HOME MEDIA INTERVIEWS FEATURES RELEASE-DATES FORUM STORE THE-VAULT CONTACT
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
interview JOE BUDDEN  (February 2009) | Interview By: Nima Etminan

      
Dubcnn connected with Jersey City's own Joe Budden for an exclusive interview. In this conversation, Jumpoff tells us why it's important to him to stay in close contact with his fans through the internet and confirms that the Saigon beef is, indeed, over. The hot topic of the moment though is Slaughterhouse, the new super group consisting of himself, Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9 and Joell Ortiz. Joey tells us how the group got put together and what we can expect from it in future. We end off the interview with a few words about his upcoming solo album, "Padded Room" and his recent reunion with former rival The Game.


As always we have both the transcript and the audio for you to check and please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: nima@dubcnn.com
 
Interview was done in January 2009.

Questions Asked By :
Nima Etminan

Joe Budden Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Media:

Slaughterhouse - Move On (Remix)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Dubcnn: We're right here with Joe Budden! You're one of the artists who jumped on this internet stuff early and you've been keeping in touch heavily with your fan base through your Web TV station, tell us about that.

As an artist you just want to take advantage of every tool possible to get your music heard and connect with your audience. I tried to do that early on, it was something I was intrigued by, something I was fascinated with and it just so happens that now it's the latest craze in Hip-Hop! Everybody is jumping on the online bandwagon.


Dubcnn: The artist/fan relationship is taking a whole new turn, does being in personal contact with your listeners also have a negative side to it?

Not for me, there's nothing negative about it. I can only gain from being close to my fans. Like with anything, I'm sure there are some cons if I sat and thought really hard about it but it's not something that I focus on. I'm an optimistic person.


Dubcnn: Now I know that one of the hot topics of the last weeks was your verbal conflict with Saigon. I don't even wanna dwell on that too much cause everything that needs to be said has been said. Just getting your confirmation, is the battle over?


Yes it's over.


Dubcnn: Ok now let's move on to what everybody SHOULD be talking about: Slaughterhouse. That's you, Joe Budden, Royce Da 5'9, Joell Ortiz and Crooked I. First of all tell us how this group got founded.


I had a digital release that came out in October called "Halfway House". We did a record on there titled "Slaughterhouse", featuring the four of us. We were all fans of each other, then the record came out so crazy, the energy was so beautiful, it was something that we needed in Hip-Hop and it was just something that we wanted to continue. As fans of the game, we felt that way, so we could only imagine how other fans felt. It's a great collective.


Dubcnn: When did you first hear about Crooked I and what made you wanna work with him?

I heard about Crooked years ago, and he's talented man. I've been a fan for a long time and I'm honored to have him as an addition to this group. He's been nothing but positive, nothing but a pleasure to work with and I can't say enough great things about him.


Dubcnn: We all saw the footage of the group in the studio when you put it out, but describe the chemistry between you four, how do you push each other to keep writing better lines?

When you got four MC's of that magnitude, I think that alone pushes all of us to put our best into it and create the best possible product that we can. The chemistry is great, the cohesiveness is there, the comradery. Like I said man, this is not something that was just put together for the sake of putting it together and getting a buck. I don't think that was any of our concerns. It was more so about just creating great, great music. As a group, we all are each others peers, no one is below or higher than anyone else, we kind of form like Voltron and just do the damn thing!


Dubcnn: We've heard three Slaughterhouse tracks so far, when do you think we can expect something new to drop?


Very soon, very very very soon. In February.


Dubcnn: How realistic is the thought of a Slaughterhouse album in stores this year?

No that's not realistic. That's not realistic at all to expect a Slaughterhouse album this year. Not at all. We all have solo projects coming, I got my album dropping February 24th, Royce is coming in April/May, Joell Ortiz is coming July/August and Crooked is coming shortly. We all are solo artists at the end of the day so we all got individual careers that we need to take care of. After that, we can all get together and knock this album out. But, in the meantime, you will continue to hear Slaughterhouse records.


Dubcnn: Is commercial success even something you'd try to achieve with a Slaughterhouse project or is that irrelevant?


No, that's irrelevant, we could care less. Either roll with us or get rolled over. This is not a commercial mega team.


Dubcnn: You recently had your first Slaughterhouse show in NYC, what went wrong with the live stream that was supposed to be available online?

I have no idea, I didn't even find out that there was a problem until the next day. I was more concerned with just putting a great show together for the people that were there, the people that attended, and I think we accomplished that. Everyone loved it and we loved it! We really enjoyed ourselves. It was an exciting moment for Hip-Hop, everyone that was there went crazy, they enjoyed it, we enjoyed it, I enjoyed putting it together. I think there's nothing wrong with organized chaos, and I think that's what it was. It was real chaotic and a very good moment for Hip-Hop.


Dubcnn: Could you imagine doing the group with anybody else or adding anybody else to it?

Not at the moment. The group is so young as it is, it's just something we just started, we're only three records in, or three records that we've released anyway. So no, I think we're focusing on us right now.


Dubcnn: You recently reunited with The Game, who you had a beef with years ago. You released the track "The Future", tell us how that came together.


It was circumstances, something that just happened. That beef was ages ago and I think that we've both grown and matured and realized it was something petty and childish. We put it behind us, got together and made a record!


Dubcnn: You said your album is dropping February 24th. Can we expect a difference from your mixtape work to this album or is that gonna be in the same vein?


No, no difference. The mixtape work, the retail album it's all great, I just try to make great music and release it for the people who appreciate it. *laughs*


Dubcnn: What excites you about Hip-Hop in 2009?


Slaughterhouse excited me in 2009. Padded Room, Joe Budden album excited me in 2009. That's all I'm concerned with, that's all I'm focused on, I'm not really gonna pay too much attention to what everyone else is doing and how they're doing it. I wanna focus it purely on something I have control over, which is myself.
 

 

..........................................................................................

Joe Budden Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here
..........................................................................................

 

Enter Your Email Address
To Receive Our
Free Newsletter!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DESIGN BY LIL JAY