Joe Budden Says 'No' When Asked If He Thought Lil Yachty's Career Would 'Last This Long'
Budden told Lil Boat that he's created his "own lane."
Joe Budden is giving Lil Yachty his flowers.
The retired-rapper-turned-podcaster appeared on A Safe Place, where the veteran was asked if he thought Yachty was “gonna last this long” in music.
Budden didn’t sugarcoat his answer, simply saying, “No,” which prompted host, Lil Boat to say, “I know you didn’t.”
“Not at all,” Budden continued. “Are you shitting me? You have defied the odds, n***a. [Yachty laughs] I ain’t even about to lie to you. I didn’t think you would be this good. Your last album [Let’s Start Here]? N***a, hell no I didn’t think you’d be able to do that.”
“I didn’t think you’d be able to pen some of the things that you’ve penned,” Budden continued, “No matter what your backing is, you kinda stand alone. You’ve created your own lane.”
When Yachty responded, “Fair enough,” Budden said he couldn’t “be prouder” of the 26-year-old.
As Budden said, this is quite the departure from what he once thought of Yachty. Back in 2017, on Complex’s now-defunct show Everyday Struggle, Budden point blank asked Yachty, “Tell me what you want from hip-hop?”
The question left Yachty a bit stunned, as he mumbled, “I don’t know.”
“You don’t think that’s a question you should answer at some point?” Budden shot back.
“I’m making music, bro. I’m just having fun. My fans love it,” Yachty explained, who was 19 at the time.
That comment lit a fire under Budden who said, “You’re gonna have a big problem with just having fun in five years. You don’t sound like you’re very aware of what’s going on and you one of the hottest n***as on Earth.”
When Yachty asked what Budden wanted him to say, Budden continued, “I want you to be aware of your business. I want you to know whether you in a 360 or not. I want you to appreciate the culture that changed your life … I want you, who’s well-spoken and articulates himself well…”
Yachty attempted to diffuse the situation, saying, “My n***a, chill."
