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.
Touch & Go
Joe Budden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, few dudes is worthy like me
You know I keep something pretty by me
Good pair of frames, polo, white tee
Ya see somethin with a body, have em like please
Extra small waist, top lookin like D's
Ya know I don't cuff em, I make em wifey
Cause you ain't coco and I ain't iced tee
Tattoo on her back says china dog
Joey, talk to em like imus dog
And give head to a brother, need a tylenol
And let's keep what we do on the low
No entourage, it's a one man show
Let's break out from the club around 4
And there's just one thing that a nigga must know
Can we
Touch go, touch and go, touch go
Touch and go, touch and go, touch go
Touch go, touch and go
She said she had a man but so
There's just one thing that I really must know
Can we
Touch and go, touch go
Touch go, touch and go
I mean I've been seeing the broad, you just met her
I'm in the tell with her, you just text her
You just chase her, you just sweat her
She plays you out, you just let her
You just peck her, you protect her
I don't even understand them gestures
I undress her, throw her on the dresser
Normally the broad look like? ester?
But if she act up, gotta check her
Arm round neck, that's just my regular
Excetera, my serve is like federer
The rodger cat, now do you rodger that
Let's keep what we do on the low
No entourage it's a one man show
Let's break out from the club around 4
And there's just one thing that a nigga must know
Can we
Touch go, touch and go, touch go
Touch and go, touch and go, touch go
Touch go, touch and go
She said she had a man but so
There's just one thing that I really must know
Can we
Touch and go, touch go
Touch go, touch and go
How you doing tonight
Matter of fact, what you doing tonight
If the answers nothing
I'm hoping us two can get into something
So let me know what you doing tonight
Maybe I'm what your doing tonight
Call me up naked, what you home alone
Make the tone long, and that's the phone bone
Look, I ain't gotta compliment you
Me being me, compliments you
On the balcony, or in the tub
On the plane, join the mile high club
From the club to the bathroom stall
Whatever whereever cause she ain't wearing no drawers
Whoa baby I likes it raw
But let's keep it behind closed doors
Touch go, touch and go, touch go
Touch and go, touch and go, touch go
Touch go, touch and go
She said she had a man but so
There's just one thing that I really must know
Can we
Touch and go, touch go
Touch go, touch and go
In Joey Budden's song Touch & Go, he proudly acknowledges himself as a notable representative of Jersey, as few individuals are deserving. He boasts about his enamoring qualities, such as his ability to keep something pretty by him, in the form of a good pair of frames, along with his white tee and Polo combination. Joey notes that when he sees someone attractive, he effortlessly convinces them to become wifey material. He seems to have a contentious relationship with the woman, expressing that he doesn't cuff them. He prefers a no-strings-attached relationship, which he keeps discreet from others, leading to his preferred one-man show for his late-night escapades. Joey seems to have a witty tongue in this song, as he makes references to controversial figures like Don Imus, while expressing his desire to keep everything on the down-low.
The woman in question's intentions are ambiguous, as she has disclosed her relationship status as being taken, yet she still finds herself engaging with Joey. The lyrics indicate that she is playing the field, and all further physicalities are done in secret. Joey seems to have captured her attention, and she seems to be open to the idea of what they can do physically. Joey strives to keep the relationship clandestine and uses various locations to satiate their needs. The song's overall message is about engaging in something pleasing physically without feeling guilty about it. He compares his relationship to a touch-and-go arrangement, as the two can only come together briefly, then move on to their daily lives.
Line by Line Meaning
One question, now who rep jersey like me
I am asking who else represents New Jersey like I do
Baby, few dudes is worthy like me
There are only a few men who are worth something like me
You know I keep something pretty by me
I always keep something beautiful with me
Good pair of frames, polo, white tee
I am wearing a nice outfit that includes glasses, a polo and a white tee
Ya see somethin with a body, have em like please
If you see a woman with a nice body, it will have you feeling impressed
Extra small waist, top lookin like D’s
She has a small waist and large breasts
Ya know I don't cuff em, I make em wifey
I don't just date them, I make them my girlfriend/wife
Cause you ain't coco and I ain't iced tee
We are not like other couples, we are unique
So it's unlikely, I trick on her by the bar
It is unlikely for me to spend money on her at the bar
Tattoo on her back says china dog
She has a tattoo of a Chinese dog on her back
Joey, talk to em like imus dog
I'm talking to her like Don Imus would
And give head to a brother, need a tylenol
She gives good oral sex that leaves me with a headache
And let's keep what we do on the low
Let's keep our relationship a secret
No entourage, it's a one man show
I don't have a group of friends with me, it's just me
Let's break out from the club around 4
Let's leave the club at around 4 am
And there's just one thing that a nigga must know
There is only one thing that a man needs to know
Can we Touch go, touch and go, touch go
Can we have a casual sexual relationship?
She said she had a man but so
She has told me that she has a boyfriend, but
You just chase her, you just sweat her
You pursue her and try too hard to please her
She plays you out, you just let her
She takes advantage of you and you let her
You just peck her, you protect her
You only give her small kisses, but you protect her
I don't even understand them gestures
I don't understand the things you do for her
I undress her, throw her on the dresser
I take her clothes off and put her on the dresser
Normally the broad look like? ester?
Usually she doesn't look that attractive
But if she act up, gotta check her
If she misbehaves, I have to put her in check
Arm round neck, that's just my regular
I always put my arm around her neck
Excetera, my serve is like Federer
And so on, my game is excellent
The Rodger cat, now do you rodger that
The Rodger cat is a nickname I have, do you get it?
How you doing tonight
How are you doing tonight?
Matter of fact, what you doing tonight
Actually, what are you doing tonight?
If the answers nothing
If you don't have any plans
I'm hoping us two can get into something
I hope we can do something together
So let me know what you doing tonight
Tell me what you're doing tonight
Maybe I'm what your doing tonight
Maybe I'm the person you will spend the night with
Call me up naked, what you home alone
Call me while you're naked and home alone
Make the tone long, and that's the phone bone
Keep the conversation going, that's what phone sex is
On the balcony, or in the tub
We can have sex in various places
On the plane, join the mile high club
Have sex with me on the plane and join the Mile High club
From the club to the bathroom stall
Let's have sex in the bathroom stall after leaving the club
Whatever whereever cause she ain't wearing no drawers
Anywhere, anytime because she is not wearing underwear
Whoa baby I likes it raw
I like raw sex, having it without protection
But let's keep it behind closed doors
But let's keep our sexual relationship private
Contributed by Gianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ericfnbaker
this guy is crazy good. favorite in the game today.
Michael Strong Arm
man i bought this cd twice.. i met him the other day hes mad cool and he spits heatttttt
stanis3k
pump it up part 2... go joey, padded room is fire!!!
Averagedude
that´s my favorite track right now !
Sasha Rossiter
I love this song it brill and i go to street dance and dance to this song
rogue D
HEAT. Good to see Joey. Underrated to say the least.
Shawn Crysis
Joe Budden = Greatness Joe Budden = In Top 5 Alive
Sean Mahoney
JOE-Y KILLS-IT!
Franko S.
Love that :D love the sound of the children
StrikeDMZMuzik
Ay man, I checked this dude out he's tellin the truth give em a view. Its worth your time