In the wake of Joe Budden publically firing his longtime Joe Budden Podcast co-host Rory Farrell, with whom he appears to be having a bitter falling out, it feels appropriate to take things back to this early millennium gem. Clearly, Budden was familiar with “Fire” all this time, having previously teamed up with Busta Rhymes for the oft-forgotten “Pump It Up” follow-up single from his eponymous debut.
Though often standing in the shadow of its predecessor, “Fire” is a perfectly solid banger in its own right. Produced by Just Blaze, who seemed charged with lacing Budden’s breakout hits, the uptempo track also featured a guest appearance from Busta Rhymes. Though Budden had yet to fully embrace his inner lyricist — that would come later, as the Mood Muzik series developed — he certainly showcased versatility on this one, keeping stride with one of the game’s most dexterous emcees.
With Budden’s focus having shifted into another realm entirely, perhaps it’s time to revisit his roots as a rising rapper, circling back eighteen years ago to his eponymous debut drop. All these years later, how do you feel about Budden’s slept-on single — is it nostalgic enough to merit classic status?
QUOTABLE LYRICS
I see creativity dying fast
I’m glad producers charge so high for they tracks
Now they do it all, you just applying the rap
Honestly now, it’s not the economy’s down
Now rap dudes suck their own pee hole
The wacker the music the bigger the ego