Let me put you on (part 1)

You might have heard them, but you're not listening...

Since I'm from jersey, let's start this off in a jersey fashion. Joe Budden is one of my favorite rappers, MCs rather. Unfortunately, people only know him for two songs - "Pump It Up" and "Fire". I'm here to let you know that those two songs do not prove his credibility as one of the best MCs hip-hop has seen over the years. I personally didn't start listening to him heavy until the Mood Muzik 2: Can It Get Any Worse? mixtape came onto the scene in 2005 and that compilation made me want to dig deeper into his catalog. As a student of the game, I did my research and went back to the Mood Muzik 1: The Worst of Joe Budden mixtape that debuted in 2003. Budden's deep, storytelling nature came through again and again with his precise metaphors. The music only got better when his third installment of the Mood Muzik series, Mood Muzik 3: For Better or For Worse, aired in 2007.

That's just the mixtapes, but I think in order to understand Budden and his lyrical wit, talent, etc., we need to embrace the bulk of his career which are these mixtapes. Now, people love to comment on his lack of sales, lack of singles, and his quantity of albums and wish to determine him as a rapper by those means. Truthfully, it would be an insult if you decided to. I feel his free work has been his best work, but to influence the world further, that is not knowledgeable of Joe Budden's skills as a lyricist and the world that is open-minded to greatness, please consider listening to these tracks I am about to mention below. Do your research and discover what you've been missing...

Joe Budden [album]: "Walk With Me" , "10 Mins."

Mood Muzik 1 [mixtape]: "Def Jam Diss" , "Rest In Peace"

Mood Muzik 2 [mixtape]: "World Take Over" , "Dumb Out" , "3 Sides To A Story"

Mood Muzik 3 [mixtape]: "Hiatus" , "Secrets ft. Emanny"

Halfway House [digital album]: "Sidetracked" , "Under The Sun"

Padded Room [album]: "In My Sleep" , "Pray For Me"

...Trust me, as a fan this selection was hard enough to narrow down, but take a listen. Feel free to send some feedback. Any comment would be greatly appreciated. I'm just trying to put the world up on good music. Stay tuned for part 2...

P.S. I would like to thank my cousin. If it wasn't for his comment, "When did Joe Budden get nice?" and him clowning him, "Pump, pump, pump, pump it up. Hahaha," this post would have never existed.