Key Takeaways
- Joe Budden defended Angie Martinez's decision to withhold inflammatory portions of her 1996 2Pac interview, calling DJ Akademiks' comparison to his own rap-beef coverage "really, really bad."
- Akademiks questioned why Martinez's Netflix deal earns praise while his coverage draws backlash, but the podcast crew argued she prioritized safety over profit for nearly 30 years.
- Martinez said she withheld material to avoid fueling the East Coast–West Coast rivalry; her four-part video podcast, The Tupac Tapes with Angie Martinez, premieres November 27 on Netflix.
The Joe Budden Podcast crew isn't buying DJ Akademiks' comparison between Angie Martinez's unreleased 2Pac interview and the controversial street beef coverage he and other hip-hop media personalities have faced criticism for.
During a recent episode of the podcast, Joe Budden called Ak's argument "really, really bad" and accused him of missing the point behind Martinez's decision to keep the interview private for nearly 30 years.
"You just being willfully obtuse," Budden said.
Akademiks previously questioned why Martinez was receiving praise for releasing the interview through Netflix while he, DJ Vlad, and Adam22 have faced backlash for covering violent conflicts involving rappers.
"Oh, so now it's cool, right?" Akademiks asked, as well as questioning the financial aspect of the release. "She went to Netflix and got a deal. So she's getting the bag," he said. He also admitted: "I ain't even listen to the 'Pac interview."
However, Budden's podcast argued that Martinez's actions were fundamentally different. "She actually did the opposite," Ice said.
Budden also defended Martinez against attempts to diminish her decision. "I'm not letting nobody come and dim that," Budden said, referring to Martinez receiving recognition for something she had wrestled with for decades.
The conversation also turned to the media's role in escalating tensions between 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. during the 1990s.
Mona recalled how the East Coast-West Coast rivalry became so divisive that admitting to liking 2Pac while living on the East Coast felt controversial.
Marc Lamont Hill pointed out that hip-hop journalism became more cautious following both rappers' deaths, with media outlets recognizing how their coverage could contribute to real-world consequences. "That's why I have so much respect for Angie. And the choice she made," he said.
Hill also rejected the suggestion that Martinez's decision was financially motivated, noting she had numerous opportunities to capitalize on the recording over the years.
"If you wanted to make money, there have been lots of moments to make money off of this," he explained. "But she cared about the culture, and to wait until it was safe to put it out, rather than when it was most lucrative."
Martinez previously explained that she withheld portions of her 1996 interview because she feared the comments could intensify an already dangerous rivalry. "There were things said in that conversation that could have hurt people, damaged relationships, and added fuel to an already dangerous situation," she told Netflix Tudum.
The Tupac Tapes with Angie Martinez, a four-part video podcast featuring previously unreleased material, premieres on Netflix on November 27.
