Cardi B Blasts Joe Budden for Criticizing Her Career and Drake, Joe Responds with Denials
5 min readArnold Turner/Getty Images | Johnny Nunez, Getty Images
Cardi B recently launched a scathing attack on Joe Budden, accusing him of hating on both her and Drake. This came during a fiery session on X Spaces on Thursday, July 18, where she didn’t hold back in addressing Budden’s criticisms and allegations.
Cardi B’s Explosive Rant
Cardi B’s tirade was sparked by Budden’s recent commentary on her career and his critique of Drake’s alleged $400 million deal. She accused Budden of being a habitual hater and questioned his motives. “Bro I gave you a lap dance two times in Starlets. You was high as f–k. High as f–k on coke, n—a… I don’t give a f–k when people talk s–t about me,” she ranted. “It’s the fact you always talk sh*t about me Joe Budden. Out of nowhere, you would think I did something to this n—a… For the past two years, this n—a has only talked bad things about me.”
Cardi b tells Joe budden he’s a hater for going at drake for signing a 400 million dollar deal pic.twitter.com/M6QkIA7b6u
— joebuddenclips (@Chatnigga101) July 18, 2024
Cardi also expressed frustration over Budden’s habit of comparing her to other female rappers. “Every five or six months you comparing another female rapper towards me, you compare new artists, old artists, every single fing artist with me, bro,” she said. “If you love these bhes so much, why are you not talking about their album? You compare females to me that my worst records beat their best records. I don’t give a fk about none of these b*hes.”
Cardi B speaks on Joe Budden critiquing her career and music
— Johnny (@johnnyflash__) July 18, 2024
pic.twitter.com/mNbmduLxXo
Accusations and Clarifications
Cardi’s anger didn’t stop there. She addressed Budden’s comments about her label potentially releasing her sophomore album without her permission and dismissed his claims about her divorce from Offset being a publicity stunt. “You quit on your passion,” she accused Budden. “I’m not gonna quit, bro. That’s the issue with you; you critique everybody. You critique every single body, and stop being a hater, bro. Stop being a f**king hater.”
She further recalled their past interactions, claiming, “Bro, I gave you a lap dance two times in fkin’ Starlets, you was high as fk on coke, n***a. I could smell that coke through your breath.”
Cardi B went off on Joe Budden on Spaces today for "always talking sh*t" about her
— SOUND (@itsavibe) July 18, 2024
"I gave you a lap dance 2 times in Starlets, you was high as f*ck on coke… I ain't f*cking Drake n*gga I ain't gonna write no nice paragraph, imma come at you, imma shine that head of yours…"… pic.twitter.com/qW1Xc8vueD
Joe Budden’s Response
In response to Cardi’s accusations, Joe Budden took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to defend himself. He denied ever receiving a lap dance from Cardi and refuted allegations of drug use. “I promise you and can assure you, I will not cover a single thing this girl does for the remainder of her career… Peace & love,” he tweeted. He also added, “I have also never gotten a lap dance from this lady.”
I promise you and can assure you, i will not cover a single thing this girl does for the remainder of her career… Peace & love. 🫶🏽
— Joe Budden (@JoeBudden) July 18, 2024
Budden later tweeted, “I really just wanted an album from someone whose music I love,” and eventually apologized to Cardi, writing, “She cursing me smooth out but she still hilarious lol…. I’m going to bed, I apologize to @iamcardib for whatever I did and peace and love to all.”
I really just wanted an album from someone whose music i love 🤦🏾
— Joe Budden (@JoeBudden) July 18, 2024
She cursing me smooth out but she still hilarious lol…. I’m going to bed, i apologize to @iamcardib for whatever i did and peace and love to all.
— Joe Budden (@JoeBudden) July 18, 2024
I have also never gotten a lap dance from this lady.
— Joe Budden (@JoeBudden) July 18, 2024
Cardi B’s Career and Future Projects
Amidst the drama, Cardi B fans are still eagerly awaiting her sophomore album, which has been delayed multiple times. In May, Cardi announced that the album would not be dropping in 2024. Instead, she plans to focus on her existing commitments and enjoy her summer. Despite the delay, she continues to release new music, including a feature on Rob49’s new single “On Dat Money,” which dropped on July 19.
Cardi B’s debut album, Invasion of Privacy, released in April 2018, was a massive success, topping the Billboard 200 and winning a Grammy for Best Rap Album. As the wait for her next project continues, the recent exchange with Budden highlights the pressures and criticisms that come with being in the spotlight.
Budden’s Prediction and Apology
On a recent episode of his podcast, Joe Budden predicted that Cardi B might never release another album. “We’ll never get another album again. I am standing on it,” he stated. He went on to compare her to a single artist, suggesting that her future releases would be sporadic.
Following Cardi’s impassioned response, Budden softened his stance, acknowledging his misstep. “I really just wanted an album from someone whose music I love,” he tweeted, apologizing for any offense caused.
The back-and-forth between Cardi B and Joe Budden underscores the tensions within the music industry and the challenges artists face from public and critical scrutiny. Despite the drama, Cardi remains focused on her career, ready to silence her critics with her next big release.