Mood Muzik 2: Can It Get Any Worse? was released about two years ago to critical acclaim for one benched rapper named Joe Budden. Finally, off Def Jam’s gargantuan shelf, he now offers Mood Muzik 3: It’s About to Get Worse, the latest in the trilogy. The offering shows that Budden hasn’t missed a step and, while some of the anger has subsided, he’s still got plenty of emotion to go around. AllHipHop.com presents the worst preview ever written – track by moody track.
“Hiatus”
Produced by Mellow Madness
A series of voice mail messages from Budden’s friends and associates leads the listener into a banger called “Hiatus.” The song has a vibe along the lines of Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP era and Joe’s voice bellows with an unorthodox flow. For some reason Joe is able to rap for five minutes straight and still captivate the listener. The beat of the song is a roller coaster that dips up and down at a rapid rate. Never boring, this is lyrical boot camp.
Memorable lines:
“Two years, waits up, still sleep, wake up / Girl, gon’ break up / Mind right, cake up / Friends came, friends left / Bullsh*t is endless /Then that Hip-Hop, really not impressed.”
“No wonder I picked up triggers to beef / I only ever fist-fought with n***as bigger than me.”
“What’s what, whose who / Paranoid as usual / Gripping on my deuce-deuce / either way a lose-lose.”
“Ventilation”
Produced by Klasix
After the feverish first song, Joe quickly slows it down with this
one. Flow-wise, he is still offering barbed rhymes, but allows the
sample to lead the way. “Ventilation” offers a lot of self-examination
here, but the packs a punch nonetheless. Adlibs add to the affect as
well.
Memorable lines:
“I kept brushing off my shoulder ’til the chip was gone / Left the
Benz at the dealer ‘til the kit was on / I don’t feel n***as song so /
While y’all at the awards, I’m loading up on ratchets / that’s the Tip
(T.I.P.) I’m on.”
“Sometimes you gotta lose a fight if you trying to win the war / I’m
focused on tomorrow / Done seeing my friends in the rearview thinking
we really closer than we are.”
“They say, “How you sit so long when you spew classics?” / I tell n***as I can’t understand it – that’s “Blue Magic.”
“I’m looking in his casket like he had no face / I was at a loss for words like ‘Fiascogate.’”
“Talk To ‘Em”Produced by Mellow Madness
The gloves come off on the first track of Mood Muzik 3. There are no names named, but “Hiatus” represents some of the angry sentiments expressed on Mood Muzik 2. Backed by a hyperactive track, Joe lets a lot of the frustration out. He appears to be dissing Jay-Z and tosses a few stones at the man he once proclaimed his favorite rapper.
Memorable lines:
“I’m a boss and you not / sh*t, they even tried to kill Frank Lucas”
“Feeling funktified and get a bottle to a face”
“Are we hustling are or we grown up? / Every time I hear you you changing your tone up.”
“When the new generation think about Jordan / all they remember is when Iverson crossed him.”
“Take off the blazer and loosen up the tie / n***a fell in love and Superman died.”
“Every encore ain’t a good one”
“Warfare”
Produced by the Klasix
Featuring Joel Ortiz
Enter Joel Ortiz, who blesses Mood Muzik 3 with a welcomed change of pace. Joe steps up the flow to further compliment the Big Pun influenced style of his New York counterpart. The song clocks in just under three minutes; a perfect length of time. The Klasix give the dynamic duo a big beat that pounds with a hodge-podge of piano, electric guitar and assorted drums.
Memorable Lines:
Joel Ortiz:
“I was really in the lobby with the grams trying to take guap / In the hallway all they is or they ain’t hot / listening to Hot 9 like, “What do they got they I don’t?” / With a blindfold, I everyone they say is hot / It’s too easy, I feel that I’ma cheater / The flow is heavy / yours light like a slice of pita / When moms was pregnant, she was lighting reefer – but that’s why I’m nice / In the middle of Alaska, I’ll write a heater”
“Dear Diary”
Produced by Sultan
“Dear Diary” is a stroll down memory lane. The walk is slow, deliberate and honest, where he unravels his deepest emotions. Joe expresses his love for his real team and contempt for those that are no longer with him. But the song also expresses some major pain like that character Damon Wayans once played. The last leg of this song, Joe expresses frustration and anger towards the mother of his son, a sentiment that will resonate with fathers.
Memorable lines:
“Some things are so embedded in our heads / looking for O’s, but get X’s / dealing with ya ex’s / I was a long line away from the Tetris / You sent me the “L” that sent me to Hell / To the point where I’m denied my son / I don’t see him don’t talk to him / I don’t greet him don’t walk with him / But I pay for him like he’s an object / No matter how right I am in court I can’t object .”
“Get No Younger”
Produced by Klasix
Featuring Ezo
“Get No Younger” is the first song that has Joe dipping his feet into commercial waters. His diversity is on full display with a strong assist by singer Ezo, who croons “Fall or the summer…streets is pulling me under…ain’t getting no younger.” Plain and simple, this is a song to ride to with the windows down on a long highway during warm weather.
Memorable lines:
“I’ma 80’s baby with a 60’s mind state / Yankee fitted backwards, looking at whipper snappers/ Living young and restless / Never mind who the best is / They need to get rid of that style – put it on Craig’s List.”
“Star Inside of Me”
Produced by Dub B
“Inside of Me” represents the lead single of Mood Muzik 3. Here Joe reasserts the many notions considered when he first came out – that he is destined to be a star. The song also represents a commercial-flavor tune that has started to get picked up by music outlets on the East Coast. Internet aficionados will cry foul, but the female and pop population is likely to get open. This also represents the only song produced by longtime collaborator Dub-B.
Memorable lines:
“I write mood music / Know a lot of you ain’t used to it / Jot my life on wax / I’m putting you through it / No lies, its all truth to it”
“They used to say we were losers / I beg to differ – that ain’t me / Through the music because its (inside of me).”
Killa BH skit
Produced by Kill BH
“Send Him Our Love”
(Stack Bundles Dedication)
Produced by the Klasix
The light mood of Killa BH, rapid shifts to a somber one with “Send Him Our Love,” a moving dedication to the late Stack Bundles. Over a distinctive sample from a random 80’s rock band, Joe tells the story of his former partner in rhyme. The song’s refrain is peppered with Joe reflecting on the lighter times with Stack. The last verse is particularly poignant where Budden envisions his friend is now in heaven rapping, rocking and chilling with rap’s greats like Pac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay.
Memorable lines:
“I’m looking in your casket praying a n***a get up / For a minute I couldn’t help but think that you were set up / No matter who you are you gotta answer when the Lord calling / I told you go and f**k with Jimmy, that’s before “Ballin’”
“Another Black man taken by a Black hand / Wish your last night in the club / We coulda saved your last dance – Gotdamn.”
“I know the kids really need you / I keep telling them Pac wanted to sign you / Big needed to see you / Pun wanted to cipher /[Big] L wanted you to bring some of that good kush up and get a little higher.”
“Family Reunion”
Featuring Fabolous and The A-Team (Ransom & Hitchcock)
Produced by Shatek The Producer
Ironically, Ransom and Joe, now mortal enemies, bookmark this posse cut with excellent verses. Reports out of Joe’s camp suggest that Ransom’s verse will be removed or defaced in some musical way since he and Joe no longer roll tight. “Family Reunion” also features memorable cameos by Fabolous and Hitchcock, who present a more laid back style than the feverish Ransom.
Memorable lines:
Ransom: “You did it, I done it, you get it, I punish, the chick that I come with / I separate her rib from her stomach / I’m a boss / when I spit it you love it / Matter [of] fact – I’m a Viking / I need a whole village to ‘plunage’ [plunder].”
Hitchcock: “In the bing I’m like Ving Rhames, I bring pain / I sling cane off the wing like I’m King James”
Fabolous: “I’m that n***a. Who you dudes? / Some broke n***as that trying to get some Youtube views.”
Joe Budden: “How ya’ll feel y’all selves? [you should] kill y’all selves / ‘Cause Cowboys don’t need you – you Bill Parcells.”
Joe Budden: “Been in the bing for days / Show you how I’m real / Went home to the truck with the Optimus Prime Grill.”
Joe Budden: “Tell me how you a thug and you Superman / I just seen you in the club doing the Superman.”
“5th Gear”
Produced by Sultan
“5th Gear” is a similar record to “Talk To ‘Em,” just at a faster pace. Joe goes straight through like a freight train with no brakes or stops, which is a reoccurring happening on Mood Muzik 3. For fans that love to hear Joe spit flames, this further solidifies his status as one of the best emcees. Casual listeners might not be attracted in the same manner as die-hard followers.
Memorable Lines:
“The game used to make you sell your soul / now its gotta come with a dance.”
“When the world’s against you well / Nah, I’ll never snitch, but I’ll let the pencil tell / I suffer from wrong-thinking / So I avoid straight jackets and the b***h that dumped Sean Kingston.”
“If life’s a b***h, it ain’t just R.Kelly and Ush f***in’ the same girl”
“Play Vanilla Ice, I get Suge Knight on ‘em.”
“Roll Call”
Produced by Sultan
“Is anybody tired of that bubblegum sh*t?” Joe Budden asks in the first moments of “Roll Call.” This amped up song is like a one-man posse cut that doubles as a platform to express the frustration associated with being a talented artist unable to get comparable traction in the slippery slope of the music industry. For Budden, many of the humdingers are directed to Def Jam, his former label. If Mood Muzik 3 was a dagger, this would be the point.
Memorable lines:
“I could scream Def Jam and what they used to be, but that ain’t for me to say, that’s for you to see / Whether it’s Method Man or Redman, Ghostface, Young Gunz / Need I say Freeway? The proof is me/ Still don’t believe me then where’s Peedi Peedi? / They ain’t really giving a f**k unless you Jeezy.”
“If you ain’t the president or Kanye / You won’t see the time of day.”
“I finally figured out that hate is the new love.”
“Don’t mind me / Last of a dying breed / Want to take Rap and bring it back to the 90’s.”
“Secrets”
Produced by Klasix
This sordid tale could be a candidate for Illseed’s “Signs The World Is Ending.” It weaves a saga about a couple lost Black girls, a confused Black man and the ensuing deadly collision. Nothing is what it seems in “Secrets;” as it may require a couple of listens before the message sinks in. Musically, the song changes frequently with live drums, bass, electric guitar and a singer for effect, offering a tale suggestive of MM2’s “Three Sides To A Story.”
Memorable lines:
“I made it rain on her once and b***h couldn’t say thank you.”
“I tried to talk to him / He ain’t get the message / She looking sick and sickly, exceeding anorexic.”
“I don’t rap too fast, n***as listen too slow – dumb motherf***ers (song adlibs)”
“All of Me”
Produced by Klasix
Featuring Imani
This is by far the moodiest record on Mood Muzik 3. The production, assumed by the multi-faceted crew The Klasix, creates a somber, brooding ambiance full of flutes and airy singing. The song itself is standard Budden fare in that is looks back on the rapper’s life, as he recollects his rights, wrongs, and mishaps. He also stares at the baffling current events like his recent beef with former friend Ransom. In one particular section of the song, Budden weaves a tale about a friend with a brain tumor, only three weeks to live and how the pensive rapper didn’t call back before she expired.
Memorable lines:
“She put on a show that you can’t stage / She made the s**t sound effortless / I was damn near in tears checking my messages.”
“I ain’t here ‘cause I feel down / I’m here ‘cause I got up.”
“And then I’m going back and forth with Ransom/ The sh*t came outta nowhere, was real random / According to him, I’m responsible for Jerz too / I never help n***as? How the f**k you think they heard you?”
“Folger’s Brother”
By Killa BH
Killa BH drops a humorous parody of Kanye West’s “Big Brother.”
Memorable lines:
“I told Joe I brush my teeth with Colgate / Next thing I know he brush his teeth with Colgate / Back of my mind, I’m like Jumpoff no way…”
“I’m bout to get like Craig Mack and put the flavor in ya ear – uh-huh, uh-huh.”
“I’m hot like a hundred degrees.”
“Long Way to Go”
Feat Mr. Probz
Produced by Soulsearchin’
Mr. Probz, a singer from Amsterdam, sets the tone with his unique singing voice, which is featured on the hook of “Long Way To Go.” Joe even gets his sing on in the bridge of the song, which is a return to his musical roots. This song represents a personal and universal struggle and has Joe examining his own issues, but also those of Sean Bell, Virginia Tech, Hurricane Katrina, Don Imus, and Michael “Kramer” Richards.
Memorable lines:
“I don’t do things like I used-ta / The past is the past. I’m presently thinking ‘bout the future / Certain n***as betting I fall / I’m speed jogging through the quicksand / I’m juggling three medicine balls/ See I’m coming up / Used to share a room with three cell mates / Now, I tower over the Devil, but this ain’t ‘Hell Date.’”
“F**k a drink and a two-step, I’m two steps from a drink.”
“If I fall like Beyonce, I just get up and keep dancing.”
“Never been a goal I couldn’t reach / Never been a lesson I couldn’t teach.” (Singing)
“Thou Shall Not Fall”
Produced by Klasix
Over a big beat and hand claps, The Klasix give Joey a beat that is reminiscent of Queen’s classic rock song “We Will Rock You.” With the chorus of children singing, it’s also a reminder that Shady Records wouldn’t be such a bad home for Budden if it can be arranged. This is definitely a track that that “Toy Soldiers” crossover/rock vibe. On this one Joe, addresses the AllHipHop.com Celebrity Rap Battle, which eventually lead to real Rap “battles” between Mistah F.A.B. and Royce. F.A.B. said an off-the-head freestyle about Joe’s younger brother, which happened in real life. The tension is captured in his oddly uplifting song.
Memorable lines:
“I only respect one Fab and I’m friends with him / Phonte backed out, n***as pumped sense in him / They went and pumped slugs in my little brother, but dog I still love Little Brother.”
“You gotta shoot at Ma Dukes before the Tec spits / I don’t go out looking for Drama like the Feds did.”
“Still My Hood”
Produced by Wyks
Through all the stress, pain and turbulence, Budden still manages to land on a positive note with “Still My Hood.” Still living in New Jersey, he takes the voyeur on a voyage of the neighborhood that reared the rapper. Joe expresses contempt for the environmental conditions yet his undying love for the ‘hood.
Memorable lines:
“And [you] know n***as is rats / Some boys is wired and the food in the supermarket is all expired / Every block is a liquor store, an abandoned building / Drunk parents at the liquor store abandoning their children.”
“If you never been, you can never know about it / System’s f***ed up, jails is overcrowded.”
“And I rate nothing above it / I know it seems odd but I hate it and I love it / Nah, I hate that I love it.”
VIDEO EXTRAS
“Dear Diary”
“Hiatus”
“Send Him Our Love”