01. Now I Lay (Produced By Blastah Beats)
02. The Future (feat. The Game) (Produced By Fyu-Chur)
03. If I Gotta Go (Produced By The Klasix)
04. Don’t Make Me (Produced By Blastah Beats)
05. Blood On The Wall (Produced By Moss)
06. In My Sleep (Produced By The Klasix)
07. Exxxes (Produced By The Klasix)
08. I Couldn’t Help It (Produced By The Klasix)
09. Adrenaline (Produced By Dub B)
10. Happy Holidays (feat. Emanny) (Produced By Qwan)
11. Do Tell (Produced By Blastah Beats)
12. Angel In My Life (Produced By Blastah Beats)
13. Pray For Me (Produced By Versatile And Dilemma)
14. Family Reunion (Bonus Remix) (feat. Fabolous, Ransom & Hitchcock)
Via HipHopGame
“Pump It Up, if you came to get it crunk
A dame? Let’s get it drunk
You came to get it oonnnn”
No, I’m not six years late or reviewing the wrong album. That’s the first line of Padded Room. And how fitting. Joe is always going to be remembered, and in many cases measured, by that hit. It’s both his best friend and his worst enemy. It’s what provided him the platform to do what he does today, but at the same time, what he does today shouldn’t be compared to that one moment. See his struggle?
These are the things that go on inside the mind of Joseph Anthony Budden. And these thoughts, along with his depression and regret are all prevalent throughout this collection.
It isn’t like he has changed much since his self-titled debut. That album, despite the aforementioned single and Fire, was typical Joe. For instance, 10 Minutes could easily have subbed with any track on the Mood Muzik discs. I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours with Joe & Tahiry recently (check out the lunch interview we did on CultureVI.com & HipHopGame.com), so I have a little insight into his line of thinking with this project. He’s caught in the middle. He won’t change who he is or what he does to go mainstream, but I get the feeling he doesn’t want to be independent forever. So, some of the tracks on Padded Room might be somewhat of an audition for the majors. Some more up-tempo sounds, not everything as dark as the Mood Muzik series. But he doesn’t stray far from his formula.
Overall, the album is a step forward for him musically. It’s almost like a “Best of Mood Muzik” collection. It’s in the same vein as the MM, very creative concepts and non-stop barrage of lyrics, but much more focused and a little more listener-friendly.
Every song on the album seems to follow the same theme, and Padded Room was definitely an appropriate title. He mentions his guardian angel on “Don’t Make Me”. The little angel and devil on his shoulder. It’s a mental battle that’s going on in his head, which reoccurs throughout the project.
That theme pops up again in the Klassix produced “Exxxes”, where he talks about himself through a girl he meets. It seems that this “girl” represents his depression, and the fights that they have with each other are fights that he has with himself in his own mind. Very mellow beat driven by a guitar and bass line and his flow is very Pac-like. He keeps “fucking” this “girl” at the end of every verse, which I take as a metaphor for him constantly fucking himself over. The arguments keep getting physical, and he mentions a knife a few times, which represents his suicidal tendencies and the different ways he has hurt himself, both physically and emotionally. He tries to break up with the depression, but she comes back at the end, meaning he hasn’t quite shaken it.
Overall Score: 4/5
Also, track-by-track via NappyAfro
I’ll be honest; at one point I had wrote Joe Budden off as another casualty of the Hip-Hop business. He was a talented rapper that was forced in the whirlwind of “hit” singles and commercial markability. Budden’s first album was overlooked (Some say it was too “emotional”) and his second album was shelved by Def Jam. Even with his Mood Muzik mixtape series, his whole music future looked to be up in jeopardy. I guess I was wrong. The Joe Budden of today no longer is the guy who tries to duck the cameras; he IS the camera (joebuddentv.com). He’s aligned himself with a record company that he feels supports him (Amalgam Digital). And he even had formed a crew of his own in Slaughterhouse (With Royce Da 5’9”, Joell Ortiz, & Crooked I). His official sophomore album, Padded Room, was originally schedule for an October 2008 released but was pushed back to February 24, 2009. Halfway House was released instead to hold the fans over until then (I really didn’t feel it that much but that’s another story…). Now that Padded Room has been finally hit the street, what’s the verdict?
1. Now I Lay
Produced by Blastah Beatz
“I like to welcome everybody to The Padded Room”. Joe Budden starts off with a line from his most well known song “Pump It Up” (Saying that’s where it all started). He also uses a classic prayer for the hook (“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul…”). The beat is a great background for Budden to explain how he got here and makes a good introduction to the album. I’m trying to place the sample used (Memphis Beek also used it for “We Are”; hit me up if you know).
2. The Future
Featuring The Game & Dominic; Produced by Fyu-chur
I’m glad that Joe Budden and The Game squashed their beef, but I expected a better song to come out of it. I understand the need for the lead single to be for the ladies but the hook is predictable; “Yes I am a bad guy, I can see you like it, You can be the headline if I can be your sidekick.” The beat was okay but I guess I was expecting some lyrical gutter type shit. I’ll pass on this one.
3. If I Gotta Go
Produced by The Klasix
This song has Budden questioning life and death, which is definitely in his zone; “My jargon is I’m a arsonist since 11 when I found out what arson is.” The production here is well down (The sample on the breakdown is hot). The hook may take some getting use to but it fits.
Overall Score: 4/5
Also, my man Freddie C over at ThisIsHipHop reviewed the album:
It’s been six years since Joe Budden dropped his eponymous debut LP. During the delay, he’s graced us with his acclaimed Mood Muzik series and diss tracks aimed at Ransom to hold us over until the next album offering. He makes his long-awaited return by strapping himself into a straight jacket and putting on the Hannibal Lecter mask for his sophomore album, Padded Room. The album is, indeed, a little crazy, if his goal is to sell albums (which he says is the label‘s concern, not his). The producers are largely unheralded, the only high-profile feature is The Game, and there is nothing on the course of a club track, something for the ladies, or at least anything that is somewhat radio-friendly. But that’s not truly Budden’s style. Instead, he takes you inside the mind of a New Jersey rapper with some well thought-out concepts and an improved delivery.
The songs seem like psychiatric evaluations, with Joey as the patient and the audience as a fly in the psychiatrist’s room. The album unravels his dark and dreary thought processes. While many MCs today just throw a bunch of words together and see if they stick, Budden goes deep within himself and truly puts his thoughts on wax. “If I Gotta Go” addresses his thoughts on death through a haunting hook. His conversation with God on “Pray for Me” is the most thought-provoking and best written of the bunch on the album. It will strike a chord with anyone struggling with their own lives and seeing nothing but negativity around them while wondering where God is. Call me crazy, put me in a padded room, or whatever, but there absolutely are some answers in this song. The bonus track, “Family Reunion,” has a touch of irony, with guest verses from former rival Ransom and Fabolous; and a Fabolous guest verse is never a bad thing.
The album does have a good amount of filler, but none is more out of place than “Happy Holidays,” which really belongs on a compilation with “Christmas in Hollis” and “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto.” The heavy metal-infused “Adrenaline” also sticks out like a sore thumb, and not in a good way.
The majority of drawbacks on the album come from the production. The album suffers from “Canibus Syndrome,” a common affliction of good rappers’ albums suffering from sub-par production. Many hip-hop heads would fail to recognize at least one producer on the album, but recognition has little to do with good production; if it’s hot it’s hot. To put it simply, the beats aren’t that hot. Production is always a crucial part of an album and is usually used to engage the listener. But without something to draw the listener in, such as the occasional Just Blaze joint (which is nonexistent here), heads are left to almost force themselves into the album. It’s really a shame, because Budden’s writing is on point throughout the entire album.
Overall Score: 72/100
