The Joe Budden Podcast with Rory & Mal is a weekly podcast hosted by Joe Budden along with his co-hosts, Rory Farrell, Jamil Clay, commonly known as Mal. The podcast is recorded twice a week at the home studio of Parks Vallely, who is the audio engineer and also is a voice on the podcast. It became one of the biggest podcasts in the world by sharing their humorous perspectives on everything from the music industry to sports, daily news, life, and the culture surrounding hip-hop.[1] The Joe Budden Podcast with Rory & Mal is available exclusively on Spotify is released every Wednesday and Friday. Full-length videos of the podcast can also be found on YouTube but are available two days after the podcast is released on Spotify.


The Joe Budden Podcast
Presentation
Hosted by
Genre
  • Talk
  • Music
  • Sports
  • News
Format
  • Audio
  • Video
Created byJoe Budden
LanguageEnglish
Length2-4 hours
Production
Video formatYouTube
Audio formatSpotify
No. of episodes236 (as of April 6, 2019)
Publication
Original releaseFebruary 18, 2015; 9 years ago (February 18, 2015)

History edit

Early Beginnings edit

Before Joe Budden began his podcast, he knew he wanted to become a media broadcaster after his career as a rapper because of his early career in radio. Budden began his YouTube channel as a way to stay connected to his fans by uploading vlogs, unseen footages and other content while being a rapper. Originally named, “I’ll Name This Podcast Later”, the podcast began in 2015 as a way transition into the next phase of his career. It was hosted by Joe, Rory and Marisa Mendez. The podcast was available through all streaming platforms including Apple podcasts, YouTube, Soundcloud and Spotify. He wanted to create a show where he could voice his opinions surrounding the culture of hip-hop and more broadly, speak about topics regarding social issues, relationships, mental health and music. It accumulated a small cult following but had not received the widespread recognition at this point.

In August of 2016, Budden fired Mendez from the podcast because of creative differences and was not satisfied with the direction of the show. She was later replaced by his close friends, Mal and Parks. This move represented a noticeable shift in content and received a more positive reception from audiences.

In April of 2017, the podcast was officially renamed “The Joe Budden Podcast with Rory & Mal”.

Present edit

Since 2017, the podcast is recorded in Queens, in New York City. The format of the show is usually divided into three segments. The show starts with a song to set the tone of the rest of the podcast. Budden introduces himself and his co-hosts to his audience as well as asking about any new updates in everyone’s personal lives. The second segment is covering a diverse list of topics that have occured since the last show was recorded. There is no pre-production meeting and Budden is responsible for the topics. The final one is called the “sleeper segment’, where each co-host will play a song from a relatively unknown artist to promote good music and to introduce them to their huge audience. The length of each show is usually between two to four hours each.[2]

In 2018, Joe Budden retired from rapping to purely focus on his broadcasting career as a cultural critic.

Regarded by the New York Times as, "Hip Hop's Howard Stern"[3], Joe Budden is an excellent storyteller and extremely charismatic as a on-air personality. Budden, along with Rory, Mal and Parks have insider experiences in the music industry which provides compelling content for the listeners as they are able to obtain exclusive information they would previously never be exposed to. The podcast is politically incorrect while also being sensitive to certain topics in an authentic way.

In September of 2018, The Joe Budden Podcast with Rory & Mal reached a deal with Spotify to release their content exclusively through them, introducing them to mainstream audiences.[4]

Since April of 2019, there have been 236 episodes that were released.

Reception edit

The podcast has been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike as it rose from relative obscurity to mainstream success. It has been commended for the honest conversations and dialogues in the hip-hop culture surrounding drug addiction, misogyny, homophobia and mental health. The co-hosts, Rory, Mal and Parks have been received positively for their authentic point of views and humour. Much of the appeal and popularity can be accredited to the chemistry of the hosts, who are friends in real life which creates an immersive listening experience.[5] The podcast has embarked on a tour in multiple cities for a live listening experience that was sold-out quickly.

The Joe Budden Podcast with Rory & Mal was awarded the BET Social Awards for the Best Podcast in 2018.[6] It is one of the top podcasts on the Spotify charts in United States and Canada.[7]

Controversies edit

Complex edit

The podcast became the centerpiece of this controversy after a high-profile divorce with Complex leaving the internet show, Everyday Struggle.[8] The show, hosted by Budden and DJ Akademiks, was a debate show about hip-hop akin to ESPN’s First Take. The show propelled Budden to higher success but did not last long as he was let go at the end of 2017 because creative differences and a money dispute. Budden talked about the split on his podcast and received millions of views on YouTube and gained a newfound notoriety because of this controversy.[9]

Drake edit

In April of 2016, Joe Budden negatively reviewed Drake’s album, Views. It was one of the first high profile attention the podcast received because of Drake’s fame and Budden’s long career as a rapper. Drake responded with subliminal post on Snapchat and a diss track. Joe Budden replied with a diss track of his own but to no reply. The two artists have since amicably resolved their issues in private. Joe Budden has since stated that it was this review that made him realize that his voice was important in the culture which caused him to retire as rapper.[10]

Eminem edit

Joe Budden criticized the quality and impact of Eminem’s recent music on the album Revival. On the next album, Kamikaze, Eminem replied with a diss track. Budden then shared his history with Eminem on the podcast to contextualize the conflict between them. This episode garnered a lot of media attention and viewers.[11]

Reference List edit

  1. ^ Ryu, Shane. "Power & Podcasts: How Joe Budden Became the Most Indispensable Voice in Hip-Hop". Central Sauce. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  2. ^ Harrison, Kitanya. "Hip Hop's "Curb Your Enthusiasm"". Medium. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  3. ^ Stevenson, Iman. "How Joe Budden Became the Howard Stern of Hip-Hop". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  4. ^ "'The Joe Budden Podcast' Lands Exclusive Partnership with Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  5. ^ Mitchell, Julian. "Joe Budden Is Prepared For This Moment Of Redemption". Forbes. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Social Awards 2018". BET. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Podcasts Charts". Chartable. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  8. ^ Penrose, Nerisha. "Joe Budden Has Left 'Everyday Struggle,' Complex Confirms". Billboard. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  9. ^ Budden, Joe. "Why Did Joe Leave Everyday Struggle?". YouTube. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  10. ^ Walsh, Peter. "Joe Budden Calls Drake's 'Views' Uninspired". XXL Mag. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  11. ^ Saponara, Michael. "Joe Budden Responds to Eminem Diss". Billboard. Retrieved 8 April 2019.