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Joe Budden and Jada Pinkett Smith set the stage for a fiery and humorous debate. This transpired after they aired their reactions to Cardi B’s choices for a Mount Rushmore of female MCs. The clip of the duo talking about Cardi’s list while telling a ridiculous story involving rapper Khia has divided the masses for and against the never-ending debates on who the greatest is in hip-hop.
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The today-viral video kicks off with the mention of Cardi B’s list: Remy Ma, Trina, Lil’ Kim, and Khia. Pinkett Smith called one name out: “Who’s Khia?” Then the story, which became the focal point of the clip, took off. Budden began recalling a story of something amiss years earlier in Phoenix, Arizona. In his words, there his crew was “talking shit in the hallway” of a hotel. There was never any mention of Khia by Budden himself: Instead, he obsessively called the singer-clown by the peculiar title she rarely escaped from: “My Neck, My Back,” after her infamous 2002 banger. Budden’s deadpan recounting made social media explode with hysteria.
The reaction was split and immediate, mainly revolving around the hilarity of Budden’s story and the validity of Cardi’s list. One ever-memorable comment simply stated: “Joe got a story for everything 😂😂😂,” and it was repeated for the talent in his storytelling that was both serious and hilarious. Responses to that comment circled back to his past, one stating, “Joe been rapping since 89 😂 he done seen it all and done it all.”
Another points out the funny irony in Budden’s story: “How Joe gonna say he don’t know her then he got a story about her.” This triggered a flood of laughing emojis and jokes with one person clarifying, “he only know her by ‘my neck my back’😂😂😂😂😂😂.” Renaming Khia quickly turned into a running gag, with another chiming in, ““My neck my back called?”😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 how Jada just rename the lady like that.” The commenter added that one of the funniest parts of this was that Jada herself probably didn’t realize she was being hilarious.
The laughs then gave birth to a deeper debate on hip-hop history and legacy. Many users expressed their frustrations toward omitting these foundational artists from the list. “I’m tired of people leaving out missy elliot,” one comment read. Another user replied emphatically, “Girllllll I hope you experienced her concert cause she really there by herself ❤️❤️.” Another user started listing a bunch of names: “MC Lyte????? Queen Latifah?????? Roxanne Shante????,” thus triggering a generational debate in the replies where one person said, “Cardi 32 she wasnt listening to them” and another responded, “Not her era, Im 50 and those are my Mt Rushmore.”
Another controversial subject was the absence of Nicki Minaj. “She use to listen to Nicki to but never wanna say it 🤣,” one user Tweeted, sparking angry back-and-forths in the replies concerning their public feud. Some claim Cardi does have the right to submit her list, with one saying, “It’s HER list… why would anybody feel a way?” Another replied with some perspective: “because ignorance is bliss, people can’t agree to disagree. Worse things going on this world and people worried about who’s a better rapper.”
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On another note, the story-telling clip from Joe Budden and Jada Pinkett Smith did much more than entertain. This was a great touchstone for the hip-hop community to reveal the generational chasms, personal prejudice, and undying passion fans, and artisans alike share for the culture. The debate over who truly belongs on the Mount Rushmore might well never be settled. However, it is these very conversations-fueled both by respect and outrageously funny moments-that nurture and keep the soul of hip-hop alive. Joe Budden’s podcast often features such discussions. The story also reminded some of another wild story involving Jada Pinkett Smith. Recently, Joe Budden teased new content for his audience. He is also known for his hilarious rants on various topics. Furthermore, collaboration rumors with Joey Bada have recently surfaced.
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