Joe Budden

At an early age hip-hop artist Joe Budden answered the call of his artistic destiny. This gifted wordsmith seemed to transition effortlessly from street ciphers, rap battles and local shows where he would rip the mic regularly, to the promising position of down to earth rap superstar. Using page and pen as his sounding boards, Joe used his gift of lyricism as therapy to push through the tough times. As a result of honing of his craft, he soon infiltrated the ears of many, and his ability started commanding the attention, recognition and studio time from various industry movers and shakers like DJ Cutmaster C, DJ Clue, DJ Kay Slay, J. Cardim and super producer Dub-B (aka White Boy). In 2003, Joe Budden released the first installment of what would become one of the premiere selling mixtapes series of all time entitled, Mood Musik: Worst of Joe Budden. With massive street notoriety, Joe Budden signed to Def Jam Records in that same year and released major hits from his self-titled album, such as the 2003 Grammy nominated hit “Pump It Up” in the category of Best Male Rap Solo Performance that catapulted him to international fame. A two time United Kingdom, MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Award nominee for the collaboration with Marques Houston on “Clubbin” and for Best Rap Performance, he has worked with such celebrated musical talent as hip-hop comrade Busta Rhymes, Kelly Rowland, Nelly, Jennifer Lopez, Omarion, Eminem, Ne-yo and Gnarls Barkley; positioning him as the go to artist for movie soundtrack inclusion for such blockbusters as 2 Fast 2 Furious, for which he is a 2004 Black Reel Award Nominee for Best Song from a Movie, Johnson Family Vacation, The Simpsons and Cradle to the Grave. In that same year, Joe secured a coveted spot as a morning show host on New York City’s Hot 97.7 WQHT. Winner of the 2003 Vibe Next Award, Joe went on to release consecutively the legendary and still unrivaled Mood Musik 2: Can It Get Any Worse? (2005), the critically acclaimed Mood Musik 3: For Better or For Worse (2007) and Mood Musik 3: The Album (2008). One of the most consistent artists to date, his matchless lyrical artistry continues to garner him worldwide respect and success in such places as Europe, Africa and Asia. Known as a purist, an intelligent artist, and a non-conformist, Joe Budden is a verbal straight shooter always keeping his musical storytelling honest and true to life; placing him in an elite league with other hip-hop artists such as Lupe Fiasco, Eminem, Nas and Jay-Z. With the rebirth of Joe Budden into the main stream he is set to make his highly anticipated re-grand entrance into the world of hip-hop by his signing with Slaughterhouse to Shady records coming off the heels of Padded Room and Escape Route (2009), with Mood Muzik 4 due out in fall 2010, followed by The Great Escape due in winter 2010, and talks of television and movie deals in the works along with additional branding ideas. Never one to forget where he came from, Joe Budden has two generations of musicality literally and lyrically coursing through his veins. This award winning writer, rapper and visionary, inherited his love of music from both his father and grandfather. Holding his love of family, friends and community close, Joe lends himself to causes that uplift, encourage and inspire youth, the incarcerated and the less fortunate by mentoring young people in detention centers and schools across the country. For Joe Budden inspiration comes daily and from any source. This transcendent, lyrical craftsman weaves real life experiences with the best of beats that conveys to any listener “music is what feelings sound like.”