Joe Budden

There's no one aspect of my life that is more hidden than others. I mean, everything is pretty much an open book in every regard: relationships, personal, business, music, family, problems, demons, everything is well documented.

Actually, after 'All Love Lost' I was so drained creatively that I didn’t have any clue where I wanted to go. So I just started from scratch."

For so long, we had to write to pay a bill, we had to write in many instances where maybe you weren't even inspired to write because it was your job. That's how passion, creativity, and love gets killed.

Early on, it was real tough for me to stick to my guns and say 'I'm retired, I'm not rapping, don't ask me for nothing.' But I had to do that because I love rapping and I love music, so if I don't do that, you can't be halfway in it and halfway out.

My mom’s mission my entire teenage years was just to save my life.

You put your blood, sweat, and tears into an album and you think that's where it ends, but no - when you go on tour you're still carrying the life of that album and the life of those songs until you put your next project out.

State of the Culture' is more mature content. We want to go as deep as we can on whatever the subject matter is, we’re not there to joke."

I have a few theories and trains of thought that I wouldn’t expose because they are not anyone’s business. I hold them sacred, it’s how I feel, it’s my opinion, not up for debate, and not meant to be shared."

I couldn’t tell you what the standing is in radio, I’m in the streaming world. I’m in the podcasting world. Radio just sounds archaic almost. It’s a never-ending battle. I’m so glad I’m retired so I don’t have to see the nonsense."

I may catch some flack for this, but the Jersey style I feel is just very different from New York. When I hear a Jersey MC spit, I can just hear New Jersey in them. To where as NY, that style has been broadcasted so nationally that it’s just a natural sound in music."

Yeah, well I've had a record deal for a long time so I'm kinda used to the cameras and the people, I'm used to dealing with peoples’ opinions."

For me, honest critique is not all about your feelings and your ear. Honest critique is sitting down with an album that you may not put on in your spare time, and really digging into that album, so you can talk about the beat selection.