The Joe Budden Podcast With Rory and Mal has a major reason to hit all of the celebratory soundboard chimes since they inked a contract with Spotify (Aug. 22). In an interview with The New York Times, Joe Budden said the streaming giant is a good fit for the ensemble because “they weren’t afraid of me.” Before the weekly show was named after the No Love Lost rapper, its 2014 moniker was I’ll Name This Podcast Later and served as a hub for dissecting pop culture’s headlines, specifically within the hip-hop sphere, and the music industry’s tactics.
After VH1’s Love & Hip Hop, Budden realized his life in the grip of pills and rap was affecting those around him, including his 17-year-old son. He then decided to hang up the mic, and embrace this part of his career where he’s being referred to as the “hip-hop Howard Stern” by his manager Ian Schwartzman. “In terms of what he was capable of doing as a personality, it was limitless,” Schwartzman said to the Times.
Concerning the podcast’s content, Budden realized the show received criticism for spewing sexist rhetoric. Going forward into this new frontier, the 37-year-old entertainer said they’ll work on avoiding “topics we’re not qualified to speak on.” The video for each podcast that’ll be featured on Spotify also will continue to be uploaded to YouTube.
“Our partnership is extremely humbling for me and adds yet another chapter to a career full of plot twists,” Budden said in a statement per Billboard. “This highlights a new way of thinking and a corporate head nod to the shift taking place before our very eyes. I’m even more thrilled to embark on this journey with some of my closest friends and people I love.”
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