Joe Budden is catching serious heat online after fans accused him of switching sides for the bag following his surprisingly positive reaction to Drake’s latest triple album drop.
The drama exploded after Drake released THREE different albums in one night, each with completely different sounds and vibes. While some fans praised the ambitious rollout, others admitted only one project, “Iceman,” really stayed in rotation. But what shocked people most wasn’t Drake’s music — it was Joe Budden suddenly sounding like one of Drake’s biggest supporters.
For years, Joe built a reputation as one of Drake’s harshest critics. Whether it was Drake’s music, his personal life, or industry moves, Joe never held back. That’s why fans were stunned when he gave the new projects little to no criticism on his podcast.
The backlash got even louder after Akademiks accused Joe of making a “business decision” instead of giving an honest review.
According to Akademiks, Joe knew exactly what he was doing: stop attacking Drake, attract Drake fans to Patreon, and cash in.
Akademiks even joked that Joe avoided his usual “angry wife beater rant” because there was too much money on the line this time.
Joe eventually responded on his podcast, saying he was actually offended people thought he was being fake. He claimed he genuinely enjoyed the music and argued that if he wanted attention, hating Drake would’ve made him MORE money — not less.
Still, listeners weren’t buying it.
Fans immediately pointed out how different Joe sounded compared to his infamous anti-Drake rants from last year, where he called Drake manipulative, fake behind the scenes, and one of the biggest “villains” in the industry.
Now social media is split.
Some people believe Joe is simply being honest about enjoying the albums.
Others think the longtime Drake critic suddenly going soft right when Drake dominates headlines feels way too convenient.
The situation got even messier after Joe openly admitted Drake’s name helps generate millions of views and dollars for his platform whenever he speaks on him.
That confession only fueled accusations that the review was more about business than music.
Meanwhile, Drake fans are enjoying the chaos, Kendrick fans are calling Joe compromised, and hip hop Twitter is once again debating whether podcasters can truly stay unbiased when massive artists affect their revenue.
One thing is clear: whether people loved the albums or hated them, Drake once again found a way to become the center of the conversation — and Joe Budden ended up right in the middle of the storm.
