During the recent installment of their ever-enduring back-and-forth, Joe Budden cackled over a slick shot at Drake’s newfound hobby, livestreaming. The ex-rapper-turned-podcaster responded to a post on X by Jason Martin that made lighthearted fun of Drake for partnering with the cryptocurrency gambling site Stake recently. It read, “Bruh turned buddy into a streamer” in what’s obviously an homage to Drake’s video game marathons. Budden’s reply was a simple yet powerful string of crying laughing face emojis.
Of course, the absurdity of it did not escape fans or critics. Many of the responses were snide comments, and most mocked Budden for participating in the joke. Referencing Mill and Tyga’s lack of number one hits, one user quipped: “Can’t make this up two rappers that never topped the charts bonding over their hate for Drake [laughing emojis]. Problem lack of fans turned him into a tweeter.” Then came this one, “A no hit wonder and a one hit wonder clowning the most successful rapper of all time smh.”
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Though Budden’s chuckles may have come off as a lighthearted jest, some fans saw them as another shot fired in the ongoing beef between the two rappers. The beef has been stewing for years now, with jabs and subliminal shots exchanged back and forth in both directions. Budden hasn’t been shy about slinging mud at Drake’s music, taking to podcast airwaves and social media to publicly air his grievances. Things hit a high point in 2023, when Budden received criticism for his lackluster critique of Drake’s album “For All The Dogs.” Drake clapped back with severe heat, calling out Budden as washed up and driven to switch careers by deriding his past shows, sales, and relevance.
The immediacy of this incident may be one step short of that level of direct confrontation, but its pettiness and meme-worthiness bring us at least a bit closer to September. Budden, a man who has established himself as the definitive commentator, is precisely in his wheelhouse when reacting to a viral joke. This is just one more example of the fact that for Drake, who has been a point of both glaring attention and derision, whatever he gets involved with, whether it be music, business, or, in this case, ambling, will always make headlines. No matter how simple or calculating Budden’s shade appears, his laugh alone keeps it within earshot of the public consciousness. And if the rise of social media has taught us anything, it’s that a string of laughing emojis can be deadlier than any diss track. This is proof that Drake and Budden’s friendly jabs, if you really want to call them that at all, are still a compelling hip-hop gossip feed.
