"Joe Budden Podcast" Can't Believe Young Thug Is On Best Songwriters List

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares Published on May 01, 2026

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Joe Budden Podcast Young Thug Best Songwriters

Young Thug performs Sunday, May 26, at Neon Desert Music Festival. Neon Desert Music Festival 2019 043. Briana Sanchez / El Paso Times / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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"The Joe Budden Podcast" reacted to The New York Times' best living American songwriters list, which includes Young Thug, Jay-Z, and more.

Young Thug is an indelibly influential name in hip-hop and beyond, which landed him a spot on The New York Times' list of the 30 best living American songwriters. His name lands among Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Missy Elliott, Outkast, and other MCs, along with folks like Dolly Parton, Nile Rodgers, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and many more. The Joe Budden Podcast has a lot of love for Thugger, but they think this accolade is going too far.

As caught by Kurrco on Twitter, they debated about the pick, especially in comparison to other artists. Marc Lamont Hill expressed confusion and surprise at Thug's placement, whereas Parks lamented the snub of Max Martin. "Okay, then it's an egregiously bad list," he said.

"I don't understand that one," Hill expressed. "I thought y'all were joking when you said that. And no disrespect to Young Thug. I think he's a great artist. But one of the 30 greatest songwriters ever? With that list? Yeah, it's tough."

"With that list? I'm sorry," Ice chimed in. "Yeah, respectfully, I'm not putting him and Dolly Parton on the same list. But I love Young Thug," Parks expressed. "That's what I'm saying. I love Young Thug, too," Hill added.

Joe Budden's Young Thug Criticisms

Joe Budden has been critical of Young Thug before, but in a very different context, as he didn't have anything to say about the songwriters list. He and his podcast cohosts previously argued Thug's "stock has plummeted" since his release from prison over the YSL RICO trial. "He is putting on a masterclass in how to take a good brand and totally f**k it up," Budden expressed last year.

That followed more criticisms from Joe Budden about Young Thug's beef moves, arguing back in 2024 that he was trying to play both sides of the Gunna tension upon his release from jail. But as far as musical takes, Joe and the rest of the pod are fans of Thugger... Just not enough to place him on a list of the 30 best living American songwriters.

But many fans continue to defend his influence, and many artists continue to embody it. So no matter what you think of the accolade, it's an understandable one.

About The Author

Gabriel Bras Nevares

Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.