How Joe Budden Became The Most Trusted Voice in Hip-hop Media
Song of the week: Free Nationals - Eternal Light
We could all use some good vibrations this Friday. Free Nationals is a really dope band, and this is definitely gonna set the vibe for your Friday. Guaranteed.
And now, for today’s piece…
As last week’s historic battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar raged on, after hearing each record, fans had one thought:
We need to hear from Joe Budden.
After each diss record dropped, Joe’s name would trend on Twitter alongside the artists.
Fans (especially JBP fans) were practically begging for him & the crew to drop an emergency podcast to dissect what they were hearing.
They didn’t wanna wait for 3 days for the next episode.
They didn’t wanna hear from other media personalities.
They wanted to hear from…
THE PODFATHER.
Joe has created a platform in the Joe Budden Network that is a now cornerstone of Hip-hop culture.
Publications like the New York Times have acknowledged him as Hip-hop’s Howard Stern, and to many Hip-hop fans, he is the most trusted voice of this generation.
But if that isn’t enough, let’s get technical for a second…
Joe’s podcast, The Joe Budden Podcast has upwards of 3 episodes per week and episodes usually have a completion rate of over 80% — an impressive stat considering that each episode averages anywhere between 2 & 3 hours.
It's incredibly hard to do, but possible in this case because Joe’s fanbase/community is dialed in.
The Joe Budden Podcast, or the JBP as it is affectionately called by fans, is fast approaching 1000 episodes. This past month's events proved that the platform is one of the most important media platforms out there.
That said, let’s talk about the man himself, and how he went from indy rapper to the most trusted voice in Hip-hop media.
I. The Views Review
“I think that kid on that album sounds really f*ckin’ uninspired”
Joe’s presence in Hip-hop media had steadily been growing in the years leading up to 2016.
The podcast that was once called “I’ll name this podcast later” had officially been renamed as The JBP, and he cultivated a dedicated following that tuned in every week to listen.
Then, a shift happened that started with the quote above.
Normally, an artist would never say anything like the quote above publicly, let alone one who was building a media platform.
Doing so would virtually guarantee that any relationship you (could) have with said artist would be null and void.
But, Joe didn’t care.
He had an opinion and wanted to share it. That’s the reason he’s so trusted by his community, and the biggest example of that is a review of Drake’s fourth studio album…
Views.
At one point, Views was the most anticipated album of Drake’s career.
He was fresh off of the collab album with Future named “What a Time To Be Alive” and fans were clamoring for his next full-length LP.
Hotline Bling was viral.
One Dance was a radio smash.
Back to Back was the diss track of the decade.
It was a career-defining moment.
The album dropped, and although it’s considered a classic now (because it is), at the time, it was met with mixed reviews.
The review that captured everyone’s attention was Joe’s review (seen in the clip below).
He was passionate, over the top, and not afraid to call it as he saw it. When the general public saw that, it took his platform to new heights.
II. He’s a Consumer & Practitioner
Another quality that sets Joe apart from other voices in Hip-hop is that because he’s a practitioner.
As many Hip-hop fans know, he had a hit single in the early 2000s with “Pump It Up.” But if you’re really tapped in, then you know that he was instrumental in bringing the conversation of mental health into HIp-hop through his Mood Music series.
Joe spent over a decade as a top tier emcee on the underground before retiring, and though his contemporaries are in the music industry too, they can’t critique cultural moments from the perspective of a rapper.
It’s his competitive edge as a commentator.
For example, in reviews like the one below, Joe, Ish, and Ice are talking about another Kendrick Lamar verse that set the world ablaze when it dropped in 2018.
Joe’s POV as a rapper, consumer, industry veteran, and podcaster blends in a unique way that makes his hot takes almost seem like premonitions as time goes by.
He’s trusted because he comes across as an insider who’s willing to put his insider status on the line to say the things that many fans know to be true, but expect their favorite stars to lie about because… well, it’s show business.
III. From the Basement to Millions
The magic of the earlier episodes of the Joe Budden Podcast was that it literally felt like you were sitting in a room with the guys shooting the shit.
The earlier episodes featured a different cast, Rory & Mal — but after a less than amicable split they parted ways.
Despite that there’s a certain magic in those clips like one above. Episodes were shot in Parks (Joe’s longtime friend and engineer) apartment up until last year.
After moving locations, Joe and the new crew — Ish, Ice, Flip, and Melyssa Ford (Not too much on Mel) moved their podcast to a plush office that has been their headquarters since.
But why does that matter?
Well.
Because fans saw the journey.
Personally, I remember when Joe was at 300k subscribers, and I remember when he dropped from 900k down when the Rory & Mal beef happened.
He’s now at well over 1 million subscribers on YouTube and God knows how many Patreon subscribers, and it’s all because of the fans and how he’s invested in entertaining them.
IV. The Community
If you listen long enough to the JBP, you’ll know that Joe is really tuned into his community.
The subreddits & Twitter communities are very active and you can see how strong the ties are between fans.
Joe even kicks off each podcast shouting out everyone from the maintenance people, to the college students who are getting up in the morning counting on the podcast to get them through the day. He occasionally he’s taken calls from fans during the pod.
Joe’s manager Ian is also active online, and it’s clear that each member of the pod pays attention to social media to see what fans are saying and they don’t brush it off — they actually apply the feedback.
V. He’s Creator First
Podcasting was a still relatively new field back in 2017, and nobody really knew how to get paid yet.
Spotify had just announced that they were diving into the podcasting field, and The Joe Budden Podcast was popular, so they wanted in. And just like that, ardent supporters began tuning in on Spotify to support the crew.
It was a two-year partnership, but as the deal came to a close rumblings that the JBP crew wouldn’t renew the deal grew louder before Joe confirmed it (there was even a countdown to when they’d be off Spotify).
Much like his former ventures, when Joe realized that he & his team weren’t getting compensated correctly he decided to leave.
Why?
Because corporations are only as strong as the creators who power their platform. Listen to Joe below talk about why they walked away from Spotify.
The most riveting question (which has yet to be answered) shows his seasoning as business man & creator.
The question is if 3 min song stream is worth .00001 of a penny, then how much is the stream of 3 hour podcast worth?
Naturally, this question caused some divisiveness (as compensation/ownership of IP tends to do), and Joe & co. went back to being independent.
Believe it or not, the JBP deal actually set a precedent in the world of podcasting. It set the stage for Spotify to offer Joe Rogan a $300 million deal to license his podcast.
EPILOGUE
Joe’s run with the JBP is continuing to reach new heights.
He’s expressed that at a certain point he’ll leave the couch and focus on running the network, but until then we should appreciate that he’s been giving us some quality content.
Also… I know I keep mentioning Joe, but the crew behind the show that makes it work from Savon to the editors is greatly appreciated. The cast also brings a dope POV that took the platform to another level.
The episodes are now being uploaded in full to YouTube. More innovation, and another step in the direction of growing the brand.
It’s honestly dope to see.
New Joe Budden.
One.