The Eminem song Joe Budden called "top five of all time"

Joe Budden and Eminem have a long and complicated relationship over the years. The two rappers have been in business before but have also had several public disagreements. However, the two do ultimately have mutual respect for one another.

In 2008, Budden formed a collective with Crooked I, Royce da 5’9″ and Joell Ortiz, who together became Slaughterhouse. Following the release of their first album, Slaughterhouse, via E1 Music in 2009, the group became dissatisfied with their label.

However, fortunately for Budden and his collective, the four-piece ensemble got picked up by Eminem and eventually signed with Shady Records. The group’s debut mixtape, On the House, was moderately successful, but their second studio album Welcome to Our House, peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 in 2012.

In 2013, the group were said to be working on a third album. However, the release date got pushed, and as artists repeatedly dipped in and out of solo work and other endeavours, the group collapsed, and Budden has been harsh and critical of Eminem ever since he left Shady Records.

The rapper-turned-podcaster has made remarks about Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers), such as calling one of his songs “trash” and “disgraceful”. By doing this continuously, Budden caused Eminem to snap, and in 2018, on the track ‘Fall’, Mathers addressed Budden directly.

Taking shots at Budden, Mathers rapped, “I’m sorry, wait, what’s your talent? Oh, critiquin’ / My talent? Oh, bitch, I don’t know who the fuck y’all are.” He continued, “Somebody tell Budden before I snap, he better fasten it/Or have his body baggage zipped/The closest thing he’s had to hits is smacking bitches.”

However, irrespective of their past issues, Budden has remained unphased by Eminem’s frustration and has actually praised him a number of times on his various podcasts. That said in a 2013 interview with Complex, prior to the drama, Budden revealed his favourite Eminem song, stating, “‘Lose Yourself’ is a Top 5 song of all time to me just because of what it stood for, the message it delivers to such a vast array of people, both signed and unsigned. I know it did a lot for me as an MC on the rise.”

You can listen to ‘Lose Yourself’ in the video below.