Drake has cut ties with several enemies and supposed traitors on social media, fueling speculation of his possible return to music.
Taking to social media on Tuesday (October 1), fans of Drizzy noticed that the Canadian rapper managed to go one step further and even unfollowed his long-time rival Kendrick Lamar, as well as other rappers such as Rick Ross and Joe Budden.
Also, LeBron James seems no longer following Drake, who during the latter’s beef with Kendrick recently showed some allegiance to the latter by not refusing to hand over the follower’s crown, as well as baller DeRozan who has been in Kendrick’s ‘Not Like Us’ video.Drake followers list has seen the exclusion of Playboi Carti with fans believing it was in connection with Carti’s recent work with The Weeknd on ‘Timeless’.
Interestingly, Drake still Future in spite of being involved in the ’20 vs. 1′ stunt against Drake last summer, which even had an unreleased diss verse from Future in the cut. -
Joe Budden joins Jermaine Dupri in noting how Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums list is ‘disrespectful’ to R&B
Budden has a problem with how the list ranked R&B albums
Joe Budden isn’t pleased with how Apple Music ranked R&B albums in their 100 best albums of all time list released earlier this month. The list starts with Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, then Michael Jackson’s Thriller, followed by The Beatles’ Abbey Road. Prince & The Revolution’s Purple Rain and Frank Ocean’s Blonde come up next.
“Just talking about solely R&B, what they did with [Sade‘s] Love Deluxe, [Usher‘s] Confessions, [SZA‘s] Ctrl, Prince and [Michael Jackson] is egregious,” Joe said. “This list is disrespectful to a lot of R&B actually. There’s a lot of phenomenal R&B albums [missing]. [Marvin Gaye‘s What’s Going On not making the Top 10] tells you that they disrespected the rest of R&B.”
Jermaine Dupri had earlier on expressed the same sentiment that the list is “disrespectful” towards R&B.