Joe Budden Mood Muzik 3: Album Review

How do you follow an album that’s been dubbed by Scratch Magazine as “One of the greatest mixtapes ever?” You usher in its successor with an honest monologue posted on YouTube claiming that the album will be worth the wait, refuse to give an exact drop date, and keep your fan base guessing. “Mood Muzik 3: For Better or Worse,” lets the listener into the heart of Joe Budden. He details his union with the music industry, which has been marked by him cutting ties with Def Jam, and currently being one of the most underrated emcees.

The official trailer for “Mood Muzik 3” was posted on YouTube by the album’s Co-Executive Producers The Klasix on May 16th. During the video, Budden energetically explains why the album’s release wasn’t rushed and casually mentions “This is sh*t I do for Joe Budden fans. I applaud Job Budden fans for being Joe Budden fans. It’s hard being a Joe Budden fan, ‘cause sh*t don’t come as fast as it would being an average n*gga fan. Lil’ Wayne fans, they get sh*t everyday.”
Well folks, the mood’s been set and the music is here.

The Joe Budden & DJ OnPoint collab got a lot of accolades after dropping one of the hottest mixtapes of 2006, and this collection promises to please as well. The album’s theme is positioned from the first track, “Hiatus,” on which Budden rhythmically laments:

“I feel like life is all written
Understand my math
Got on my knees
Told God I had a plan
He laughed
I mean, hours passed no sleep
Cowards get a slow leak
Showered twice the whole week
Powerless control freak”

He’s a humble spirit with an honest soul who makes no qualms about venting his frustration with the music industry and the current state of Hip Hop, all the while refusing to pass judgment on artists who choose to take the commercial route to make that paper.

“For a while felt like I was makin’ music in vain
We don’t do it the same
I do it for change
Y’all do it for change
I use it for pain
But keep doin’ ya thang…
This is just my logic
Maybe it’s psychotic
Though labels try to stop it
This my antibiotic”

His wordplay is impressive, the metaphors are clever, and the analogies make you double-back and re-listen. Budden’s refreshing sincerity leaves us wondering why we don’t demand the same qualities from the rappers who receive praise on BET and MTV. Listening to Joe Budden is like drinking Fiji when you’ve grown accustomed to tap. Or as he put it on the track “Warfare” featuring Joell Ortiz, “It’s like we’re lions against Lassies.” Unfortunately, the majority of rap fans rather have a watered-down rapper than a beast of an emcee.

Nearly every track is bang-in-your-whip worthy. The up-tempo track “Star Inside,” is a quasi club track that doesn’t gloss over the message. It’s an inspirational tune where Joe claims his rightful title as a star when he boasts, “I’m a star without the chains and the bracelets, ‘cause that star shit is inside of me.” Budden fans know that he doesn’t need major label support to drop good tracks and solid albums, and they definitely don’t need to be dripping in platinum and diamonds to be recognized as a quality lyricist.

Aside from the fact that at first listening, you may find it hard to decipher one track from the next, as the playlist is pretty uniform in sound and style, Budden’s delivery is poetic throughout the album and you won’t find a lot of cliché rhetoric on “Mood Muzik 3.”

If you’re a fan of the mixtape format (read: DJ shout-outs and verses that fade out), “Mood Muzik 3” is sure not to disappoint.