Joe Budden isn’t one to mince his words on the mic. The New Jersey native joined Brian “B.Dot” Miller for an episode of Brackets where he crowned the best rapper alive.
In his first return to his old Complex studio, Joe Budden finally narrowed it down to a final four, which included JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne and J. Cole.
“For me, Cole is not there yet,” Joe said as far as his top 10 rapper list goes. “Even if he cracks top 15… For me, Kendrick [Lamar] is an objective top 10 rapper of all time.”
The podcast host ended up giving the nod to Hov as his greatest to ever touch the mic, which B.Dot agreed with himself after pulling out his own top 10 list.
The debate got more interesting when B.Dot brought out his top 10 list, which included Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Eminem, Rakim, Nas, Kanye West, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G. and JAY-Z from 10 to one.
“I hate that top 10 — it’s just a current list of people,” Budden replied. “This don’t sound like a rapper list, Kanye has had ghostwriters for years and Drake has been rumored to have ghostwriters.”
Joe Budden Rains On JAY-Z ‘GOD DID’ Parade: ‘It’s Not A [Top 10 Hov Verse]’
Joe Budden is cool with Biggie making the list but he puts an asterisk next to his name because of B.I.G. only being able to release two albums and Diddy’s involvement.
“It’s two albums,” he said. “How much of that impact do we contribute to Biggie and Biggie alone… What part do you give Puff in those two albums? I have an asterisk by two albums because after he died, Puff continued to show that he could compose a phenomenal album.”
Budden also disagreed about having Eminem on the top 10 list because of how his music has aged poorly outside of his early body of work.
“It hasn’t aged the greatest,” he stated. “I think only his classics have remained classics and for me that’s the first album — which is really the second album — and The Marshall Mathers LP.”
Watch the full episode above.
He’s not a mile away…
Why we ain’t talking about how Joe exposed himself?
BIGGIE’S 2 ALBUMS SLAUGHTER MOST DISCOGS. ESPECIALLY YOURS JOE.
Y’all missing the one and only Brad Jordan aka Scarface
This guy is a joke. He seriously thinks No Way Out is on the same level as Life After Death?
Puff continued to produce? ????
If Nas is not on anyone’s top list they are straight garbage. Trash period’ no
I agree a hunnid percent.
I once asked my friend to name a single Kendrick Lamar album that was better than The Game’s…he got tongue tied. Kendrick Lamar is so overrated, it’s not even funny.
Not only has the game not had a perfect albums since the Documentary, with DA being a close 2nd, his debut is nowhere close to Good Kid Mad City. Game has consistently dropped 6’s and 7’s I’ll give you that, while Kendrick is either hit or miss. But he does not have the better album. At all
The Game doesn’t even have 1 classic to his name…there’s an argument that K.dot has (4) already. He’s not done.
Black Thought? Anyone?
Slept on Top 10 lists: Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Black Thought, Scarface, Run, Cube, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Tyler the Creator, and Treach. How these cats get slept on so often I have no clue. LL and Run paved the way for DEF Jam, BDK in my opinion is better than Rakim, Black Thought and Q-Tip are the best conscious rappers, Face the best storyteller from the south outside of 3K, most imitated and never better duplicated styles in Busta and Treach, and Tyler putting out better music and production than Kendrick, Cole, and other rappers. Admittedly he’s a weirdo but the skill is there.
How is Joe Budden qualified to critique any of these guys? He had 1 soso pop song. Em belongs on that list. His lyrics, longevity and features out rhyming damn near Everyone of these guys on their own songs is enough yo keep him top 5. ?
At this point if em is not on a list you know that person is racist
Andre 3000 should be in the top 10 IMO
Black Thought, Phonte, Cee Lo, Kool G Rap, Inspektah Deck, Scarface, Big Pun, Mos Def, Yukmouth, Busta are my undhonorable mention under the radar emcees
Scarface is solid, the rest of your list is ridiculous. Andre 3000 ??? Lol!!!