Key Takeaways
- Joe Budden said he has no regrets about firing friends, telling Yahoo Finance’s Built Different, “I’m married to the gig. I’m dedicated to the gig.”
- Budden explained that friendship doesn’t guarantee faith in his business vision, though his children and parents remain his priorities.
- Budden named no names, but former co-host Mal recently revisited their 2021 split, alleging a $140,000 accounting discrepancy and unpaid YouTube revenue owed to him and Rory Farrell.
Joe Budden has no regrets about firing friends he once worked with, explaining that his commitment to business sometimes takes priority over personal relationships.
During the season one finale of Yahoo Finance's Built Different, released Friday (Nov. 6), Budden spoke with his longtime manager and business partner, Ian Schwartzman, about the challenges of working with friends.
When Schwartzman asked what it was like firing his friends, Budden didn't hesitate.
"Well, by the time I fired my friends, I realized that's what needed to be done. I didn't lose sleep over it," Budden said. "That's what I'm saying. Like I think friends put a lot more stock into friendship with me than I put into friendship. Like I'm married to the gig. I'm dedicated to the gig."
Budden explained that friendships don't always translate into successful business partnerships, especially when people have different visions.
"I think it was great. On the flip side, because people are your friends, that doesn't mean that they're going to have faith in what you're building, how you're building it, your business plan, your ideologies," he said. "Like they might not believe in what you're doing. They could just be your friend."
When asked whether work comes before everything else, Budden clarified that his children and parents remain his priorities. He also explained why he rarely second-guesses ending relationships.
"As a Virgo, by the time a Virgo is detaching, by the time a Virgo is making a move or ending something, that Virgo has compiled a long list of tons of reasons why this should be happening."
Although Budden didn't name anyone, his comments come years after his highly publicized fallout with former Joe Budden Podcast co-hosts Rory Farrell and Jamil "Mal" Clay. The two departed the show in 2021 following disagreements over business dealings and financial transparency.
Mal recently revisited the situation during an appearance on the It's Up There Podcast on Monday (Nov. 9), alleging that money was taken from him and Rory.
He pointed to a disputed $140,000 accounting discrepancy and claimed the duo never received revenue from the podcast's YouTube channel despite working under a percentage-based agreement.
"We didn't get no nothing from YouTube," Mal said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Budden discussed his journey from Complex's Everyday Struggle to his 2018 Spotify deal and eventually building an independent podcasting business.
