Joe Budden – “Slaughtermouse” (Letter To Eminem)

THROWBACK.

Back in 2015, Joe Budden released a song titled “Slaughtermouse” (Letter To Eminem), off of his then-new album, All Love Lost. Joe discussed the lyrics of the song with Genius. In the lyrics, we read:

“Look, it was around ’99, baby coming while I was at rock bottom,
Ironic s**t, I was listening to “Rock Bottom.””

Joe explains:

“‘Rock Bottom’ helped me immensely. I can’t explain what that record did to me. I couldn’t even understand who was this man putting these words together this way, going through this, feeling like this. This is how I feel, I just can’t rap this good.

It’s crazy how small the world is and how stars align and 360 degrees of separation. Just thinking back to being in Jersey City with a child coming, unemployed not knowing where my check was coming from, not knowing how I was going to be able to provide for this kid and this kid’s mom and myself even. Now go to today and working with somebody who was very instrumental in getting me through that time.”

Lyrics continue:

“Listen, I’m writing to you now cause we don’t get to talk much,
‘Cept for in the stu’ when we be passing through the halls and such,
I wonder if you catch me stare at you in awe much,
And we be busy working so I never share my thoughts much.”

Joe explains:

“The interactions between me and Eminem have been great, just far and few. Em is like a hip-hop encyclopedia and he’s extremely passionate. He’s one of the more meticulous men that I ever met. Talking to him about hip-hop, you just learn so much about the culture.

Those conversations are good and him and I have had some more personal conversation that will remain confidential. But outside of our interactions musically, that may be the extent of his knowledge of me. I don’t know that to be a fact, but it may be.

So when we talk, I’m forced to wonder: “I wonder if this guy knows that are paths are very similar.” “

Also notable lyrics are:

“When Bad met Evil, ni**a who was happier than me?
Think back, the way that I was on that s**t,
You woulda thought it was my album and I was on that s**t,
Like f**k rap, happy to see a friendship get mended,
Cemented and any frivolous tension get ended,
Joell you my G, Weapon Waist you my OG cuz,
Nickel you know I look at you like it’s blood.”

……………….

“And to Em, one of the illest ever on the mic,
We’re less different than we are alike,
This ain’t about star power, I ain’t on the hype,
Never mind skin color, I see beyond the white,
My whole life I fought trauma like you,
Had ups and downs with my baby mama like you,
I had my fair share of transgressions like you,
Had a bad temper once and fought aggression like you,
Did drugs, popped pills, fought depression like you.”

……………………..

“F**k this record deal, you (Em) inspired me as a man,
I’ll cut it short, before I start feeling like a Stan,
HouseGang for life, word to the pig on Royce’s hand.”

You can bump the track below: