Joe Budden (born August 31, 1980 in Spanish Harlem, New York) is a rapper f… Read Full Bio ↴Joe Budden (born August 31, 1980 in Spanish Harlem, New York) is a rapper from Jersey City, New Jersey. In recent years he has come to prominence as one of the most skilled and sought-for rappers in the game, despite his best work being on the internet mixtape circuit.

His music initially gained popularity on New York City's famous mixtape circuit in 2002. Although his biggest mainstream hit to-date is 2003's up-tempo "Pump It Up," Budden is known for his reflective and often insecure lyrics. He is widely considered one of hip-hop's most gifted lyricists, thanks largely in part to his numerous works on mixtapes by such DJ's as DJ Clue, Clinton Sparks, DJ On Point, and DJ Envy.

On one particular mixtape song, called "Crosscountry Connection", Joe started a feud with the G-Unit camp. The Game took offense to a line where Joe claims that gangsta rappers should "be in a G-Unit video with all the gangsta actors", obviously claiming G-Unit are fake gangstas. Unbeknownst to Budden, The Game had just recently signed with the G-Unit camp. The Game and G-Unit fired a few diss songs Budden's way; he replied in kind. The feud was ended when The Game and Budden met in a club in New York City and put the past aside.

During winter and spring of 2005, through Joe Budden mixtapes and hip-hop rumor mills, it was said that he departed from Def Jam to Roc-A-Fella Records with CEO Damon Dash. In reality, Budden was legally obligated to stay with Def Jam. In the beginning of Budden's career, it took him a long time to get public exposure, working more than three years from the first time his demo tapes were heard to the first time he was on the radio. He has appeared on many tracks with other artists including 112, Amerie, Brandy, Cassidy, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Freeway, Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Jin, Kelly Rowland, Lil' Kim, LL Cool J, Marques Houston, Usher, and more recently a remix to the hit song "Hollaback Girl" with Gwen Stefani. Some of these were not official remixes, simply mixtape tracks where a Joe Budden verse was added to an existing song.

Though he is thought of as one of rap's most skilled lyricists, Budden's success outside of the mixtape circuit has been marginal purposely. He is known to have invested in real estate in North Jersey and instead of blowing up into the rap scene he decided to make money from other methods instead of getting a record deal. His music is usually more sensitive and thought provoking than that of gangsta rappers, but subsequently, it is also more explicit and unrelenting than most "conscious" or "backpack" rappers.

In late December of 2005, Joe released a mixtape after almost 5 months of being absent from the game. Mood Muzik 2 is considered by most to be a lyrical masterpiece and with so deep tracks such as "Dumb Out" and the emotional "3 Sides to a Story" (in which Joe harrowingly describes a disturbing situation), many wondered had these songs originally been scheduled to appear on The Growth.

In 2007, he was released by Def Jam. In December 2007, he released Mood Muzik 3, which many are calling the best mixtape of the year, with some even saying it's the album of the year since it contains all original material. Some have questioned this since the beat for 'Ventilation' is an edit of 'It's A Shame (Da Butcher's Mix)' by Kool G Rap.

In October 2008, Joe Budden released another highly-rated mixtape, Halfway House; featuring album cuts such as 'Touch & Go' and a snippet of 'Blood On The Wall', a diss to Prodigy of Mobb Deep.

In his career up to his 2nd album, he has worked with artists such as Busta Rhymes and Christina Milian, and has been involved in feuds with rapper The Game and G-Unit. He has since reconciled with The Game.

Since this reconciliation, Joe Budden signed to Amalgam Digital records, and both artists finalized the beef and have collaborated on the single 'The Future' for Joe Budden's now-released 2nd album, Padded Room. The album released February 24th in the U.S. and March 3rd in Canada.

Happy Holidays
Joe Budden Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(feat. Emanny)

[Chorus (Emanny)]
Everydays the same to me
Seven days in every week
Some look forward to it
But I don't change as for the holiday's

You can have your Christmas tree (Hello)
Go get drunk on New Years eve
Some look forward to it (Can anybody hear me)
But I don't change cause every day's a holiday

Hey, Cause every days a holiday

Hey, Cause every days a holiday

[Joe Budden]
Mic check 1212
Mic check 1212
If ain't tell me tomorrow was my birthday I would never know
Understand I'm kinda bad with dates
I don't need a party but a nigga need cake
Cause I got to much on my plate to celebrate
Whole family unemployed
So incomes now a void
Footin everybody's bills
So naturally I'm annoyed
It's like the year kinda flew by
And like a fool I sat back and scrutinized
I'm high beaming on a dark road
All my goals now ashes on charcoal
I spark stogs
Disregard car's
Just cause my hearts cold
I'm carrying cargo
No offense
Don't need a phone call or a presents
I mean honestly I don't want none of ya'll present
Cause I won't pretend like my everyday struggles went away so I'mma treat this like any normal day

[Chorus]
Everydays the same to me
Seven days in every week
Some look forward to it
But I don't change as for the holiday's

You can have your Christmas tree (Hello)
Go get drunk on New Years eve
Some look forward to it (Can anybody hear me)
But I don't change cause every day's a holiday

If they ain't tell me tomorrow was Halloween I'd never known
I've never been the type to keep up with dates so while ah
Everybody is putting there mask on
Nigga I rock mine all year
Just to avoid stares
To come across like a nigga who cares
So to my peers I can look like I'm really sincere
Yeah
Everything's not what it appear
I fear being rare my costume aware
I swear I won't take it off like near
It's weird
Even when I take it off shits near
The summer out fit is sheer
So I dispise the kids cause they know I see them all as me
Don't love ya'll enough to let you see me bare
Let you see how he's impaired
Naw I'm not there
We tend to run from anything weird
At least on holloween ya'll would stay right there
Yeah

[Chorus]
Everydays the same to me
Seven days in every week
Some look forward to it
But I don't change as for the holiday's

You can have your Christmas tree
Go get drunk on New Years eve
Some look forward to it
But I don't change cause every day's a holiday

If I didn't read it was Christmas I'd never known
Maybe I'm wrong I don't give a fuck about dates
So while everybody's unwrapping gifts
I'm trying to capitalize of mine
Just to get some shine
Outta recline while I'm still in my prime
To many time when the date came I ain't have a dime
So I look at my friends with envy
For some reason them getting gifts would offend me
Like there home was perfect
Mine felt empty
They say that it's the thought that counts
I had plenty
Like why
On thanksgiving my family would never visit
And even when they did it always seemed so scripted
Like they was forced to
Like small talk would resolve the 364 days they ain't call you
I should act like ya'll somebody I'm close to
Holidays don't make me socials
I have to be vocal

[Chorus]
Everydays the same to me
Seven days in every week
Some look forward to it
But I don't change as for the holiday's

You can have your Christmas tree
Go get drunk on New Years eve

Some look forward to it
But I don't change cause every day's a holiday

Overall Meaning

The song "Happy Holidays" by Joe Budden, featuring Emanny, speaks about the artist's detachment from festive celebrations, despite the expectations that the holiday season brings. The chorus repeats the fact that every day holds no greater importance than any other, and these impassioned lyrics are echoed repeatedly throughout the track. Budden's personal struggles around the holiday season such as his family's unemployment and financial constraints make it almost impossible for him to celebrate, turning every day into a holiday of its own.

One of the highlights of the song is the verse where Budden puts his skillful wordplay on full display, as he bemoans his own shortcomings, "I'm high beaming on a dark road, all my goals now ashes on charcoal, I spark stogs, disregard cars just cause my heart's cold, I'm carrying cargo." Finally, Budden sets an even more sombre tone towards the end of the song, conceding that holidays don't make him sociable and that he has to be vocal about his struggles. The song concludes with Emanny providing a soothing refrain, blending his soulful vocals with Budden's sentimental lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Everydays the same to me
I don't see any difference between one day and another

Seven days in every week
There are no special days for me, every day is the same

Some look forward to it
There are people who expect something different from certain days

But I don't change as for the holiday's
I don't feel any different on holidays than on regular days

You can have your Christmas tree (Hello)
You can have all the things that people usually associate with Christmas, but they don't mean anything to me

Go get drunk on New Years eve
People usually get drunk on New Year's Eve, but that doesn't interest me

Can anybody hear me
Is there anyone out there who feels like I do?

Cause every day's a holiday
I try to make every day special, not just certain days of the year

Mic check 1212
I'm about to start speaking my mind

If ain't tell me tomorrow was my birthday I would never know
I don't keep track of dates and I don't care about birthdays

Understand I'm kinda bad with dates
I don't remember or care about specific dates

I don't need a party but a nigga need cake
I don't want to celebrate my birthday, but I still want some cake

Cause I got to much on my plate to celebrate
I have too many problems to worry about celebrating my birthday

Whole family unemployed
Everyone in my family is out of work

So incomes now a void
We have no source of income

Footin everybody's bills
I'm paying for everything, including bills for my whole family

So naturally I'm annoyed
I'm understandably frustrated with the situation

It's like the year kinda flew by
The year went by quickly and I didn't accomplish much

And like a fool I sat back and scrutinized
I wasted time overthinking things and now I regret it

I'm high beaming on a dark road
I'm trying to see clearly in a difficult situation

All my goals now ashes on charcoal
All the things I wanted to achieve have been destroyed

I spark stogs
I smoke cigarettes to forget my problems

Disregard car's
I don't care about material possessions like cars

Just cause my hearts cold
I'm emotionally numb and indifferent to everything

I'm carrying cargo
I'm carrying heavy emotional baggage

No offense
I don't mean to offend anyone

Don't need a phone call or a presents
I don't need anyone to call me or give me gifts

I won't pretend like my everyday struggles went away so I'mma treat this like any normal day
I won't pretend that my everyday problems disappeared just because it's a holiday, so I'll treat it like any other day

If they ain't tell me tomorrow was Halloween I'd never known
I don't keep track of holidays and wouldn't know it was Halloween unless someone told me

I've never been the type to keep up with dates
I've never cared about keeping track of specific dates, including holidays

Nigga I rock mine all year
I wear a mask all year, not just on Halloween

Just to avoid stares
I wear the mask to avoid people looking at me or judging me

To come across like a nigga who cares
I wear the mask to give the impression that I care about things

So to my peers I can look like I'm really sincere
I wear the mask so my peers will think I'm sincere

Everything's not what it appear
Things aren't always what they seem

I fear being rare my costume aware
I'm afraid of being unique and different so I wear the mask to fit in

I swear I won't take it off like near
I promise to keep wearing the mask, even when Halloween is over

It's weird
It's strange and unusual

Even when I take it off shits near
Even when I'm not wearing the mask, I'm still not myself

The summer out fit is sheer
I wear a thin outfit in the summer to avoid showing my true self

So I dispise the kids cause they know I see them all as me
I hate kids because they can see through my mask and know who I really am

Don't love ya'll enough to let you see me bare
I don't care enough about anyone to show them who I really am

Let you see how he's impaired
I don't want anyone to see my weaknesses or flaws

Naw I'm not there
I'm not present in the moment

We tend to run from anything weird
We avoid anything that is different or unusual

At least on holloween ya'll would stay right there
On Halloween, people are more likely to accept and embrace the weird and unusual

If I didn't read it was Christmas I'd never known
I wouldn't know it was Christmas unless someone told me or reminded me

Maybe I'm wrong I don't give a fuck about dates
I don't care about keeping track of dates and I don't care if I'm wrong about it

So while everybody's unwrapping gifts
While everyone else is opening presents

I'm trying to capitalize of mine
I'm trying to make the most of my resources and opportunities

Just to get some shine
Just to get some recognition or attention

Outta recline while I'm still in my prime
I want to take advantage of my youth and potential while I still can

To many time when the date came I ain't have a dime
Too many times when a specific date arrived, I didn't have any money

So I look at my friends with envy
I feel jealous of my friends who have more than me

For some reason them getting gifts would offend me
I get offended when my friends receive gifts

Like there home was perfect
Like my friends have a perfect life or home

Mine felt empty
I feel like my life or home is empty compared to others

They say that it's the thought that counts
People say that the intention behind a gift is more important than the gift itself

I had plenty
I had enough good intentions, but not enough money or resources to follow through with gifts

Like why
I ask myself why I can't provide for my family or friends like others can

On thanksgiving my family would never visit
My family never comes to visit me on Thanksgiving

And even when they did it always seemed so scripted
When my family did visit, it felt forced or rehearsed

Like they was forced to
Like my family was obligated to visit, not like they really wanted to

Like small talk would resolve the 364 days they ain't call you
Talking about small things during holiday visits won't make up for the lack of communication or involvement during the rest of the year

I should act like ya'll somebody I'm close to
I should pretend that I'm close to my family or friends, even though I'm not

Holidays don't make me socials
I don't suddenly become more social or inclined to spend time with others just because it's a holiday

I have to be vocal
I have to speak up and say that I don't care about holidays or socializing

Contributed by Jason C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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