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.
Only You
Joe Budden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It′s regular Joe Partner, rap is so Popular
Swear we gotta be the highest rated soap opera
Now a days it ain't about whoever flow hotter
It′s about gimmick, image and whoever gross dollars
While I try to be me
Just a Man with issues
They even complained then
Cause ya'll fall for it, ya'll niggas believe ′em
Gotta learn how to read ′em, gotta learn how to weed 'em
If somebody promoting gangsta, dudes reaching
Cause Gangsta and Promoters are like two different regions
Im so tired of beefing
This shit′ll only end in another man leaking and another man bleeding
Especially the rap beef, I Hate Rap Beef
Half these cats ain't real
They Only Rap Beef
Half these cats should chill, that′s if you ask me
Cause if you catch em with the Mill Then its a track meet
Plus I feel like every beef is the same
Now Im caught in it Beefing with Game
And his image is the 'West coast Saviour′ Must of been the only weapon in Hand
I know Pac is in Heaven like damn
But thats a small problem
Real little in fact
Fab Chill
Wouldnt put you in the middle of that
I dont need a nigga help, nah niggas is trash
Five on one, but it aint like one of them niggas can rap
And I got other sshit to deal with like my little bro becoming a man
Gotta watch what he's becoming, he's fam
Dont know if he at the age where theres a gun in his hand
Cause he′ll be done in a can
See, he′s young, understand
Little nigga too smart to end up in a building
But every nigga that I know Thats in Jail is Brilliant
And they all got a story, normally full of glory
A few Misteps and a couple of regrets
They all tight in the mental with credentials
After all the shit they been through
Matter Fact, they all got potential
Matter Fact, we all got potential
Some of us don't use it
So having it is useless
He don′t wanna be a Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda, but he didn't
Now he sent in, bunkie asking how he get in
Now he Just it
Now he pisseded in
He got loved ones but now we gotta visit ′em
Yeah, He's talented, but now its all hindering
Shit you would of gave to ′em
Now you gotta send it in
Whatever you doing young'n
Dog, It ain't fine
Without a Breathalizer
Nigga, walk a straight line
I gotta teach dude That Friends ain′t Friends
And Love ain′t love
No Matter how Heart shaped it is
You don't need friends, the cars and cake′ll get
You need 'em when times are hard
They adjascent with
That ain′t where you wanna be
And shouldnt Have Ta'
Wasn′t in the before Flick
Shouldnt be in the After
Only trying to fuck you like incest
While you search like Credit Cards
For Who got ya Best interest?
And I dont wanna talk ya ear off about a whole bunch of shit I'm still learning myself
Play ya friends from far
And keep your enemies close
Cause I done been through enough for us both
In Joe Budden's song Only You, he addresses the state of the rap industry and the issues that come with it. Joe is tired of the frequent "beefs" and the idea that one's success depends on their image and gimmicks rather than their actual talent. He expresses his frustration towards fans who believe and fall for these gimmicks and highlights the importance of looking beyond their surface level. We are brought into Budden's personal life, where he talks about his little brother and the challenges of guiding him towards the right path.
The intricate details in this song depict the complexity of living in the spotlight and the pressures that come with it. The artist emphasizes his message of taking responsibility for your actions and decisions and not giving into society's unrealistic expectations. He encourages everyone to recognize and use their potential before it is too late.
Line by Line Meaning
It's regular Joe Partner, rap is so Popular
I am Joe Budden, and rap music is incredibly popular.
Swear we gotta be the highest rated soap opera
Rap music is like a soap opera with all of the drama and attention it gets.
Nowadays it ain't about whoever flow hotter
Rap music is no longer about who has the best flow or lyrics.
It's about gimmick, image and whoever gross dollars
It's about the image and gimmick an artist has and how much money they make.
While I try to be me
I try to stay true to myself.
Just a Man with issues
I am a man with problems.
They even complained then
Despite this, some fans still complain.
Some fans is so fickle
Some fans are very fickle.
Cause ya'll fall for it, ya'll niggas believe 'em
People believe whatever they're told.
Gotta learn how to read 'em, gotta learn how to weed 'em
We need to learn how to recognize and ignore fake and dishonest people.
If somebody promoting gangsta, dudes reaching
If someone is promoting violence, people are going to be drawn to it.
Cause Gangsta and Promoters are like two different regions
Gangsta life and promoting music are two completely different things.
Im so tired of beefing
I'm tired of all the drama and fights in the rap industry.
This shit'll only end in another man leaking and another man bleeding
All of this drama is only going to lead to more violence and bloodshed.
Especially the rap beef, I Hate Rap Beef
I really dislike all of the drama and fights among rappers.
Half these cats ain't real
Half of these rappers are fake.
They Only Rap Beef
They only know how to start drama with other rappers.
Half these cats should chill, that's if you ask me
Half of these rappers need to relax and focus on their music.
Cause if you catch em with the Mill Then its a track meet
If you catch them with a lot of money, they'll run away.
Plus I feel like every beef is the same
All of these drama-filled fights seem very similar.
Now I'm caught in it Beefing with Game
I'm now involved in a fight with another rapper named Game.
And his image is the 'West coast Saviour' Must of been the only weapon in Hand
Game's image as the savior of the west coast must be his only defense in this beef.
I know Pac is in Heaven like damn
Tupac is probably disappointed and upset at all of the unnecessary drama in the rap industry.
But that's a small problem
All of this drama is only a minor issue in the grand scheme of things.
Real little in fact
In reality, it doesn't matter much at all.
Fab Chill
My friend Fab should relax and not get involved in this feud.
Wouldn't put you in the middle of that
I wouldn't want to involve Fab in this drama.
I dont need a nigga help, nah niggas is trash
I don't need help from anyone, especially not these untrustworthy people.
Five on one, but it aint like one of them niggas can rap
There may be five of them, but the quality of their rap is still low.
And I got other sshit to deal with like my little bro becoming a man
I have other important things to focus on, such as helping my younger brother grow into a responsible adult.
Gotta watch what he's becoming, he's fam
I need to keep an eye on him because he's family.
Dont know if he at the age where theres a gun in his hand
I don't know if he's at the age where he might be tempted to use a gun.
Cause he'll be done in a can
He could end up in jail if he makes the wrong choices.
See, he's young, understand
He's still young and impressionable.
Little nigga too smart to end up in a building
He's smart enough to avoid ending up in jail.
But every nigga that I know Thats in Jail is Brilliant
However, every person I know who is in jail is also very intelligent.
And they all got a story, normally full of glory
Everyone has a story to tell, often with moments of pride and triumph.
A few Misteps and a couple of regrets
But every story also has moments of regret and mistakes.
They all tight in the mental with credentials
Despite their circumstances, all of them are mentally strong and have impressive skills.
After all the shit they been through
After everything they've been through, they still have hope for the future.
Matter Fact, they all got potential
In fact, they all have incredible potential.
Matter Fact, we all got potential
Actually, we all have the potential to do great things.
Some of us don't use it
Unfortunately, some people don't live up to their potential.
So having it is useless
Having potential means nothing if you don't use it.
He don't wanna be a Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda, but he didn't
He doesn't want to regret not taking advantage of his potential.
Now he sent in, bunkie asking how he get in
Now he's in jail, and his cellmate is asking him how he ended up there.
Now he Just it
Now he's just another person in jail.
Now he pisseded in
Now he's angry about how everything turned out.
He got loved ones but now we gotta visit 'em
His family and loved ones now have to visit him in jail.
Yeah, He's talented, but now its all hindering
He may be talented, but now his potential is being held back by his circumstances.
Shit you would of gave to 'em
Things you would have given to him before, like money or support, can no longer be given.
Now you gotta send it in
Now you have to mail it in to him.
Whatever you doing young'n
Whatever you're doing, young man,
Dog, It ain't fine
it's not okay.
Without a Breathalizer
Without checking yourself before making decisions.
Nigga, walk a straight line
Stay focused and make responsible choices.
I gotta teach dude That Friends ain't Friends
I need to teach him that not all friends are true friends.
And Love ain't love
Not all love is true love.
No Matter how Heart shaped it is
Even if love seems sincere and from the heart.
You don't need friends, the cars and cake'll get
You don't need friends when you have material possessions.
You need 'em when times are hard
True friends will be there for you during difficult times.
They adjascent with
They're right next to you.
That ain't where you wanna be
However, relying on material possessions rather than true friends is not a desirable situation.
And shouldn't Have Ta'
It shouldn't have to be that way.
Wasn't in the before Flick
It wasn't like this in the old days of rap.
Shouldnt be in the After
And it shouldn't be like this now either.
Only trying to fuck you like incest
Some people are only trying to use you for their own gain.
While you search like Credit Cards
And while you try to find real friends and love,
For Who got ya Best interest?
You're looking for someone who truly has your best interests in mind.
And I don't wanna talk your ear off about a whole bunch of shit I'm still learning myself
I don't want to keep talking about these issues, especially since I'm still trying to figure it all out myself.
Play ya friends from far
Keep your friends at a distance.
And keep your enemies close
But stay close to your enemies so you can monitor their actions.
Cause I done been through enough for us both
I've been through enough struggles for both of us, so take my advice seriously.
Contributed by Kennedy D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.