Joe Budden Slams Akademiks For Coverage Of PnB Rock's Death: "You Gotta Be Sensitive"

PnB sat down with Ak for an interview on "Off The Record" just days before his tragic death.

BYHayley Hynes
Link Copied to Clipboard!
6.6K Views
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images & Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images & Earl Gibson II/Getty Images

As music lovers continue to mourn the passing of 30-year-old PnB Rock, Joe Budden has taken a moment on his podcast to air out DJ Akademiks for his social media coverage of the artist's tragic death, seemingly saying that the Off The Record host's uploading of his most recent interview with the late singer – recorded just days before his death – was insensitive.

"I hate that I saw that clip," Budden said of footage from Ak and Rock's interview during which the recording artist spoke about being targeted by robbers while out and about with his girlfriend and young daughter approximately 10 days before his words came into fruition at a Los Angeles restaurant on September 12th.

Joe Budden Slams Akademiks For Coverage Of <a href=PnB Rock's Death: "You Gotta Be Sensitive"">
PnB Rock in 2019 -- Paras Griffin/Getty Images

The Joe Budden Podcast host continued, "I hate that Ak put that clip. This was my exact Adam22 argument about sensitivity. You gotta be sensitive about certain things. I can’t put that out. At the end, while alive, he’s describing his partner and he’s talking about the role that your partner plays in those instances."

"As a man, we’ve all been there where we peep something and our partner maybe didn’t think it was that serious. So he describes that in his clip and not very long after, shortly after, it comes to life. That exact shit," he said.

Though he didn't hesitate to air Akademiks out, Budden admitted that he, too, posted some questionable content about PnB Rock's death that earned him some backlash without revealing any specific details as to what the upload was.

Joe Budden Slams Akademiks For Coverage Of PnB Rock's Death: "You Gotta Be Sensitive"

Finally, the 42-year-old expressed sympathy for the mother of the "Selfish" hitmaker's two children, Stephanie Sibounheuang, who has been faced with intense cyberbullying after her partner's passing.

"Now, the young lady. I posted a picture. I deleted it. I was getting fried. Now there’s a clip that says I was slipping before this. I’m not putting that clip out because that young lady is already dealing with enough," Budden shared. "I don’t need to compile on what’s going on with her in this moment. For what? It’s nasty."

Check it out in the video below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more hip-hop news updates. RIP PnB Rock.

Joe Budden Slams Akademiks For Coverage Of PnB Rock's Death: "You Gotta Be Sensitive"

[Via]


  • Link Copied to Clipboard!
About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.