Joe Budden Applauds Chief Keef For Rebranding “The Right Way” Amid Lil Durk’s Legal Troubles

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Johnny Nunez / Contributor via Getty Images andBarry Brecheisen / Contributor via Getty Images

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Joe Budden and Chief Keef

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The criminal justice system is cracking down on Hip Hop. Over the past few years, artists like Young Thug, Tsu Surf, Pooh Shiesty, YFN Lucci and most recently Lil Durk have found themselves in legal trouble. After news broke about the “3 Headed Goat” rapper’s arrest on a murder-for-hire charge earlier in the week, Joe Budden took a moment to commend Chief Keef, another Chicago native, for staying out of trouble.

During Budden’s eponymous podcast on Saturday (Oct. 26), he described Chief Keef as the “only example” of someone “that did it the right way.” He explained, “I don’t know about his past, his street ties, none of that s**t. All I know is he got a record deal, [and] word spread fast around the industry about who he [was], like it normally does. He wilded out for a year, maybe the first year and a half, and then he boogied.”

The “I Don’t Like” hitmaker notably relocated to Los Angeles in 2014 and returned a decade later for 2024’s Summer Smash, all of which is expected to be covered in his forthcoming documentary with Cole Bennett.

“He took advantage of the opportunity, re-branded and is now recognized as the godfather of [Chicago drill music] and the f***ing musical genius that he is,” Budden further explained. “He got a opportunity and seemingly stopped. And guess what, if he didn’t stop, it wasn’t in a song, it wasn’t in a Reel, it wasn’t on YouTube.”

Chief Keef spoke about how moving virtually set his life in a new direction during a May sit-down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “The street life and everything that came with that had me in a [chokehold],” he said while reflecting on things after leaving Chicago. “When I moved to LA, I started getting better as a person. So, it took for me to come to LA to grow out of what I was.”

Music-wise, the rapper debuted Almighty So 2 that same month. The 16-song collection came with contributions from Quavo, Sexyy Red, Lil Gnar, G Herbo and Tierra Whack.