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.
No Competition
Joe Budden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hair did, highlights is a highlight, thighs right
No need for a side slide
I might, make her my wife
Though she rendezvous with the night life
Got her home what's the splurging for?
Don't compliment her cause she heard em all
Who am I to kick the same ol' plain game furthermore
And that's
Difficult with the way he real
Dead the new generation with my 80s feel
Be the one that can make me chill
Prototype
I don't even think they make em in the way she built
We can bring the sun up in the new york sky
If I talk fly on the walkby
Leave at halftime
2 with these seats sittin courtside, itll be that
You might even bring chivalry back
Talk 2 em
Watchin you
Watchin me
Next to you
On top of me
I can see
There's no competition
Competition
Competition
Baby there's just ain't no competition
Won't talk about them other broads they don't ever compare
You look mean but I never be scared
We can be surround by water with the wind in our hair
Though you dated ballplayers you ain't never been
(there is no competition)
Bet you ain't never pay general admission
I think she got the body of a hood stripper
Pay the check when it come, and a good tipper
Case you ain't never fuck with a good nigga
Bar in the living room full of good liquor
You been off with world, would figga
By a bunch of guys that just wanna good dick ya
Magnify ya life, make you look bigger
Just tell me if it's somethin that you could picture
If you ain't been anywhere that you wan' book trips to
That just mean that right dude ain't never stood with ya
We can put the top back
Have the seat drop back
Me touchin you there
You screamin 'stop that'
Watch that
I slow down
Than I speed up
You got em gettin
She don't need a surgeon in the world
She'll put a hurtin on the world
I'll make it my buisness
There's nothin more urgent in the world
Paper long so you never have a burden in this world
So while them other girls scream where the papes at?
I'm still trynna figure at where her waist at
Local to global, fuckin with a mogul
Finish prada, I ain't even gotta mold ya
She'll take the patron straight no chaser
I ain't gotta stalk her I ain't gotta go chase her
She the franchise far from a role player
Guess all I gotta do now is go face her
In Joe Budden's song No Competition, he talks about a woman he is interested in and how she's different from any other women he has met before. He starts off by describing her physical attributes from her hair to her thighs, displaying his physical attraction towards her. Despite her being involved in the nightlife, he still sees her as someone he could potentially make his wife. Although he notes that other men constantly compliment her, he refrains from doing so as well because she has heard it all before. Budden prides himself on being a real and genuine person, and he is attracted to this woman because she embodies those same qualities.
Moreover, Budden expresses that this woman is not the same as the other women he has previously encountered, as there is no competition for her. He goes on to describe her personality and how she is different from any other woman he has been with. He admires how she carries herself and her demeanor, which sets her apart from the rest. Budden ensures that he will treat her right, bringing back the traditional ways of courtship and treating her like a lady. He wants to build a future with her, promising to make her life full of happiness and comfort.
Overall, No Competition is a song about finding someone who stands out from the rest, someone who is different from anyone you have met before. Budden describes physical attributes that he finds attractive, but he also places emphasis on the woman's character and how it makes her unique. The song highlights the importance of finding someone who complements you in every way and how that person can change the way you view relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't no other girl quite like my type
I am in awe of this girl and cannot find anyone as great as her
Hair did, highlights is a highlight, thighs right
Her hair is amazing, the highlights make her look even better, and her thighs are perfect
No need for a side slide
I don't need anyone else, I am happy with just her
I might, make her my wife
I am so in love with her that I might just marry her
Though she rendezvous with the night life
Even though she enjoys the nightlife, I still want her
Got her home what's the splurging for?
Now that I have her, there is no need to waste any more money
Don't compliment her cause she heard em all
She's so amazing that she's already heard all the compliments before
Who am I to kick the same ol' plain game furthermore
I don't want to use the same old pickup lines everyone else has used before
Lames made it so play, they don't work no more
Those old pickup lines are used so much that they don't work anymore
And that's
Difficult with the way he real
It's tough being genuine in today's world
Dead the new generation with my 80s feel
I'm bringing an 80s vibe to this new generation
Be the one that can make me chill
She is the only one who can make me relax and be myself
Prototype
She is a one-of-a-kind girl
I don't even think they make em in the way she built
She is so unique that there are no other girls like her
We can bring the sun up in the new york sky
We can do anything together, even bring the sun up in New York sky
If I talk fly on the walkby
If I speak to her and impress her while we're walking by each other
Leave at halftime
We can leave early from a game if we want to
2 with these seats sittin courtside, itll be that
We can enjoy life and watch a game up close at the same time
You might even bring chivalry back
She is so amazing that she might make me become a gentleman again
Talk 2 em
Watchin you
Watchin me
Next to you
On top of me
I can see
There's no competition
No one can compare to you
Competition
Competition
Baby there's just ain't no competition
I don't want anyone else because there's no one that compares to you
Won't talk about them other broads they don't ever compare
I won't talk about other girls because they don't come close to comparing to you
You look mean but I never be scared
You may look intimidating, but I am never scared around you
We can be surround by water with the wind in our hair
We can be together, surrounded by water while enjoying the wind in our hair
Though you dated ballplayers you ain't never been
Even though you've dated athletes, you've never been with anyone as great as me
(there is no competition)
Bet you ain't never pay general admission
I bet you're used to getting VIP treatment
I think she got the body of a hood stripper
She has a great body just like a stripper from the hood
Pay the check when it come, and a good tipper
I will always pay the check and give a good tip
Case you ain't never fuck with a good nigga
If you've never been with a good guy then you're in luck
Bar in the living room full of good liquor
I have a bar in my living room, full of good liquor
You been off with world, would figga
You've been doing your thing in the world and I recognized that
By a bunch of guys that just wanna good dick ya
Guys out there only want to use you for sex
Magnify ya life, make you look bigger
I will make your life better and make you look good
Just tell me if it's somethin that you could picture
Let me know if you can see a future with me
If you ain't been anywhere that you wan' book trips to
If there are places you've always wanted to go, let me know and we'll book trips there
That just mean that right dude ain't never stood with ya
You haven't met the right guy yet, and that guy is me
We can put the top back
We can let the top down on our car
Have the seat drop back
We can recline the seats in our car
Me touchin you there
I will touch you in all the right places
You screamin 'stop that'
You will be enjoying my touch so much that you will be screaming for more
Watch that
Just watch what I can do
I slow down
I will take it slow
Than I speed up
And then I'll speed things up
You got em gettin
You will be so excited that you'll be out of breath
She don't need a surgeon in the world
Even with her amazing body, she doesn't need surgery to look great
She'll put a hurtin on the world
She is so amazing she can have a huge impact on the world
I'll make it my buisness
It is my mission to make you happy
There's nothin more urgent in the world
Making you happy and being with you is the most important thing in the world to me
Paper long so you never have a burden in this world
Money is not an issue for me, so I can take care of you and make sure you never worry about anything
So while them other girls scream where the papes at?
While other girls are asking about my money, you're the one I want
I'm still trynna figure at where her waist at
I am still in awe of her amazing body
Local to global, fuckin with a mogul
I am a mogul, and I can take you from local to global with me
Finish prada, I ain't even gotta mold ya
You are so great and amazing that I don't have to change anything about you
She'll take the patron straight no chaser
She is so cool that she'll drink Patron straight without a mixer
I ain't gotta stalk her I ain't gotta go chase her
I don't have to chase or pursue her, I've already got her
She the franchise far from a role player
She is the standout, superstar player that everyone wants
Guess all I gotta do now is go face her
I have to go see her and tell her how amazing she is
Contributed by Mackenzie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jonathan Baldwin
Always been one of my favorite joints by him...
Jay Smith
This shit hard af joe budden is great at flowing to any beat
Frank Sanchez
Joey spits fire always... In top 5 emcees of 2014
articledon
How he pay for a justice league beat but didnt put it on an album. Tis coulda been a single. Sometimes I feel as if Joe Budden doesnt want to be popular
heymaria123
man thats how it should be on the radio! thanks for sharing that thought.
Michael Sharpe
the third verse + the hook = flames
Henry Chinaski
This shouldve been a lead single to an album . Tf Joe? This was a hit waiting .
ChimaTheKilla
Good song that is all I can say
saliym
joe one of my fav rappers this is tuff but emanny made the song wut it is the hook is sick he locks in
thegoldenhero
that was emanny damn he is dope...he need to blow up as well.