Customer Reviews

Joe Budden

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Joe Budden was on the underground scene for a minute. I first heard him on what is now known as the track "Focus" on a mixed tape. Then I heard Joe, Fabolous and Paul Cain on a freestyle using the Clipse's "Grindin" beat. Joe definitely displayed that he had potential but I was interested in hearing what a full CD from Joe would sound like. I must say that for the most part he has a nice CD. The self titled CD starts off with a pretty good intro and on Track 2, "#1", Joe Budden uses the famous KRS ONE sample from "I'm Still #1" to reminisce on things that used to happen back in the day. His clever wordplay will get you from the jump. The 1st official single "Pump It Up" is produced by Just Blaze and is the perfect club banger. Just uses the same sample that A Tribe Called Quest used for the classic "Scenario (Remix)". Joe has a fast paced rhyme style and the track is definitely one of the hottest in the Summer of 2003. "Fire" featuring Busta Rhymes follows the same blueprint and more than likely will be the 2nd single. "Fire" is also produced by Just Blaze. However, Joe may want to be careful because your guest artist isn't suuposed to outshine you on your own track. "Ma Ma Ma" featuring 112 is another attempt at commercial appeal but the song is real catchy. Even if you don't like the song at first listen, the song will grow on you after awhile. The best thing about Joe Budden's debut in my opinion is that he is not afraid to talk about personal issues that are or were going on in his life. Instead of following the norm of just talking about money, women and glorifying violence, Joe Budden is actually talking about something worthwile on his debut. The perfect example is this CD's best track "10 Minutes". Over a nice track, Joe is able to talk about several different issues going on in his life and keeps you interested at the same time. And yes, the track is actually ten minutes long and not boring. This song alone may be worth the price of the CD. On "Calm Down", Joe talks about things that have gone on between him and his mom. He doesn't leave anything out even talking about issues with street life, drugs and depression. On songs like these, Joe displays why he is in the game. Joe also shows why he is popular on the mixtapes with songs like "U Ain't Gotta Go Home", "Pusha Man", and the aforementioned "Focus". Of course every debut isn't going to be all gravy though. The two bonus tracks, "Real Life In Rap" and "Porno Star" are totally unnecessary and could have been left in the studio. "Walk With Me" is a pretty decent song as Joe talks about issues with his child's mother but you can't help to think DMX as you listen to the song. Then we also have the Lil Mo collaboration, "She Wanna Know". It seems as if Lil Mo & Nate Dogg are the two we must have a song with people for rappers now. Lil Mo has skills but this song doesn't work for me. You just think of Lil Mo and Ja Rule's "Put It On Me", which isn't a good thing. Joe Budden's debut CD displays the kind of potential that Joe has and he will be in the game for awhile if he perfects his craft. He has a nice producer in White Boy and since he is on Def Jam, Just Blaze and Kanye West aren't too far away. If you are a hip hop fan that wants to have a taste of the new flavor of hip hop, then this is the CD for you.

James' Top 5

1) 10 Minutes
2) Calm Down
3) Pump It Up
4) U Ain't Gotta Go Home
5) Pusha Man

Ok I know people are just dazzed with 5o cent mania but fact is Joe Budden is more versatile. If you listen to 5o cent in his cd he blows peoples brains 547 times not to mention how many people he kills. But I ain't hating cause 5o's style is maybe the best out right know. But bottom line JOe Buedden's cd has club tracks,emotional tracks & real tracks. Joe doesn't talk about ice or money but rather his life and the facts about hip hop actor's(wankstas). Joe doesn't say hes a gansta but rather that some real ones dislike him. I know people won't like him cause he doesn't have Dr. DRe Or Eminem by his side( rather the very annoying Dj Clue who in my mine ruins every song he talks over in). But to be honest put fabolous style(minus the iced out money having flows), Eminems rhyme material( his life problems with his parents, his exwife and his ex drug adiction)and 5o cent'scome from nothing but the underground ayenda and you got Joe Budden maybe one of the top 5 hip hop artist in the present. Give this Guy a chance you won't regret it and you'll love the fact that you don't have to skip a track in his cd.

Joe Budden's self titled debut album is a solid release from one of hiphops up and coming MCs. Seventeen tracks total including the the intro in which Budden shows his hunger for the game and starts off album on a fast paced note. "Pump It Up" the albums lead single has blown up on the radio, I like the way Budden changes up his tones on this one and the Just Blaze beat. My favourite track at the moment is a banging track called "Walk with Me" in which Buddens talks about his life, and how people changed up on him when he made it with Def Jam. "She Wanna Know" feat. Lil Mo is a nice R & B collabo an upbeat sounding collab track about love, Lil Mo comes across nicely on the hook. "Ma Ma Ma" feat. 112 is a track for the ladies, "Calm Down" is a track dedicated to Budden's Mom. "Stand up Nucca" is a powerful dedication to the hood, and to all those people struggling to make it, a blazing track. "10 Mins." is a continous track in which Buddens, kept this listner entertained for ten minutes, which is a feat in itself, this track has grown on me the more I listen to it. This is followed by two alright bonus tracks that finish off "Joe Budden". Both are okay, though I think "10mins" is the best closer. There are some songs I skip on this joint, but its the same with majority of albums out. What I like about this, is Joe Budden comes across hungry and energetic and drops tracks that will blow up on the radio, the clubs, as well as having music for hiphop heads and the average consumer alike. Is this album great, will people be listening to it years from now? probably not. Right now however it is one of this summers nicest albums, an album definetly worth checking out.

This album has brung hip hop back to the way it was. Fill of life experience and pain, Joe Budden has expressed himself deeply. Tracks like "calm down" "walk wit' me" "10 min." are the struggles he goes thru/been thru. Tracks like "focus" "pump it up" "fire" are strictly for the clubs. He's bringing you the best work right now. Hot club songs, real/pain music. Summer bangers... whoa! "Ma Ma Ma" and "She Wanna Know" are off the chain! Can't forget "#1" where he brung it back to the good ol' days. The kid is only 22 and been thru so much. Best in his age bracket. Streets #1 Draft Pick! It's time Jersey came back... he's doing the thing for JERSEY CITY!

it is so difficult to convince someone that joe budden is for real because of "pump it up". But he's the realest out right now, and his rhyming structure is miles ahead of anyone, with the exception of Jay-z, who i believe is still a lil overrated.

On the mixtape scene, Joe budden's verses are so great cause they have clever metaphors (not stupid ones that the industry is force feeding you through Gunit), the multis are on-point, his charisma shines, and his popculture references make you "rewind that". Everytime you listen to a good budden freestyle, you catch a new pun or rhyme that you never heard before and you smile cause you 'got it' this time.

On to the album. I got it after i heard his mixtape clever stuff, particularly his NBA song, and was expecting a lot of that. Don't.

The album is a completely different part of Budden which you have to come to appreciate. It took me multiple listens, and many extended breaks, to come to love this album. At first, you think this guy is just talking about "real life" as a fresh gimmick, but then you come to realize that he IS for real, and he's just a normal person like you and me with problems. You can somehow to relate to most of his songs. A lot of the tracks are chill-music, so you gotta be in the mood.

At first I didn't like the idea of having a "little of everything" on the CD. I thought that if you have a little of everything, any given person will only like a little bit of the album. People are right when they say there's a lil gangster, a little introspective, a little girl rap, and a little party rap. But he's good at all of it (with the exception of girl rap, which sounds so forced, and according to his message boards he hates doing it, but it sells).

Focus is a song that you might think is boring at first, but then you come to appreciate the simplicity of it, and how hardcore the bass is when you play it loud. Trust me, this is a classic track, just give it a couple listens.

Fire I always thought was a banger, not much to it, but it really should have been a more popular single. (it was in the halloween party scene in Mean Girls, in case you didn't know)

10 Mins is great, just listen to it when you're stressed out and drown out everything else.

Stand up Nucca is sick, cause it's one verse with a chorus at the end, but you never get bored. The thing is, Budden tells a story with lyrics that happen to rhyme, whereas other rappers only pick lyrics that rhyme. Just listen to Stand up Nucca, he's so sincere, and its great fight music.

I didn't really like #1 that much, aint gotta go home, ma ma ma, or calm down. But the rest makes up for it definately.

Pusha Man is grimy, just really cool, he sorta changes his voice.

I personally think Real Life in Rap is a sick song, but everyone seems to hate on it. Yeah, the chorus is sorta annoying, but damn, just listen to the verses. They're so witty/real.

Look out for the Growth in June 2005. He's comin hard on this one, becuase this time he might have some decent publicity from Roc-4-life.

its a good band; however, i was only happy with a few songs. a little bit disappointed and wasn't what i expected.

Look. Most rappers out there hide behind beats and marketing. This man has been through a lot (Def Jam). He raps with emotions and is on the list of top artist of all time. Dont believe me you tube these words with "Joe Budden":"Mettallica," "Broken Wings," "Whatever it takes" and so on. Buy Mood Music albums, you wont be dissapointed. Buy Padded Room in February 2009.

This Cd is hott ! It's overlooked and he is overlooked by many. He is one of hip hops best and for some damn reason this is the only albulm to drop? Can't wait to get another offictial cd out of him. Dude is sick this is a must have CD.

Joe Budden's debut album was one of the biggest commercially slept on albums of 2003. The first time I heard Joe Budden was on a bunch of DJ Clue mixtapes in 2001/2002 along with Fabolous and Paul Cain. Joey did have a flow, and back then I couldn't wait for him to come out with an album. He finally came out with a album with his song "Pump It Up".

Joe had energy throughout this album and would rhyme about events in his life. Many songs like "Walk With Me" have very emotional touches as Joe explains how he feels. Along with that he would aim at other rappers who rhyme about events that they never been through before on songs like "Pusha Man" and "Real Life & Rap". "Pusha Man" would have rhymes like "People used to think of jail like it was school//now new jack spit about jail like it's cool..." And the song about him being raised by his mother on the song "Calm Down".

Unfortunately he will be known for his one hit wonder "Pump It Up". He had a second single called "Fire" with Busta Rhymes, but that didn't receive much buzz. The song "Focus" was a highly anticipated song that appeared on many mixtapes, and I'm suprised that it wasn't scrapped on the final cut. But the song is dope though.

There are a few problems with this album though. There are many flat falling tracks on here, like the song with Lil Mo on "I Wanna Know" that sounds a little too soft. And times on this album, people may think he complains too much. Especially if he does it for about "10 Minutes" (literally), making it a huge filler. Also the bonus track "Porno Star" at the end of the CD sounds out of place on this album.

Other than that Joe Budden's debut was pretty hot. I'm suprised that a lot of people slept on this back in 2003. Joey has rhyme skills to prove that he can carry an entire album, so I don't see why people are bashing him. Give it a few spins and you'll possibly like it. I did and I enjoyed this one.

Lyrics: B+

Production: B+

Guest Appearances: A-

Musical Vibes: A-

Overall: B+

Favorite Tracks: Intro, #1, Pump It Up, Pusha Man, Walk With Me, Survivor, Fire, Ma Ma Ma, Calm Down, Focus, Real Life In Rap

Chandler Infamous, and I'm out Peace!

Joe Budden's self titled debut is all I needed to call him one of my favorite rappers. He stands out from the hip hop crowd. I love this little things he does to his sexy voice, like the way he drags it, it's creative. It also separates him from some of these other average/lame rappers, because remember...EVERYONE WANTS TO RAP NOWADAYS. He talks about some deep issues, as well as the usual drugs, sex, material things and money. But, he does not base his album on those subjects, like most. So why 3 stars and not 5? Well, Joe's production strays on the pop side, something that should not occur continuously on a rap album. Also, he has some really nice songs on here, but he also has a few fillers, something that should be expected on a RAP album with 17 tracks and one or two interludes. Why these rap artists insist on creating albums with such hefty track listings is beyond me,,,

"Pump It Up" was the song that introduced Joseph Budden to the world. Music audience enjoyed the song and were now on to Joe. I like this song but I don't feel that it is an album highlight, well, it is lyrically, but as a whole, nah. While many album intros are weird, annoying or just flat out lame, Joe does his thing! I love his intro. He's introducing his beautiful self to the world lyrically, and does a fine job. "She Wanna Know" is a nice song, but Budden sound a little too much like Ja Rule in the song. "Calm Down" is a slower tempo song about parts of Joe's life. He gets pretty deep with his listener, and most would want to take a second listen. "Walk With Me" is on the same line as "Calm Down", both being slower songs, and both being about the life of "Mouse" (Budden's nickname is Mouse because when he gets angry, his voice squeaks).

"Pusha Man", "Stand Up Nucca" and "Give Me Reason" are some of the more lame tracks on the album, though still listenable.

Overall, this is a strong debut. It's one of my favorite hip hop CDs and I recommend it to anyone interested!

Mikeisha's Top 5

1. Walk With Me

2. Fire

3. She Wanna Know

4. Porno Star

5. Pump It Up