2008 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors: Joe Budden on Naughty By Nature
In celebration of VH1's Hip-Hop Honors show (which airs Monday, October 6 at 10 p.m. ET), Rhapsody talked to a variety of contemporary artists about this year's honorees. Here's New Jersey's Joe Budden on Naughty By Nature.
Joe Budden: I first got familiar with them with “O.P.P.” When it came out, I was in Queens, and shortly after, I moved to New Jersey. I wasn’t even thinkin’ about [them reppin’] New Jersey [at that time], it was just, “Damn, this sh*t is crazy.” I would hear it all up and down Farmers Boulevard. Everybody was bumpin’ “O.P.P.” But once “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” hit, I was hooked. [What caught my attention was] the music, the message, what Treach brought to the track, and the things he was talkin’ about. I’m a big fan of hip-hop, rebelling, puttin’ your foot down, and standin’ strong in whatever you believe in. To be able to put that record out as a single and have it do so well, as gritty as it was, and with all the commercial attention they were receiving at the time, it was dope. It was definitely one of my favorite hip-hop songs ever.
“Guard Your Grill” is probably my favorite record off [their '91 self-titled] album. That sh*t was just crazy. I stole that album from a friend of mine, B-Wise. He was the biggest, biggest Treach and 2Pac fan. He was pretty upset about it, too. He was lookin’ for it and I told him, “I took it that last time I was at your crib.” B-Wise was a rapper, too. He used to recite Treach’s lines and try to make me understand how ill he was, so maybe that’s one of the reasons “Guard Your Grill” is my favorite joint.
Joe Budden: Treach is just the f*ck*n' man. It wasn’t until later on that I started to appreciate them doin’ what they did for New Jersey. At the time, it was just something different and fresh, but on the flipside, you know they had the fun songs like “Hip Hop Hooray.” The video for that record did the same thing [the video for] “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” did. The n*gg* had everybody in the video. It was like kind of watching the movement and saying, “This is exactly what I’m aspiring to do.” The sh*t was so hood and reminded me of one big New Jersey block party. [“Uptown Anthem"] is another one of my favorite records of all time, period. That’s my type of sh*t, man. That beat and just the way it comes on: it drops down slow then it just hits as soon as the piano chords hit. Vinnie even came off in that joint. Vinnie never really got credit in Naughty, but he’s came off on that joint. Everything about that record reminds me of my music.
Being an emcee, [Treach’s lyricism] caught me. I was able to appreciate the lyrics he brought to a commercial track. Coming up in Jersey, that’s all I would ever hear -- how busy Treach got on a microphone. He’s definitely one of the greatest emcees to ever come out of there. You’d have to be old and a hip-hop fan to know how ill Treach was because he doesn’t get credit enough. The words he rhymes, the way that he rhymes them, and his flow. Treach can change his flow at any given point in the verse. Like in the middle of a bar, he could change. His flow is just amazing. Sometimes, when he’s rappin’, there’s a couple of songs where, if you weren’t listening and just chillin’, you wouldn’t even know what the f*ck he was saying. But he was always saying something -- very clear, very clean, very crisp. [“Feel Me Flow”] was a fun record. It gave me the same feeling as “Hip Hop Hooray.” It’s not as dope of a record, to me, but it was just him with the flow doin’ his sh*t again. They knew how to make fun records and it just sounded like they were having fun makin’ them. People don’t know Treach is such a hood n*gg*. He’ll come up to the black-tie affair in a one-piece jumper with a f*ck*n’ scarf around his neck and a big-ass bike chain.
I’m actually supposed to do some work on the upcoming Naughty album. Me and Treach have been neighbors [for a few years]. We see each other all the time and we have a genuine love for one another. He’s always on his grind and I’m always on mine. He left me a message the other day on my phone saying he was in the studio working on a Naughty album and wanted me to come through. I was out of town and just getting back so hopefully we can make it happen. It was during the Flava Unit days when I first saw Naughty and I eventually met each one of them separately. Me and Treach we didn’t become really, really, really cool until I was makin’ my own type of noise in the industry, and he was just so proud that a n*gg* was from New Jersey.
When anybody thinks of New Jersey, they should think of Naughty By Nature. They are definitely the greatest group to come out of New Jersey. ... If I really get into it, they would have to be considered a top six or seven group worldwide, not just New Jersey. They took something and they nationalized it. Outkast, Tribe, EPMD, Wu Tang, Run DMC, you gotta throw all of the greats in there. Whenever you speak about those legendary groups that did something for hip-hop, Naughty by Nature should definitely be mentioned. I was definitely happy to hear [they’re back together]; I was disappointed when I heard that all the friction was goin’ on. I think they all brought something to the table. Treach, as dope as he was, Vinnie and Kay Gee brought something.To put all the aspects back together, I can’t wait to get in the studio with them.
[Treach is] everything hip-hop should be period. At the 2003 Vibe Awards, I wanted to go, but my label convinced me not to go because I wouldn’t win. I ended up winning the [Best New Artist] award and I wasn’t there. They had Meghan Good presenting the award, so I would have definitely loved to be there. But I remember people tellin’ me that Musiq Soulchild, Treach, Naughty and everybody from Jersey just stood up, went crazy and repped me like I wouldn’t be able to imagine. But especially Treach. It touched me, it definitely did something to me. I was appreciative because I don’t think I’d be as far as I am today without his influence. I don’t feel bad [that kids today don’t know about Naughty]. The people that are supposed to know about Naughty, know about Naughty. You got some kids runnin’ around today saying Soldier Boy is the greatest rapper; I don’t knock them for sayin’ that, everybody’s entitled to their opinion. Some things are not for people to know, I’m just glad I’m one of the few that do.
Further Reading:
Q&A: Joe Budden [PLAY]
2008 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors: Killer Mike on Cypress Hill [PLAY]
2008 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors: DJ Drama on De La Soul [PLAY]
2008 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors: Devin the Dude on Slick Rick [PLAY]
2008 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors: Big Boi on Too Short [PLAY]
Comments