Dee-1 has maintained a positive outlook amid his ongoing feud with Joe Budden, who recently criticized the rapper for clout chasing.
During an appearance on Big Loon’s It’s Up There podcast on Thursday (March 14), he voiced his desire to squash his beef with the New Jersey spitter-turned-podcaster.
“I’m not gonna get bullied by someone who feels like, ‘Well, I have a bigger platform than you, I am just going to talk down on you,’” he began.
“I literally got a book that’s about not getting bullied and how to overcome it. I wrote this for kids! This is a children’s book, bro, that’s teaching them how to interact with one another even though they may have differences.”
He continued: “Me and this dude on the cover who used to bully me, all these years later we best friends, bro … So, that’s why I’m looking forward to— dawg, I can’t wait to hug Joe Budden, bro. I can’t wait to dap him off and tell him, bro, my favorite song from you is ‘Follow My Lead’ and da da da.”
Watch the New Orleans MC discuss his hopes of resolution at the 53:08 mark below:
The whole situation began when Dee-1 called on Meek, Jones and Ross to consider the impact of their lyrical content.
“Jim Jones, you could do better, brother,” he said on Sway in the Morning in October. “I love you too much to not be honest with you. Rick Ross, you could do better, brother. Meek Mill, you could do better, brother! I love you too much not to be honest with you.
“Oh, you the face of prison reform? Or are you sitting here on your new song with Ross talking about getting somebody murked and shot at the red light? Which one is it, bro?”
Budden’s initial response was to call Dee-1 a “clout chaser” and to say: “I’m not trying to slight him — I’m just saying you get qualified first. Tell us who you are first before you decide to just go calling name after name after name.”
Upon catching wind of the comments, Dee-1 took to social media to respond. In his first of two posts, which included a video of Budden’s critique, he captioned it: “Brother Joseph, you still on this? Fa real bro?”
“That other n-gga is clout-chasing,” Budden said in the clip. “I ain’t saying his name no more ’cause you’s a nasty, clout-chasing Christian … That n-gga’s disgusting.
“Name whoever you want. Name away. I’m sorry I ever caught wind of your Christian ass. You have been a real Christian fucking thorn in my side ever since I got wind of whoever the fuck you are.”
Several minutes later, Dee-1 followed up with a video message addressed to Budden.
“Joe Budden, you still talking about me, dog?” he began. “Let me show you one difference between me and you. You stay having to apologize to people, because you don’t speak from a place of principle. This is a pattern…
“I represent something that you not on, so you gonna find every way to try to discredit it or tell me what I’m doing is wrong. Just stop. I’m still not gonna disrespect you, brother, because you are such an easy target.”
He went on to reference a diss song about Budden that he. claimed to have recorded, but decided to shelve.
“You say I’m a Christian thorn in your side. If I release this song I did about you, that’s gonna be a Christian dagger to your ego. And I know you can’t take that, bro,” he added.