Joe Budden Breaks Down Emo Bars, "It's Not Some Regular Rap Bullsh*t"

Slaughterhouse's Joe Budden recently opened up about his ability to let his emotion spew into music and why hip-hop artists are able to get away with emo raps without losing credibility to their image.

Budden, known widely for his Mood Muzik mixtape series, said emo raps have always been individually beneficial to him.

"There's pros and cons of everything. This is the way that I began rapping, that I began writing. It was always very therapeutic, it was always very introspective, it was always very personal. And that was more so for me, not even the fans. So it's like a real blessing that fans were able to appreciate that and gravitate towards that and accept that and expect that from me. It's worked out in my favor. It's not a gimmick, it's not gimmicky. It's not just some regular rap bullsh*t that a n*gga's doing because he sees he's having success in that field or in that lane. I think it's all very genuine and it's all very sincere, and I think the fans are able to tell that." (Its My Culture)

Last fall, Budden talked to SOHH about why fans should support his emo-themed project, Mood Muzik 4.

"I want everybody to go out and purchase this, no doubt, but I'm not mad at people who download it. I think this time around, we [targeted] a lot of first-time listeners. I think there's a big misconception that Joe Budden is only [known for] "Pump It Up." You just think "the club" [when referencing me]. Some people don't know any better. They think, 'Oh my God, here's this guy that put out one record and disappeared.' Here, you can appreciate the artistry, the lyrics, the integrity and just passion and emotion in this record that you'll be able to go out and buy." (SOHH Buy My Record)

In September 2010, G.O.O.D. Music rapper Kid Cudi defended his emo image.

"DMX is emo and he's one of the realest n*ggas in the game. Emotion is what hip-hop thrives on. Don't you want your music to have emotion in it? People like to always throw some negative cloud over it. Doesn't even make sense. Jeezy is emo. When that n*gga be rapping, you feel it. You know that n*gga's talking some real sh*t...People are quick to judge my singles one by one, and when the album drop, those be the a**holes that are like, 'Oh sh*t, I totally underestimated Cudi, this sh*t is crazy.' I told you, dumb**: You can't look at snippets from an Oliver Stone film and be able to critique it." (Complex)

This week, West Coast rap newcomer Co$$ told SOHH about the advantages of putting emotion in music.

"I know this is going to sound really subjective and stereotypical but the third reason is because I'm a real motherf*cker. This is not some exaggerated thing. I feel like there's a lot of artists going emo or putting too much emotional sh*t into the music. Some artists feels like it's a negative but I feel like it's a plus. Identifying with artists is what really made rappers like 2Pac and Biggie and Black Thought. So I'm a real n*gga but not on some generic type stuff like I bust my guns. I'm a genuine person and I really feel like I go through the same stuff everyone else does." (SOHH Buy My Record)