@WallychampCivil Interview: Joe Budden Talks ‘Rage & The Machine’ Album and More
If you think of Joe Budden and don’t immediately associate it with sharp lyrics, it’s time to adjust your focus. The East Coast emcee has always and will forever be about developing quality music because that’s where his heart is. Music has kept Joe Budden respected for more than a decade, created a forum for him to share his story, be creative and introspective and proven to be successful in spreading wings to other ventures like his popular I’ll Name This Podcast Later podcast among others. But no matter the road taken, Budden knows his role in rap and is excelling at giving the blueprint of how to gracefully mature in what many would consider a young man’s game.
Heading into his sixth studio album, Rage & The Machine, Joe Budden is leaving behind the headlines of the summer and providing his fans a new experience, just as he did in his start. “In 2001, 2002 and 2003, I was maybe the first or one of the first to begin and start a lot of things and experiment with different sounds and a different way to address music from an introspection standpoint,” Joe shared. “From there I see an entire wave of people who have made an entire career from being weird, or different, just not the norm. Depending on how you look at it, I like to think I’m largely responsible for that.”
Introspection is evident within Rage, but so is comfort with his style and age in hip-hop, experimentation with concepts and more. With Rage & The Machine available October 21, Joe shared thoughts on the creation of the album, his interesting summer, his craft in comparison to the landscape of hip-hop and more. – Shawn Grant
You had a hot summer, how did that help you gear up for this fall run?
Joe Budden: I’m not sure that it did. I’m not sure that much of my hot summer was planned. The album was done prior to me engaging in my lyrical warfare. When you are a veteran like this you get used to the album run, the promo and the beef records. I was well prepared for that exchange.
That exchange, how tired are you of hearing about it?
Joe Budden: It’s cooled down now. I’m grateful for that. It gets repetitive when you continue to talk about the same exact thing but understandably so. That was a high profile person I was talking to. I’m glad we were able to phase out of that and focus where it belongs, on this music. Again, this was done before that. I have been itching for the fans to hear this for a long time.
Hopping into that project, Rage & the Machine, I listened to your podcast and you were going to do a name change and then your manager said no, what sparked the name change?
Joe Budden: I wanted to go in a new direction. I wanted to try some new things and this was before I ever stepped into the studio, before we started recording music and I had no idea what sound the music would be going in. I felt like it was deserving of its own identity as a whole rather than just be attached with my name and what some of the people think when they hear my name. When you hear Joe Budden you think of content, introspection, certain moods. With this album, especially with araab providing all of the sounds, I didn’t want anyone to get preconceived notions about it.
What helped in the transition from a name change to an album title?
Joe Budden: Even when I planned on doing the name change that was going to be the album title as well. It would be Rage & the Machine Part 1, then Part 2. Just like a new series.
In the album Joe fans will get what they want, you get bars. In today’s climate do you feel you have a responsibility to provide that?
Joe Budden: I have to be. The people who pride themselves on penmanship, we all are responsible for that because we have to remain ourselves. The rappers will always be able to rap and there will always be an audience for rap music. 10 years from now, 20 years from now, we will always want to hear the guy who raps well. As far as what’s trendy and dope at the moment, I’m not sure how long that will be around. But there will always be an audience for lyrics.
When you pop in the album and hear a track like “Uncle Joe”, you spitting, but the narrative is your age. Is that a struggle for artists?
Joe Budden: It’s a struggle if you struggle with it. I have done nothing but embrace it. I embrace the wisdom and experience that comes with it and being around for some of the historical moments that some of the younger people missed. Now if you are aging and you are unsure of yourself, unsure of your talent and your life isn’t necessarily where you like it to be, I can see how aging would become a problem [laughs]. I’ve been fortunate enough not to go through that. Throughout the album you can hear that age being worn like a badge of honor. There is a lot of references to all the people who influence me that a lot of people, younger people, may not have heard of. There is a 3rd Bass reference on the album so I clearly went back and was talking to the people who have experience in the industry as well.
On that track you got a bar, “I ain’t with the kiddie shyt, I turn up but I like the Biggie shyt.” I know a lot of people draw of inspiration when recording. Do you feel that it’s hard to create when there is a lot of basic bars floating around?
Joe Budden: No, not necessarily. I believe there is a time and place for everything. Sometime when I’m in a lounge a DJ will throw on one of my mixtape cuts as a sign of respect when I’m in the building. In my head I’m like I don’t want to hear that shyt. I want to hear Future, I want to hear something else. So what people may call lower quality music is music of a higher quality dependent on where you are. To each its own. I don’t think it’s difficult to maintain that edge or that level of penmanship because a large part of the climate focuses elsewhere.
You spoke on araabMUZIK being behind the production. How you decide to link with him?
Joe Budden: araab was on my last project, countless mixtapes of mine, every Slaughterhouse project, so he’s someone I already had an amazing rapport with and a good chemistry as far as sound went and working with someone. We basically lived together for however many months and that creative energy was just so amazing to feel between the two of us. I documented most of it because I’m such a big fan of his. So the fact that we agreed and could execute and had an amazing time doing so is priceless.
Hopping back into the album you got “By Law” and it’s Joe, you going to be a real nikka and you going to do it your way. How hard has it been overtime not to compromise who you are?
Joe Budden: Not hard for me but I’m hard headed and accustomed to doing things a certain way, maybe to my detriment at times. Character is still important to me. Morality is still important to me. When I say “real nikka” that’s relative and everybody’s interpretation is different, but I’m speaking on someone who is so true to themselves, self-aware and looking to improve on a day to day basis.
On that track you got Jazzy, I know she did some Summertime Shootout joints with Fabolous and she got a nice sound to her. How did y’all two link up?
Joe Budden: She’s from Patterson [New Jersey]. Where I was recording wasn’t too far from Patterson. I heard her work with Fab, I had an idea and I was looking for a certain voice style, a particular sound. She came to the studio and she killed it. She came through with her people, we had a great time, she’s extremely talented and she’s got some great stuff about to happen with her. I’m glad she came through.
Where there any other reasons or links that made you pick who else on the album?
Joe Budden: No, I did the “Flex” record with Tory [Lanez] and Fab. Tory, I’m a huge fan of him and have been for quite some time so it was great to be able work with him. I was ushered into this industry with Fab, so I’m going to always rap with Fab. That’s my guy and I’m a fan of everything he has accomplished. Joell Ortiz is on there but he’s home team, that’s family. Stacy Barthe is on there, she’s another one I have been a fan of for a really long time and she’s on “I Wanna Know.” I kept it to a minimum. Always.
What’s your favorite on the album and why?
Joe Budden: “I Wanna Know” is really strong for me. “I Gotta Ask” is really strong for me. “Three” is really strong. “Idols” is really strong. “Uncle Joe” is a favorite of mine. “By Law” was my favorite depending on what mood I’m in. The album has a different vibe to it and different bop to it than any Joe Budden album has had to it in years. Some people say over ten years. My last album had a certain sound and feel and this album I wanted to get my head nod a little bit, get that old New York, last decade, 90s-esque bop. So it depends on how I feel when I wake up. This morning I woke up and played the whole album through about four times.
If you can do that it means you love it.
Joe Budden: Yeah, I love it. It’s like picking my favorite kid to figure out which song is my favorite. Hopefully the fans have just as tough time deciding as I did.
For the fans, are more “Ordinary Love shyts” coming?
Joe Budden: Oh, I hope not. I certainly hope not, man. When them shyts come – cause they so honest and vivid and from such a real place that when one of them comes we’ve drawn some inspiration probably from some romantic turmoil.
Nah let’s stay away from those. I like you with Cyn [Santana].
Joe Budden: Yeah I like it too. We having a good time and I don’t want to have to diss my baby, we good [laughs].
You hitting a tour soon right?
Joe Budden: Yeah, we getting ready to hit the road. 25-30 different cities in the next month. The New York show is the 22nd, a Saturday, the day after the album comes out. I can’t wait to feel that energy.
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