complex

Taxstone Slams Joe Budden’s Treatment Of Rory & Mal

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Taxstone recently called out Joe Budden for what he viewed as manipulative behavior concerning his treatment of former podcast cohosts Rory and Mal. Moreover, he recently spoke to Complex about the state of hip-hop media and a host of other topics. Furthermore, readers may recall that the former Joe Budden Podcast collaborators blasted Joe after Complex named him the top rap media personality in the game. While their comments aimed to be fair to the list, they couldn’t help but bring up their bad blood when debating whether he deserves the honor. On that note, Taxstone had some words for the Slaughterhouse MC and warned others of his tendencies.

“I think Rory and Mal finally figured out that Joe was a master manipulator,” Taxstone remarked to the publication. “They was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome and Joe manipulates everybody around him. Even them dudes sitting with him now are being manipulated. But you gotta understand some people are alright with manipulation as long as they get something out of it. So I think them dudes know that. But I think they just cool with the situation. Sometimes people don’t got nothing going on in their life. They need to be a part of something.”

Taxstone Sends Shots At Joe Budden

Moreover, he also blasted Troy Ave amid their continuing beef and specifically N.O.R.E. for giving Ave media attention. “It’s fools like the people who interview Troy Ave,” Taxstone expressed. “They interview him ’cause they know he’s gonna talk about me. He has nothing going on … So it’s like the podcast game when I see what was going on. Like with Nore. He was on my podcast. And then for maybe two, three months straight, we was on the phone every day, six in the morning, five in the morning, two in the morning, putting together the ideas for Drink Champs. At first, just summed it up to Nore’s looking for numbers. He don’t care. Like, he’ll sacrifice anything.”

For what it’s worth, Joe Budden responded to criticisms that Taxstone, Rory and Mal, and others threw his way, though he didn’t name any names. “To whom this may concern,” he began on his podcast. “Instead of crtiquing people’s placement on this list, we need more crtiquing on why you’re not on it. To everyone not on it, shut the f**k up. There’s some steps that you n***as have missed. To whom it may concern, stop holding a microphone. It’s certain n***as, y’all can’t speak to me, y’all didn’t do the work yet. You didn’t go to the bookstore. Hire the editors. Get people to help. Invest in the staff. Stop check chasing. Stop doing the bare minimum and expecting that to yield results. You n***as are the bare minimum boys.” For more on this drama and the latest on Taxstone, Joe Budden, and Rory and Mal, return to HNHH.

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Joe Budden Fires Back At Rory & Mal Over Recent Criticism

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Joe Budden fired back at his former co-hosts, Rory and Mal, on the latest episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, titled “To Whom It May Concern.” The pair had recently called Budden a “thief” and “cat burglar” after seeing Complex ranked him No. 1 on its “Hip Hop Media Power Ranking.”

“To whom this may concern,” Budden began. “This is not even on page one of the manual, ’cause you n****s ain’t in the bookstore. Instead of critiquing people’s placement on this list, we need more critiquing on why you’re not on it. To everyone not on it, shut the fuck up. There’s some steps that you n****s have missed. To whom it may concern, stop holding a microphone. I’m just giving out podcast advice. It’s certain n****s, y’all can’t speak to me, y’all didn’t do the work yet. You didn’t go to the bookstore.”

Joe Budden With Rory & Mal

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 21: (L-R) Mal, Joe Budden and Rory attend the Joe Budden Podcast Live at Highline Ballroom on July 21, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

From there, he called out Rory and Mal for not doing enough to promote their own content, calling them “the bare minimum boys.” Budden added: “Hire the editors. Get people to help. Invest in the staff. Pay the staff. Get more staff. Stop check chasing. Stop doing the bare minimum and expecting that to yield results. You n****s are the bare minimum boys.” Rory and Mal left The Joe Budden Podcast back in 2021 after weeks of disputes with the former rapper. They’ve continued to express disdain for each other in public in the time since.

In an aggressive mood, Budden called out more than just Rory and Mal. He also targeted The Breakfast Club for having not been “impactful in years” and that its “rotating seat garbage isn’t working.” He elaborated: “It’s not about radio, they breaking up all that shit over there, and we [are] getting podcast advertising dollars which says it don’t matter how powerful that one show was at some point, if the company is going in a different direction, n****s gone look like they’re going in a different direction.”

Joe Budden’s Full Comments

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Rory & Mal React To Joe Budden Being Complex’s Number One Hip-Hop Media Personality

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Rory and Mal, formerly of The Joe Budden Podcast, recently reacted indignantly to their former cohost being named Complex‘s number one hip-hop media personality. Moreover, they expressed their thoughts on Budden during the New Rory & Mal podcast, going over Complex‘s whole list. Not only that, but they labeled the Slaughterhouse MC as a “cat burglar” and “thief” in their remarks. While they didn’t trash the publication for their choice, they did have some thoughts on who else should be included. Still, their words suggest that they have an issue with their estranged colleague being so high up.

“The thief!” Mal proclaimed. “The cat burglar. Big integrity … look at the cat burglar staring off into the next house he wants to run in. That’s big cat! Quiet as a mouse.” Then, Rory gave his own take on the matter. “I’m keeping my non-bias the way I have this entire time,” he explained. “I didn’t wanna defend Adam22, nor do I wanna defend this gentleman, but he should be in the Top 5, and that’s based off what Hip Hop media is now. So I’m not sure if I’m giving a compliment right now by saying I think these people should be in the Top 5.”

Rory & Mal Blast Joe Budden After Complex‘s Hip-Hop Media Power Rankings

The trio had a falling out over seemingly financial issues, with Rory being booted from The Joe Budden Podcast after weeks-long debates in 2021. Shortly after, Mal stepped away. In February of last year, Mal opened up about the chance of a reconciliation on The Personal Party podcast. “I don’t respect him at all,” he maintained. “Shake his hand? I’ll shake the room before I shake his hand. That’s just what it is. It’s not even about the business or the money, it’s a lot of money, it’s a lot of money, bro, that me and Rory walked away from. It’s a lot of money that was taken out of our pockets, it’s a lot of money that still to this day, we don’t have no lawyers going after it. Keep it. We got our own bag.”

“But, with that money that we walked away from, with that, what was owed to us that we walked away from, that was also me walking away from a relationship and a chapter of life,” he continued. “Once I walk away, you know, that door never opens again.” With that in mind, a reunion between the three is highly unlikely. Still, they deal in an industry of discourse, and to see a closed door on that is a sad development. Regardless, come back to HNHH for the latest on Rory, Mal, and Joe Budden.

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Joe Budden Says Media Personalities Are Bigger Than Rappers

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Joe Budden says that media personalities have become bigger than actual rappers nowadays. The podcast host discussed the state of the industry with Complex after being given the top spot in the outlet’s first-ever Hip-Hop Media Power Ranking.

“I learned that when I started working here,” Budden explained. “Because I was coming in every morning with Ak [Akademics] and all the young people in my life were familiar with him. I wasn’t. So it was like, ‘Oh shit, this guy’s got some following somewhere.’ Like, let me get hip.”

Joe Budden Hosting His Podcast Live In NYC

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 21: (L-R) Mal, Joe Budden and Rory attend the Joe Budden Podcast Live at Highline Ballroom on July 21, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Budden added that media pundits have become so popular that rappers will ride their coattails to promote new music. “And then the rappers often will—let me find a nice way to say this—the rappers see the media people as an opportunity sometimes, and they will attach themselves or attempt to attach themselves to that person for rollout purposes,” Budden said. He also reflected on a growing trend for voices in hip-hop media to appear on each other’s shows. “It is great. And it can be bad sometimes,” he said. “Like when I had Adam on, oh my God, that conversation lived for the next two months.”

Earlier in the interview, Budden also touched on whether he considers what he does to be entertainment or journalism. “It’s 100 percent entertainment,” he said. “It’s definitely entertainment. If it wasn’t entertainment, then I would be spending the night outside of NBC trying to get on their news channel. I’d be at Vice, ‘Hey, let me be your something.’ But it’s entertainment first. It’s probably journalism second [laughs]. For me. Where I saw this thing going a few years ago was news, much like music, was kind of taking the backseat to brands and personalities. So everybody’s delivering the same news. We all have access to the same shit. But how? How are you doing that? Like, what makes people connect to you? What are you doing to establish a relationship with that audience? That’s been my ‘escape the room’ math equation since 2001. How do I develop this connection with a fan through music, through TV? So that’s that same shit today.”

Joe Budden For “Complex”

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Joe Budden Crowned No. 1 For Complex’s Hip-Hop Media Rankings

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Complex has listed Joe Budden at the number one spot in the outlet’s first-ever Hip-Hop Media Power Ranking. In doing so, they sat down with the podcast host to discuss his career in the media. In ranking different members of the media, Complex focused on five factors: “Commentary & Banter,” “Star Power of Guests,” “Consistency,” “Viral Moments,” and finally, “Content Integrity.”

When interviewer Donnie Kwak mentioned “consistency” as a leading factor, Budden perked up. “One of the most important things for me,” he remarked. “I was talking to my mom this morning and just catching her up on all the work I’ve been doing, and she said, ‘Man, you need a day off.’ And I said, ‘I’m gonna take a day off when I’m 50.’ By design, I just want to go as hard as I can go right now. So no vacations. Let’s get in there, let’s talk, let’s mix it up. I feel like in the sports world every day they have so many different things to talk about. And if you just try in the hip-hop world, I think we can come pretty close to it.”

Joe Budden Recording His Podcast Live In 2017

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 21: (L-R) Mal, Joe Budden and Rory attend the Joe Budden Podcast Live at Highline Ballroom on July 21, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Budden also addressed whether he considers his work to be entertainment or journalism. “It’s 100 percent entertainment,” he said. “It’s definitely entertainment. If it wasn’t entertainment, then I would be spending the night outside of NBC trying to get on their news channel. I’d be at Vice, ‘Hey, let me be your something.’ But it’s entertainment first. It’s probably journalism second [laughs]. For me. Where I saw this thing going a few years ago was news, much like music, was kind of taking the backseat to brands and personalities. So everybody’s delivering the same news. We all have access to the same shit. But how? How are you doing that? Like, what makes people connect to you? What are you doing to establish a relationship with that audience? That’s been my ‘escape the room’ math equation since 2001. How do I develop this connection with a fan through music, through TV? So that’s that same shit today.”

Budden previously worked at Complex, starring in the series Everyday Struggle alongside DJ Akademiks. He eventually left the outlet at the end of 2017 and focused his efforts on The Joe Budden Podcast. Check out Budden’s full interview with the outlet below.

Joe Budden For “Complex”

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Lil Pump Says He’s Never Met A Hater In Person

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Lil Pump says that the only negative interactions he’s had with haters have taken place in the comments sections of his posts. Speaking with Complex for a recent interview, the 22-year-old rapper says that it’s always “all love” in person.

“More people love me than hate me,” Pump began. “And I’ma say this right now: everybody who talks shit in my comments – every single body – I have never to this day seen one person walk up to me and say that shit to my face. Everything is on the internet. Nobody has ever walked up to my face and said nothing crazy. So this shit’s not even real. It’s fake to me.”

Lil Pump At Rolling Loud

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 14: Rapper Lil Pump performs onstage during day 1 of the Rolling Loud Festival at Banc of California Stadium on December 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

He continued: “I see thousands of comments, everybody talking shit. But you see me in person, the first thing everybody does, ‘Oh Pump, let me get a picture!’ Like, it’s all love. They don’t ever say crazy shit to my face. But it is what it is. I’m just making music to have fun. And if I piss you off, I piss you off. Oh well.”

The remarks come after the release of Pump’s latest album, Lil Pump 2. The project sees Pump collaborate with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Rio Da Yung OG, Smokepurpp, Ty Dolla Sign, and G4 Boyz. It was preceded by five singles, including “All the Sudden”, “Splurgin”, “Mosh Pit”, “She Know”, and “Tesla.” One song to spark up reactions from haters online was “Pump Rock X Heavy Metal,” which features Pump venturing outside of hip-hop. “Lil Pump’s metal song is objectively ass. Is this a controversial opinion?” one user tweeted after the release. Another joked, “The lil pump heavy metal song sounds like a family guy cutaway clip where Peter talks about that one time lil pump made a heavy metal song about stereotypical metal.” Check out Pump’s comments with Complex below.

Lil Pump On His Haters

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Joey Bada$$ On Serayah Dating Rumors

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A recently buzzing rumored relationship just got a stop sign from one of its alleged subjects. During a recent interview with Complex, Joey Bada$$ responded to rumors that he and singer and actress Serayah were dating. Moreover, the Wu-Tang: An American Saga costars sparked dating claims when they were boo’d up for an Instagram post. Not only that, but said picture seemed to promote Joey’s upcoming music video for his track “Show Me,” in which they starred as a couple. From what he told the publication, however, it was all part of the plan.

“We’re not [together],” the 1999 MC revealed. “Well, honestly, it wasn’t anything that wasn’t anticipated at first, but when we got back all the assets, like the photos, you know, I started to kind of like, ‘Oh, there’s something that could be done with these. This could tell the story.’ So that’s kinda what I wanted to do. I knew it was gonna catch people by surprise a little bit. That was the hardest part, was kinda waiting 48 hours, to like, you know I mean? They was wilin.’”

Joey Bada$$ Denies He’s Dating Serayah

Elsewhere, he also spoke to xoNecole about his relationship with the California native, and also dished out some dismissals of fan theories. “Serayah and I — I’m trying to think, when did we cross paths?” the 28-year-old began. “We have some mutual friends. I think we found ourselves at a few, like, at the same events. And we just became really cool, you know? We got a pretty cool friendship, and I think she’s gorgeous. I think she’s talented. She was in the studio with me one time and she heard the song, and I know that she really liked the song.

“When it came to shooting the video, I just kind of proposed the idea to her and she was down, you know what I’m saying?” Jozif Badmon went on. “Shout out to Serayah because she really came through for me and she killed it. She killed it. I’m single, to to clear all the confusion on that up. I don’t know; things could happen. Or have those things happened? Not necessarily. It’s not anybody’s business, but for those who are wondering, yes, I am single. The speculation and everything could die now.” Regardless of his testimony, stick around on HNHH for the latest news and updates on Joey Bada$$ and Serayah.

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Damson Idris Dodges Questions About Lori Harvey In New Interview: Watch

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It’s been only a few months since rumours of a romance between Damson Idris and Lori Harvey began swirling online, but already, the young lovers seem to be on cloud nine. The honeymoon phase is clearly in full effect, and though they’ve faced the usual rumours of breakup and drama between them, the couple has put on a united front through it all while giving little glimpses of their life together to the public. They were separated for some time as the Snowfall actor headed to Trinidad for Carnival and the model jetted off to Milan for Fashion Week, but as of late, they’ve been back outside together, making plenty of headlines.

Earlier this month, Idris and Harvey grabbed a bite to eat at a pizza joint in New York City, and just a few days ago, they attended SZA’s concert together. Prior to the latter, some internet sleuths were speculating about a breakup between the attractive pair, but their most recent outing quickly shut those down. While we haven’t seen them hit the town together since then, the English star did sit down for an interview with Complex on Monday (March 27), in which he aptly dodged Speedy Morman’s questions about his relationship.

Damson Idris Dodges Questions About His Relationship

“My private life, my relationship today, it’s great,” Idris confirmed, intentionally not giving out too many details. “Life is great, and I’m just moving forward.” When Morman asked his guest if it was hard to keep his romance with Harvey a secret, he said, “Yeah,” with a chuckle. “You know, our lives are under a magnifying glass. People need to understand that people in the public eye are people.” The 31-year-old then reiterated that things have been “great” for him as of late, a wide smile spreading across his face.

Elsewhere in their discussion, Damson Idris spoke about his experience having Jay-Z sponsor his green card, enabling him to relocate to America to work on some of our favourite TV shows. Aside from his performance as Franklin Saint, the internet has also been raving about his work in Donald Glover’s Snowfall opposite Chloe Bailey. Watch the actor’s full Complex interview on YouTube below, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.

Complex x Damson Idris

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Jim Jones Says Drake Is The GOAT

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Jim Jones recently revealed in a new interview with Complex that Drake is his GOAT contender. Moreover, he spoke on how he’s been able to stay incredibly relevant in the game for such a long time. Also, he stressed the importance on numbers, as Drake’s songs seem to always go platinum. Of course, the Dipset legend has plenty of reasons to put the 6 God on this pedestal. Their performance together at the iconic Apollo Theater was a truly special moment for the culture. However, Jones is clearly giving credit where it’s due, because Drake’s been dominant for almost fifteen years.

“I would say he’s the greatest of all time,” the 46-year-old stated. “I would just give that to him. And I mean, there’s a lot of people from the beginning and people that invented hip-hop, I know. But the greatest of all time, it’s a big statement, and the relevancy that he keeps showing year after year, hit after hit, record after record. Any song that he has put out has seemed to go multiple platinum. That’s never happened before in history.

Jim Jones Calls Drake The GOAT

“I mean, there are a few other people that do astronomical numbers like that, but he really in it, you know what I mean?” he continued. “From all angles of music. It ain’t no place you go where they’re not going to play some Drake records to get the party started. He moves around here like the real Bruce Wayne. He’s my spirit animal, man. I just got to give credit where credit is due, and not taking away from nobody else.

“What [Jay-Z] has done to this game is astronomical,” the New York legend conceded. “He’s like Michael Jordan for what he has put on and what he has done since he came in the game and where he’s at right now. But Jay exited music a long time ago. And that space, that void, I don’t know if it’s a void, but Drake has not exited and he’s still going strong to this day and it doesn’t seem like he’s stopping no time soon... But in this day, us highlighting our era really don’t hold no merit in what’s functioning right now… So, we tend to forget a lot of that s**t from back in those days.” Let us know your take in the comments and stick around on HNHH for the latest on Jim Jones and Drake.

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Fat Joe Believes Michael Jordan Is Still The GOAT Over LeBron James

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Fat Joe just cast his vote in the long-standing GOAT debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Of course, it’s a difficult question to ask, but still a fun one to answer for millions of NBA fans. Moreover, Complex caught up with the New York MC for his take on the debate at the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game. While LeBron just became the NBA’s all-time scorer, Joey Crack still stood by Jordan’s legacy in the game. Even though he made his opinion clear, he still showed a lot of love to the current Laker.

“MJ’s the GOAT,” the “Lean Back” star expressed on the red carpet of the big game. “We love LeBron. LeBron is the greatest, at this time. Actually, we worship LeBron. We love him to death, but MJ’s the GOAT.” However, Complex asked other celebrities like Cordae, who had a different perspective. “I wasn’t alive when MJ was playing,” the North Carolina rapper explained. “So I can only speak on what I’ve seen and LeBron has been doing the damn thing.” Even LeBron himself would agree. Of course, Joe’s one of the most prolific Air Jordan collectors in the rap game, so his take is unsurprising.

Fat Joe Crowns Michael Jordan The GOAT

Meanwhile, other hip-hop figures congratulated James on passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time scorer. For example, Jay-Z gave LeBron his flowers in a tribute video played by TNT. Not only did the arguably greatest rapper of all time acknowledge the NBA star’s 20-year career, but also its unique legend status. “Being able to perform at a high level for a long period of time, you know, that’s excellence,” Hov remarked. “Long after you’ve gone, people, they’re looking at your name. That’s what greatness is. There’s not many you can compare LeBron to. 19-time All-Star, a remarkable feat. The all-time scorer, all-time. I mean, what can you say?

“I’ve known LeBron since he was in high school,” he continued. “There was a lot of talk about how amazing he was. We were convinced this guy was super special. He’s been through plenty iterations of the game, and each era, he’s been the best. The chosen one, that’s it.” Regardless of Jay’s words, let us know where you fall in that debate in the comments below. Also, stay logged into HNHH for the latest on Fat Joe, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and more NBA debates.

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