Joe Budden is an American hip-hop artist who has a net worth of $6 million. Joe Budden first gained recognition for his 2003 single “Pump It Up” and as a member of the hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. Described as the “Howard Stern of Hip Hop,” he retired from rap in 2018 and found success as a broadcaster and the host of “The Joe Budden Podcast.”
Joe Budden was born on August 31, 1980, in Harlem, New York. He moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, at the age of 13 with his mother and older brother. Joe attended Lincoln High School and was a troubled youth. His father was absent from his life during his childhood, an issue Budden later addressed through his music. Due to his misbehavior, he was sent to Laurinburg Institute, a boarding school in North Carolina. It was there that he began to hone his skills as a rapper.
Joe began experimenting with drugs upon returning to Jersey City and developed an addiction to angel dust. Budden voluntarily checked into rehab when he was 17 years old following an emotional confrontation and soon became interested in freestyling. Joe did not end up finishing his diploma, and by the age of 20, he had fathered a child with an older woman. With a son on the way, Budden began taking his music seriously, and in 2001, he teamed up with the producer Dub-B, also known as White Boy, and began releasing mixtapes and demos.
One demo ended up in the hands of Hot 97 radio host and Desert Storm Records label head DJ Clue. Budden quickly became popular in the mixtape scene, and by 2002, he had secured a major deal with Def Jam Recordings. Joe first got noticed while he was promoting his single “Focus.” The song spent 17 weeks on the US “Billboard” Hot R&B chart and peaked at #43. Budden released his lead single, “Pump It Up,” on May 8, 2003, and it was an instant commercial success. In 2003, he released his self-titled debut album, which reached #1 on the US Rap chart and #2 on the US R&B chart and quickly gained popularity with “Pump It Up.” The single peaked at #38 on the US “Billboard” Hot 100 chart and #10 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Male Rap Solo Performance and was used in “2 Fast 2 Furious,” “Def Jam Vendetta,” and “Madden NFL 2004.” On June 10, 2003, he released his debut studio album “Joe Budden.” It debuted at #8 on the US Billboard 200 and sold 95,000 units in its first week. It went on to sell over 420,000 copies in the U.S. The second single off the album “Fire (Yes, Yes Y’all)” peaked at #18 on the US “Billboard” Hot R&B chart.
While he was with Def Jam, Joe released two mixtapes. He planned on a second album but suffered continuous delays and disagreements with Def Jam over the direction of the album. His second album was eventually shelved, and Budden was released from Def Jam. In December 2007, Joe signed a multi-album deal with Amalgam Digital.
After leaving Def Jam, he released several albums, including “The Album Before The Album” in 2007, “Mood Muzik 3: The Album” in 2008, and “Halfway House” in 2008. His 2009 album “Padded Room” reached #6 on the US Rap chart. Budden released the albums “Escape Route” in 2009 and “Mood Muzik 4: A Turn 4 the Worst” in 2010. Budden’s album “No Love Lost” was released in 2013 and reached #1 on both the US Rap and US R&B charts. He had success with the album “All Love Lost” in 2015, and his album “Rage & The Machine” in 2016 reached #1 on the US R&B chart. That album ended up being his last solo effort.
With the hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, Budden was also part of the albums “Slaughterhouse” in 2009 and “Welcome To Our House” in 2012, which reached #1 on the US Rap and US R&B charts and #2 on the Billboard 200 chart. The supergroup also includes Royce da 5’9″, Crooked I, and Joell Ortiz. Joe has collaborated with dozens of artists, including CeeLo Green, Eminem, and Busta Rhymes. He was also featured on the hit single “Clubbin” by Marques Houston featuring Pied Piper, as well as “Whatever U Want” by Christina Milian.
(Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images)
In April 2017, Budden began co-hosting “Everyday Struggle,” a daily morning show for the Complex network, alongside DJ Akademiks and Nadeska Alexis. In 2018, it was revealed that Joe had signed a deal with Revolt TV, which is owned by Sean “Diddy” Combs. Budden began creating and producing the talk show “State of the Culture,” which premiered in September 2018.
Around this time, he also started “The Joe Budden Podcast” and began touring with live performances throughout the United States. It was during this time that he officially announced his retirement from rap. In August 2018, Joe signed a deal to bring his podcast to Spotify and expand the show to a bi-weekly schedule, with new episodes airing every Wednesday and Saturday. He found success by bringing his podcast exclusively to Spotify, and the show became a go-to listen for hip-hop and rap culture enthusiasts. However, in August 2020, Budden announced he was leaving Spotify at the end of his contract and cited financial disagreements with the streaming service.
Joe has also appeared on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop” and has been featured in three documentaries, including “Hip Hop Babylon” and “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap.” He also appeared on “Couples Therapy” with Kaylin Garcia in 2015.
Budden has two children, Joseph Budden III (b. 2001) and Lexington, born in December 2017 to his then-fiance, model Cyn Santana. The two have since called off their engagement.
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