Joe Budden’s career has been a rollercoaster to say the least. After signing a major record deal with Def Jam and producing the worldwide hit ‘Pump It Up’, he was abandoned by the label and had to return back to the underground, where he then fought battles with depression and a drug addiction.
Fortunately for Joe, his career was somewhat resurrected when he became part of the group Slaughterhouse, who signed with Eminem’s Shady Records in 2011. Since this point, Joe has produced many solo projects outside of the group, with All Love Lost forming the last series of a trilogy of albums (No Love Lost and Some Love Lost). No Love Lost generally received poor critical acclaim, as this project was perceived as too ‘mainstream’ and generic. Listening to his core fans, Joe quickly reverted back to introspective rap, and All Love Lost is a testament to this.
Addressing a range of personal issues, Joe Budden seemingly analyses his life across this album, including his anger towards the current state of hip-hop as a genre, as well as a particular focus on his love life, which going by his lyrics has been rather dire. This has been an ethos of Joe’s almost entirely across his career, creating a core base of fans who stay loyal to Budden, for the connection he creates with his fans through his music. I have always appreciated his music due this honesty and passion, as it almost seems many artists in hip-hop today are afraid to speak about their actual thoughts and emotions.
Joe Budden analyses his life across this album, including his anger towards the current state of Hip-Hop as a genre
My favourite track from this album is by far ‘Slaugtermouse’, a track discussing his relationship with Eminem, as well as the trials and tribulations of his career. He discusses his somewhat flop of an album with Slaughterhouse, and directly asks him what is he thinks is required, for Joe to be propelled to the forefront of rap. I haven’t heard a track this direct in a very long time, perhaps since ‘Doctors Advocate’ by The Game, hence why this track appealed to me so much.
Overall, I appreciate the messages he’s trying to put across, but after a while this project just becomes too intense, with no tracks really providing an escape from the feeling of depression. I believe Joe Budden is aware of this, as he himself has stated this project was a venture allowing him to truly speak his mind and vent. This album will not likely be a commercial success due to the lack of marketable tracks, but like Joe said himself, “The label wanna sell singles, I’m selling a story, and that’ll just taint the message.”