The Joe Budden conspiracy theory

[GangstaBoogy]

This shit is hilarious, and most likely true, peep.


About three years ago, a young aspiring MC, known to his Jersey City comrades as "Mouse," burst onto what now seems like an oversaturated Hip-Hop mixtape scene. With quick hitting and equally gratifying punch lines, many of which poked fun at popular basketball players like Paul Pierce, who had just got his ass stabbed up, and the entire Dallas Mavericks fluffy front line, he seemed to rapidly separate himself from the pack of dudes who just hung out at the studio and got a chance to rhyme because they had the good weed.

DJ Clue, who had formed a label he dubbed Desert Storm, featuring Ma$e Jr. aka Fabolous Sport, needed one more rapper to complete what he thought could be his "Triangle Offense of Rap" (another basketball term referring to the offense the Chicago Bulls ran during the Cheese Eyes era).

Its Summer 2002 and the Clipse own every sound system moving on the street, with their Neptunes laced hustling anthem, Grindin'. Every rapper in the Western Hemisphere spit their writtens -- ahem "freestyles" -- over it, but only one stands out. One guy with a squeaky voice who proclaims himself, Mike Bibby, aka "the newest King of the league." It absolutely owns every rented drop and SUV in South Beach Miami on Labor Day weekend.

This is the story of Joe Budden (NOT BUDDENS!) and how his career has been fucked over by an entity within the Def Jam family thus far in his career. From the attempted sabotage of his first single to his manufactured beef with G-Unit, on through the countless roadblocks set up to tank his sophomore album, The Growth. Can Joe recover? Or is Jumpoff doomed a life of Memphis Bleek-like proportions? That remains to be seen, but just Walk With Me through the past few years, for now.
Harlem born, Queens and Jersey City raised Joseph Budden, Jr. took to poetry early in his life. Along with the support of his mother, it would eventually become therapy for him to battle being a dust head. It also helped him link up with New York City's DJ Clue, who helped him secure a development deal on a sub label of Def Jam Records, which he soon parlayed into a feature deal with the parent company, by way of the success from his first real single, Focus. The beat used for Focus was supposed to be a remix for someone else, but the song blew up like Chris Farley's heart and ran neck 'n neck with Grindin' all along the Eastern seaboard for the title of club anthem that '02 summer. You could not go to a club, especially in New York, that summer and not hear it. Trust me, I tried.

Def Jam shoots no video for the buzzing Focus, but instead waits a year to throw its intro on the end of Joe's first video Pump It Up, shot at the project playground where G-Money made all those jump shots in New Jack City. Joe had a feeling he was being played, but he had no idea...

Pump It Up, produced by Just Blaze was a commercial success. It was featured on video games and played at NBA arenas and nightclubs, alike, but it seemed to not get the push it deserved from the label, because, secretly, there was someone trying to deflect all that shine Joey was poised to receive.

In 2000, the World Famous DJ Clue releases the official Soundtrack to Backstage, a Hip-Hop documentary of sorts, through Roc-A-Fella records. The Best of Me remix, featuring sexy R&B ferret, Mya and Jay-Z becomes an instant hit and seems to earn Clue his Roc-A-Stripes. However, at one point in the movie, a-hole extraordinaire Dame Dash shows his lack of approval for DJ Chin by basically calling him a lazy piece of human waste. Clearly the Honeymoon is over between Roc-A-Fella and Clue, and is further strained, as Clue retains close relationships with rappers Jay isn't too fond of for his mixtapes. These artists include Mobb Deep and Nas. Clue tries to explain to Jay that since he's from Queens either Jay should move his entire family out of the borough or shut the f**k up. Jay plays it cool and tells Clue, "Fine, do you" (which means "f**k you, Clue" in Hip-Hop). When later asked about Clue in an interview, Jay is quoted as nonchalantly saying, "I guess he's still down with us" (this also means "f**k You, Clue").

Coincidentally, Roc-A-Fella seems to soon be searching for new in-house producers. Just Blaze and Kanye West are added to the squad and Clue goes from top midget to not mentioned at all. Unaware of the rift between Clue and The ROC, Just Blaze receives a call from the Queens DJ, who extends an invitation to him to play some Atari 7800 and watch an advanced screening of the new Sci-Fi thriller, Equilibrium. As an avid video game and Science Fiction fanboy, Blaze doesn't even think twice. He grabs his backpack, mounts his Segway and quickly hovers over to Clue's crib. There, while Just is simulating a light saber fight scene with a life-size Boba Fett, Clue raids Blaze's Jansport backpack and confiscates a beat tape containing, among other masterpieces, an energetic rework of A Tribe Called Quest's classic Scenario remix. Clue hands it off to Skane Dolla, Budden's right hand man, and drops it off to Joe in his Toyota Tercel. Joe rips a hole in the beat and Pump It Up is born.

Just Blaze receives an early morning call from Big Homie, himself, and he's not much amused. He informs Just that he's just heard the leak to Budden's first single, Pump It Up. Homie tells Blaze that he remembered hearing the beat for it before because he had three hot 16's ready for it, but was gonna give it to Bleek for that first hit he's been due. Blaze and Homie laugh for a second, and then Jay gets serious and tells Just that Clue is a snake and The ROC doesn't tolerate snake maneuvering (I know, ironic). Jay hangs up and a mortified Blaze jumps up, drops his action Action Max, screams, picks the Action Max up, places it back in its original box and calls Clue. Clue receives a tongue lashing from Blaze, but the DJ eventually weasels out of it by offering Blaze an autographed Captain Planet DVD set along with production credit for the song.

Peeved about the whole situation, Jay immediately pages Young Guru and tells him to meet him at Baseline Studios where he "gets busy" on the Pump It Up track. When released the next day, Clue has a damn midget fit and runs around like a chicken with its head cut off wondering what to do. Joe doesn't seem bothered at all, almost honored to have his favorite rapper rhyme over his song. Not realizing that his shine is being undermined, Clue tries to explain the severity of the situation at hand to the young rapper. Joe brushes Clue off and goes back to smoking a cigarette and reading his basketball almanac, searching for new punchlines. Understanding the streets are going to eat it up if they let Jay's version stand alone, Clue tells Budden that his baby's mother Angie is in the booth and she's there to reconcile. An elated Joe grabs a carton of Newport's and runs in the dark booth where he's locked in by two of his other partners, Webb and Nitti. Clue tells him its for his own good and he will not let him out until he retaliates against Jay over Pump It Up. Finally, realizing his career might be being fucked, Joe gets to work and it's officially "oin." An hour and 6 cigs back to back later (one every 10 minutes), Joe is let out of the booth after totally tearing the beat and Jay in half.

"Never hear your man say that I’m the Jordan of rap
he’s getting fatigued early and his scoring is lacking
legacy’s getting ruined and you don’t want that,
so pretty much, learn from him, don’t come back
…and you’re not that hot, don’t believe the yes men."



Initially pleased with the result, Clue is soon convinced by Skane to have Joe throw a disclaimer in the song to make it clear that he isn't officially going at Jay, because of scrutiny it would cause at the label, where Hov is a God. Skane wants a career post Pump It Up and Clue agrees. Fans see though the cig smoke and when released, Joe's Pump It Up remix quickly jumps into rotation with mixtapes and radio as they play both versions back to back until calls from Def Jam's hierarchy quickly halt those spins in favor of the album version. Fresh off Ether, Def Jam ain't having their cash cow risk this again. They just say the newer versions are taking attention away from the single.


How concerned...and convenient, after the fact.

Budden's self titled debut album is released in June of 2003 on the heels of another mixtape MC who successfully made the transition into artist with retail viability. Before "Interscope Jackson," was a diamond selling artist, he was merely the latest platinum rapper, trying to solidify his status in the world of music. At the same time, many people were curious to see if Joey would be the next 50.

Silently, Jay-Z was watching all of this. The Marcy product had been very much on edge since barely surviving the Napalm Bomb Nas dumped on his head on his birthday in December of '01. Because of Nas' natural resistance to be widely seen as the star that's always in the spotlight, Jay was able to quickly make his drones forget about the ••••• in his armor with a few Neptunes and Timbaland beats featured on his album, Blueprint 2. He was once again the top public dog. However, with what further intensified an already unstable relationship between Jay and his business partner Dame Dash, Jay made no attempts to deflate any of the air out of the 50 Cent balloon. Dame continuously told Jay that he had "already crushed money in half a bar," on a previous song and so was not a concern. Soon after the shit blows up in Dame and Jay's face as 50 becomes the hottest thing since the grits on Al Green's stove. Months after In Da Club had dropped, Fiddy's numbers continued to top the charts and he began to secure endorsement and clothing deals; things that took Jay years of hard work to crossover and get.

After learning the hard way, the pair of ROC CEO's vowed not to let such a thing happen again. The next guy with the potential to pop up and move units would be undermined. In the meantime, to damage control the money train that could no longer be derailed, Jay and Dame came up with a plan to do a joint tour with 50 and his G-Unit group that summer of '03. This was a way for Jay to seem like a comrade and not a competitor of 50's. But that was only part of the plan. While on the Roc Da Mic tour, Jay had many conversations with 50 informing him, now that he had made it, he had to maintain that status by not only continuing to make "hot records" but also taking care of the "next dude" who was coming for his spot. That next dude he continuously referred to was Joe Budden. Jay slowly began to convince 50 that Budden was throwing darts at him through mixtapes and interviews. He said the guy was priming himself for a Takeover of his own.

Per Jay's advice, 50 didn't move on Joe personally, but instead used a ploy Jay often used in battle, himself; sending one of his soldier's (ex. Bleek at Nas, Beans at Kiss, whole ROC roster at Jaz) into the battlefield, first...

Fresh off the Roc Da Mic tour, and at the urging of Jay-Z, 50 Cent concocts a scheme to lure Joe Budden into a situation that would divert Joe's attention away from promoting his album and instead focus on beef. Just as Joe's debut was starting to buzz, 50 openly makes comments to many in the media about how he isn't feeling the Budden album, mainly because it lacks street credibility (yeah, it was a while ago).



Joe jumps head first into what he thinks will be a battle with 50, surmising that he may be able to capitalize on beef with a top rapper, just as 50 had done with Ja Rule before he buried his ass only months earlier.

As Joe throws the first couple of jabs at 50, Curtis is ready to unleash his master plan, when he has what looks like a wrench thrown into it. Game, an upstart Compton rapper signed to 50's parent label Aftermath, had been making the mixtape rounds in New York a couple months prior. During his stay in the Big Apple, he's contacted by who else, but DJ Clue to cover a track on his new mixtape. When Game reaches the studio, only Clue and Desert Storm affiliated rapper Stack Bundles are there.

Jump to mid-2003 when the beef looks to be heating up with Joe and 50. Game is now a relevant artist, officially down with G-Unit. Clue sees a way to capitalize off the situation. He immediately takes the vocals that Game and Stack had done and adds a new verse of Joe spitting that subliminal butane at 50. When the mixtape makes the rounds at the NBA All Star Game in LA, 50 who had been smiling for the past eight months finds out and his teeth are visible no more. He immediately confronts a plea copping Game.

To make Game prove his allegiance to G-Unit, 50 directs him to go hard at Budden. Harder than Jerome Bettis on the goal line. Harder than Dr. Dre on a late 80's N.W.A. beat replying to Ice Cube. Harder than Tupac's phlegm on that camera lens...yes harder than Game himself whilst name dropping for over 50 minutes on a f**king album. Game does so, but Joe quickly returns fire at the Compton rapper momentarily, and then focuses on the person he thinks is behind everything, 50. Showing that he's smarter than he appears, Curtis remembers what happened after Ether and refuses to answer Joe directly.


Jay soon contacts 50 Cent and further presses him to take Budden out completely, but by this time the riff between Game and 50 had begun, after Fif is infuriated after a photo of Budden and Game apparently squashing the beef, pops up. Thinking his crew looks weak because of the move, Curtis' teeth aren't very visible for the second time in months. And so he doesn't have time for Jay's agenda, as he's experiencing his own damn problems. At this point, Joe has expended more energy on his beef with Game and 50 than promoting his album, during which time an "influential" force within the Def Jam family had been pushing the label to make Joe's second single a sub par song featuring remix emperor Busta Rhymes. The single is Fire (never EVER to be confused with FIYA) and it bricks --like both of Master P's left feet on Dancing With the Stars. All of a sudden Joe's bright career with Def Jam is now in danger of turning as Bleek as...well, you know.


In 2005, fresh off his newly appointed position as the President of Def Jam, Shawn Carter also known as Jay-Z, is quoted as saying his job now is to find that next rapper who's somewhere writing "some shit." It was now his job to do so, but Shawn had long since been looking for a successor to link himself to as the top commercial commodity in rap. Never being able to hand pick the successor for that spot with anyone on his Roc-A-Fella label without the initiation of Dame Dash (i.e. Kanye West and Cam'Ron, the only other platinum artists on the label, neither whom Jay didn't sign) had frustrated him.


As restructuring at Def Jam begins, Joe Budden is now thinking he may need to find a new home. L.A. Reid, who Joe greatly respects, ensures Joe that things will be different now, mainly based on a conversation he recently had with Carter. He tells Joey that Jay personally had told him he was referring to him as that next rapper, because he admired Joe for spitting back and scorching his eyebrows on the Pump It Up remix comeback. Joe, gushing because he's being told his favorite rapper was singing his praises like they were lines from a Biggie track, totally buys it and decides to stay with Def Jam.

Unaware of the real plot to bury the kid further than Jimmy Hoffa, an excited L.A. Reid calls up Corporate Jigga and informs him they've retained Budden. A more than satisfied Jay, exclaims "YES," as he hangs up the phone, lights up a fresh Cohiba and completes three full revolutions in his executive chair with his chancletas in the air.

Bewildered, DJ Clue throws his hands up in disgust when he finds out and--
Hold on, you think this shit is made up?

Lemme ask you something, reader. Why is it 2006 and Joe Budden, one of the most promising rappers on Def Jam hasn't even a release date for his next album?

"What's the big deal, he only went gold, you say?"
Oh, how soon we all forget about rappers who New York is still trying to find replacements for the likes of Nas and Jay-Z who released debuts that had an even rougher time getting out of the box than Joe's. Back in those days, the West Coast had a firm hold on the charts, today it's Down South. It would have been a damn shame if label execs would've just given up on those two guys because they weren't doing those Snoop Doggy Dogg Soundscan numbers, right?

"He's not that good of a rapper, you say?"
Well, that's subjective, but the fact remains that the guy went gold off year late promotion on his buzz and one single that was tampered with. You can't even seriously count that Fire single against him.

"Because he pushed the album back himself, you say?"
Did you just read what was written about Fire? Okay, now have you heard the single Def Jam pushed him to make, Gangsta Party featuring Nate Dogg? Well, if you haven't, go listen to it and then take into account that would have been his first single.

Furthermore, he really had no choice if you think about it. If you were in the guy's position and you witnessed how the president of your label had totally mishandled albums from artists on his own imprint (Memphis Bleek, Young Gunz, Teairra Mari), would you rush to press?

If you're looking for a conclusion here, there is none. All that can be said is that as of today, the only good thing about the fucked over career of Joe Budden is that he finally realizes what's going on and who's behind it all. You don't believe that either? Well, take a look at the proof puddin' from Joe Jumpoff himself, via Mood •••••, vol. 2, his recently released mixtape:

-from the track So Serious

Shouldn't be a question about your favorite rapper,
and my label got me questioning my favorite rapper.

-from the track Old School Mouse

Don't hear Reasonable Doubt the same no more,
I can't listen to Blueprint,
got a resentment toward Hov,
tryin' to hate on him,
throwin' in my two cents,
...C-4, why you tape that shit?
but that's how I feel, don't erase that shit.

[floatin_above_everything]

Didn't read the whole thing yet, but I can tell it's gonna be a sad read. Joey deserves his shine, fuck those mixtapes.

[NiCc_FrUm_ThA_nO]

Damn I remember this..good read

[Michael]

damn gd read man thanks!

[H. Chad]

the just blaze part of the saga doesnt make sense.......if clue stole the pump it up beat. u would think that just blaze wouldnt give him or allow him to use any other beats of his.......that fire song with busta was just blaze, as was another track on the album that i cant remember off the top of my head. but otherwise it was a good read

[Jome]

Why do I get the feeling that some enraged Buddens stan on SOHH forums wrote this.. ?