Joe Budden has been a fan of the recent moves from Drake to promote his upcoming album ICEMAN, but his anticipation comes with a caveat. Many folks are pointing out his previous criticisms of Drizzy, especially relating to the Kendrick Lamar battle. As such, Budden called out these fans on a new episode of his podcast, claiming they're ruining the rollout by gatekeeping and policing who gets to speak positively on this new project.
As caught by CY Chels on Twitter, the podcasts hosts debated about this topic. They are all ready to hear ICEMAN, but Joe called out the OVO soldiers who think those who crowned K.Dot the victor never want to hear the 6ix God again. The cohosts debated the "stay on that side" argument, positing that these overzealous listeners care more about the image and narrative of it all than the music.
Overall, they found this expectation unrealistic, but they did acknowledge the significant criticisms The Boy received in the battle's aftermath. They also brought up their previous praises of the Toronto superstar to combat this perspective, calling the Stans "stuck" and reinforcing negative engagements with art.
When Is Drake Dropping ICEMAN?
Drake is dropping ICEMAN on May 15, so it won't be long before The Joe Budden Podcast and the rest of hip-hop culture reacts. Die-hards will most likely continue to question and scrutinize media perceptions of him and fans who may have opposed him against Kendrick two years ago. But if the album delivers, that won't stop even staunch detractors from giving it its due flowers.
Of course, there will be many on the other side who will trash the project, as is natural for these artists' fanbases at this point. These two completely different narratives show just how big the OVO mogul is, as his presence diverges online timelines into Stans and haters.
Elsewhere, Joe Budden faced bias accusations surrounding Kendrick Lamar. Following some allegations from Daylyt that Kendrick's camp paid Budden for positive coverage, DJ Akademiks stepped in to doubt the veracity of this. He doesn't think it's out of the question, but there are many more factors influencing opinion than just alleged money or a rap battle take.
Read More: The Top 50 Best Drake Songs Of All-Time
