Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Spin	[2]
HipHopDX	[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
RapReviews.com	[5]

Joe Budden is the self-titled debut album of rapper Joe Budden. It was released on June 10, 2003. Its hit single "Pump It Up" was featured in 2 Fast 2 Furious, You Got Served and Madden NFL 2004, and reached #38 in the U.S. and #13 in the UK. "Focus" was featured in Def Jam Vendetta. The album's second single, "Fire", was released in 2004 and was featured in during the party scene in the movie Mean Girls. "Walk with Me" was featured as the ending song for Def Jam: Fight for NY. Budden was a playable character in both games.

Note: All tracks produced by White Boy (and the bonus tracks) except where noted

Track listing[link]

1. "Intro"
2. "#1"
3. "Pump It Up"
4. "Pusha Man"
5. "U Ain't Gotta Go Home"
6. "Walk With Me"
7. "She Wanna Know" feat. Lil' Mo
8. "Survivor"
9. "Fire" feat. Busta Rhymes
10. "Ma Ma Ma" feat. 112
11. "Calm Down"
12. "Focus"
13. "Give Me Reason"
14. "Stand Up Nucca"
15. "10 Minutes"
16. "Real Life in Rap"
17. "Porno Star"

Chart[link]

• Billboard 200 - 8
• Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums - 2
• Rap Albums - 1

Samples and interpolations[link]

Production[link]

• White Boy - 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
• Just Blaze - 3, 9, 13
• Lofey - 15
• White Boy also produced the bonus tracks

References[link]

Joe Budden
Joe Budden performing live at Rialto Theater in Tucson, AZ (April 11, 2012).
Background information
Birth name	Joseph Anthony Budden II
Born	(1980-08-31) August 31, 1980 (age 31)
Origin	Jersey City, New Jersey
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper
Years active	2002 – present
Labels	Def Jam, Desert Storm, Amalgam Digital, E1, Shady Records
Associated acts	Slaughterhouse, Emanny
Website	www.joebuddentv.com

Joe Budden (born August 31, 1980) is an American rapper from Jersey City, New Jersey.

Career[link]

In the year 2003, Budden released his debut solo studio album, Joe Budden. It included Budden's 2003 Grammy-nominated summer hit "Pump It Up", and was also featured in the soundtrack for the movie 2 Fast 2 Furious and the video games Def Jam Vendetta, Def Jam Fight for NY, and Madden NFL 2004. The song "Focus" was also featured in the game and Joe Budden was also a character. Its second single was "Fire" featuring Busta Rhymes, which was in the movie Mean Girls. The song "Drop Drop" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Cradle 2 the Grave. Joe has hinted in many songs that he was a recovering drug addict and has reaffirmed his position several times through multiple outlets.

After his debut album, Budden's sophomore release titled ‘The Growth’ was hampered due to the label's problems with Joe and his Def Jam seniors not happy with the direction of his music. The production of the album appeared to end up in a development hell and was ultimately not released. Continued disagreements between Budden and Def Jam forced the two sides to part ways.^[1] However, Budden managed to release the first and second installments of his Mood Muzik mixtape series while on Def Jam, and the series has been met with critical acclaim.^[2]

In December 2007 Budden signed a multi-album deal with Amalgam Digital and released his independent debut Padded Room as well as Mood Muzik 3: The Album, Halfway House, and Escape Route.

Joe Budden reached out to Crooked I, Royce da 5'9", Joell Ortiz and Nino Bless for a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on one of his Amalgam Digital releases, Halfway House.^[3] Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a group, minus Nino Bless, and named it after the first song they made together.^[3] They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, leading up to their self-titled album, which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009.^[4] The album features production from Alchemist, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, Streetrunner, plus guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, K. Young, and The New Royales.^[5] The group signed with Shady Records on January 12, 2011.^[6]

Personal life[link]

Budden has a son from a previous relationship.^[7] In 2010, he was wanted by New Jersey police in relation to unpaid child support payments.^[8]

Budden has also been in the spotlight for his numerous controversies with other rappers including Grafh, Jay-Z, Game, Prodigy, Canibus, Maino, G-Unit, Saigon, J-Hood, Busta Rhymes, Sky Highh, Ransom, MoeRoc and an incident involving several members of the Wu-Tang Clan^[9]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 2003: Joe Budden
• 2008: Halfway House
• 2009: Padded Room
• 2009: Escape Route
• TBA: The Great Escape

Collaboration albums[link]

• 2009: Slaughterhouse (with Slaughterhouse)
• 2011: Slaughterhouse EP (with Slaughterhouse)
• 2012: Welcome to: Our House (with Slaughterhouse)

Mixtapes[link]

• 2004: Mood Muzik: The Worst of Joe Budden
• 2006: Mood Muzik 2: Can It Get Any Worse?
• 2007: Mood Muzik 3: For Better or for Worse
• 2010: Mood Muzik 4: A Turn 4 The Worst
• 2011: Mood Muzik 4.5: The Worst Is Yet To Come

Awards and nominations[link]

• Grammy Awards
  • 2004, Best Male Rap Solo Performance: "Pump It Up" (nominated).

• Other awards
  • 2003 Vibe Next Award (winner).
  • United Kingdom, MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Award for "Clubbin" with Marques Houston (nominated).
  • United Kingdom, MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Award for Best Rap Performance (nominated).
  • 2004 Black Reel Award for Best Song from a Movie for "Pump It Up" in 2 Fast 2 Furious (nominated).

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Joe Budden on Twitter
• Joe Budden on Myspace

Joell Ortiz (born July 6, 1978) is an American independent rapper from Brooklyn, New York, and a member of the group Slaughterhouse.

Biography[link]

Joell Ortiz was born to Puerto Rican parents. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label. He was featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of The Source Magazine and was also selected as Chairman's Choice in XXL Magazine. During the same time Joell also went on to win the 2004 EA Sports Battle which earned his song Mean Business a spot on the NBA Live 2005 soundtrack. The same year he was offered a contract to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label. The deal quickly went sour which caused Joell to start beef with Jermaine. Joell has since collaborated with KRS-One and Kool G. Rap. Joell released his street album called "The Brick: Bodega Chronicles" April 24, 2007, on Koch Records. The album was recorded while Joell was trying to get signed and going through some tough times personally. Even though he was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, Dr. Dre allowed him to release the street album on Koch Records. The Brick features productions from Showbiz, The Alchemist, Domingo, Ho Chi from Killahertz Productions, Lil' Fame of M.O.P., Novel, and Moss, among others. Guest spots include Big Daddy Kane, Styles P, Big Noyd, M.O.P, Akon, Immortal Technique, Grafh, Ras Kass, Stimuli, and Novel. Joell Ortiz is 1/4 of supergroup Slaughterhouse who released their highly anticipated Slaughterhouse EP on February 8, 2011. The group are also releasing their highly anticipated second studio album "Welcome To: Our House" in late June.

Music career[link]

The Brick (Bodega Chronicles)[link]

Though signed to Aftermath, Ortiz released an album titled The Brick (Bodega Chronicles) April 24, 2007 on Koch Records.^[1] The Brick features production by Showbiz, Street Radio, and The Alchemist, among others. Guest artists include rappers Big Daddy Kane, Styles P, Big Noyd, Akon, Immortal Technique, Grafh, and Ras Kass.^[2][3]

Ortiz performing in Amager Bio, Denmark in 2007.

Departure from Aftermath and joining Slaughterhouse[link]

Ortiz parted ways with Aftermath Entertainment on April 15, 2008.^[4]

Joe Budden reached out to Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Nino Bless for a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on his digital release, Halfway House.^[5] Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a super-group, minus Nino Bless, and named it after the first song they made together.^[5] They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, building a buzz for their self-titled album which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009.^[6] The album features production from Alchemist, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, Streetrunner, plus guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, K-Young, and The New Royales.^[7] In 2010 the group signed to Shady Records and left E1 Entertainment.^[8]

A remix of Joell Ortiz' "Hip Hop" featuring Jadakiss and Saigon appeared on a fictitious urban radio station in the popular video game GTA IV.

[edit] Free Agent and new labelr

Ortiz started to have problems with E1 Entertainment and after almost a year, Ortiz left the label on November 5, 2010.^[9][10] In August 2010 Ortiz was in talks, about signing a deal with Steve Rifkind's label SRC Records. However the deal was never finished.

In an October 31, 2010, interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, Ortiz discussed his relationship with Eminem and the flood of record labels that have flocked to sign him after his Free Agent album is released. He also spoke of Eminem's excitement at working with him.^[11]

In 2011, Ortiz became an unsigned independent artist, after failing to sign with SRC Records.

During Slaughterhouse 2012 tour, the group stopped in Las Vegas, Nevada at Bootleg Kev's radio show, where they talked about their upcoming album Welcome to: Our House, their work with Eminem, and was revealed that Ortiz is now signed to Shady Records as a solo act.^[12]

Controversy[link]

Following the release of his 2011 song "Big Pun Back", Ortiz received criticism from Liza Rios (Pun's widow) along with Tony Sunshine and Cuban Link of Terror Squad, claiming the song was "disrespectful" to the late rapper's memory. Ortiz claims the song was meant to be a tribute, and later Fat Joe spoke up in his defense.^[13]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link] Year Title Peak chart positions US US R&B US Rap US Heat US Ind 2007 The Brick: Bodega Chronicles Released: April 24, 2007 Label: E1 Music — 49 23 16 40 2011 Free Agent Released: February 22, 2011 Label: E1 Music 173 33 15 2 22 2012 Yaowa[14] Released: TBA, 2012 Label: E1 Music TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA EP's[link] 2010: Farewell Summer EP Collaboration albums[link] 2009: Slaughterhouse (with Slaughterhouse) 2011: Slaughterhouse EP (with Slaughterhouse) 2012: Welcome to: Our House (with Slaughterhouse) Mixtapes[link] 2007: Who The F*@k Is Joell Ortiz? (Hosted Big Mike) 2009: Joell Ortiz Covers the Classics 2009: Road Kill 2010: Defying The Predictable (with Novel) 2010: Me, Myself, & I 2010: Pre-Agent 2010: Project Boy 2010: Me, Myself & I (Part 2) 2011: Me, Myself & I (Part 3) TBA: The Life and Times of Sebastian Rios Singles[link] Year Song Chart positions Album U.S. U.S. R&B U.S. Rap 2007 "Hip Hop" — — — The Brick: Bodega Chronicles 2010 "Call Me (She Said)" (featuring Novel) — — — Free Agent 2011 "So Hard" (featuring Ana Yvette) — — — Featured Singles[link] Year Song Chart positions Album U.S. U.S. R&B U.S. Rap 2011 "We Keep It Rockin" (Maino featuring Swizz Beatz, Jim Jones, Jadakiss & Joell Ortiz) — — — The Day After Tomorrow 2011 "Currency" (Emcee Composition featuring Joell Ortiz) — — — Garden Statements 2012 "Venomous Ink Emcees" (J1Three featuring Joell Ortiz & Canibus) — — — TBD References[link] ^ XXL Magazine. Joell Ortiz: A Hip-Hop Happy Ending by Brandon Edwards. November 2007 ^ "News - "Joell Ortiz Set to Release The Brick"". Hiphopgame.com. http://www.hiphopgame.com/news.php3?id=1469. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ AftermathMusic.com News - "JOELL TO RELEASE "THE BRICK" // Jan 16, 2007[dead link] ^ "[News] Joell Ortiz Speaks On Leaving Aftermath". Defsounds.com. 2008-01-31. http://www.defsounds.com/news/Joell_ortiz_speaks_on_leaving_aftermath. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ a b "FEATURE: Crooked I, The Freestyler[Definitive Dozen". Xxlmag.Com. 2009-08-14. http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=53509. Retrieved 2012-03-30.  ^ Jeffries, David (2009-08-11). "Slaughterhouse - Slaughterhouse". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1596722. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ Kuperstein, Slava (2009-08-10). "Slaughterhouse - self-titled | Read Hip Hop Reviews, Rap Reviews & Hip Hop Album Reviews". HipHopDX. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.1237/title.slaughterhouse-self-titled. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ G5 (2010-04-28). "Slaughterhouse Signs To Shady Records | HipHop-N-More". Hiphop-n-more.com. http://hiphop-n-more.com/2010/04/slaughterhouse-signs-to-shady-records/. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ Joell Ortiz Leaves E1 « Thomas' Official Blog (2010-11-05). "Joell Ortiz Leaves E1 | HipHop-N-More". Hiphop-n-more.com. http://hiphop-n-more.com/2010/11/joell-ortiz-leaves-e1/. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ Langhorne, Cyrus (2010-03-23). "Joell Ortiz Disses Slaughterhouse's Record Label, "E1 Is F*cking C*ckblocking Us From Doing Something Monumental"". Sohh.Com. http://www.sohh.com/2010/03/joell_ortiz_disses_slaughterhouses_recor.html. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ October 30, 2010 07:34 AM PDT (2010-10-30). "Joell Ortiz discusses Eminem Oct 31st Uncensored Radio Interview". Conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com. http://conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com/entry/index/2010-10-30T08_58_34-07_00/. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ http://rapradar.com/2012/04/18/bootleg-kev-interviews-slaughterhouse/ ^ Horowitz, Stephen. "Joell Ortiz Addresses "Big Pun's Back" Controversy". Blog Article. Hip Hop Dx. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.15550/title.joell-ortiz-addresses-big-puns-back-controversy. Retrieved 2011-10-19.  ^ Joell Ortiz Shares His Tips For Success, Talks "Yaowa" Album HipHopDX. External links[link] Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joell Ortiz Official website Champmag.com v t e Joell Ortiz Studio albums The Brick: Bodega Chronicles Free Agent Collaborations Slaughterhouse Slaughterhouse EP Extended plays Farewell Summer EP Mixtapes Who The F*@k Is Joell Ortiz? Covers The Classics Road Kill Defying The Predictable Pre-Agent Singles "Hip Hop" "Call Me (She Said)" "So Hard" Related articles Slaughterhouse Shady Records v t e Slaughterhouse Crooked I Joe Budden Joell Ortiz Royce da 5'9" Studio albums Slaughterhouse Welcome to: Our House Extended plays Slaughterhouse EP Singles "The One" "Microphone" "Hammer Dance" "My Life" Crooked I albums Hood Star Joe Budden albums Joe Budden Padded Room The Great Escape Joell Ortiz albums The Brick: Bodega Chronicles Free Agent Royce da 5'9" albums Rock City Death Is Certain Independent's Day Street Hop Success Is Certain Related articles Shady Records v t e Aftermath Entertainment Founder Dr. Dre Current artists Eminem 50 Cent Slim the Mobster Kendrick Lamar Black Hippy Former artists Bishop Lamont Busta Rhymes Eve Game Hittman King Tee Joell Ortiz Marsha Ambrosius Raekwon Rakim RBX Stat Quo The Firm The Last Emperor Truth Hurts Related articles Interscope Records Persondata Name Ortiz, Joell Alternative names Short description Date of birth July 6, 1978 Place of birth Date of death Place of death