Joe Budden and 50 Cent’s long-standing tension has flared up again, this time over 50’s response to the recent passing of Irv Gotti.
On Tuesday (Feb. 18), Budden released a segment from his latest ‘Joe Budden Podcast’ episode on YouTube, titled ’50 Cent Needs Therapy.’ In the clip, Budden openly criticized 50’s shocking reaction to Gotti’s death, stating, “50 Cent needs therapy,” at the 2:24 mark. He acknowledged that while 50 is known for standing his ground, he believed his actions crossed a line.
Following Gotti’s passing on Feb. 5, 50 took to Instagram, posting an image of himself smoking hookah beside a mock tombstone. His caption read, “I’m smoking on dat Gotti pack, nah God bless him LOL.” 50 and Gotti had a long-standing beef that had never been resolved. The post immediately sparked backlash, with Budden echoing the sentiment that it was inappropriate.
“If 50 feel like that, then go smoke a cigar in the cigar room,” Budden remarked. “I’m not telling him how to feel. But publicly saying ‘Damn, I wanted him to see my new shows….’ Or whatever the f**k is being said, I think it’s wrong.”
50 quickly caught wind of Budden’s remarks and wasted no time firing back. Posting a screenshot of Budden’s podcast episode on Instagram, 50 wrote, “Stay out my mix Joe talking about I need therapy. B***h you need to stop walking around naked. The fvck is you doing in the hallway with ya balls out PUNK!”
The jab referenced Budden’s December legal trouble when he was charged with lewdness for allegedly walking naked in his apartment hallway and knocking on a neighbor’s door. Budden later claimed it was due to sleepwalking, and the charge was eventually dismissed.
On his podcast, Budden labeled the neighbors “racist” and claimed they had made false reports to police.
“They said I was outside their door masturbating,” Budden revealed during the episode, as Complex reported.
The neighbor also reportedly claimed that Budden was naked and “fully erect” in the video. However, Budden pushed back, calling her claims exaggerated. He also accused his neighbor of crying “white girl tears” on the stand, calling her a “Karen.”
“She lied on that paperwork to say he was masturbating on my door, as if I can’t find a million better places to masturbate than that,” he continued.
Meanwhile, the animosity between 50 and Gotti runs deep, tracing back over two decades. Their feud stems in part from Gotti’s friendship with the person allegedly linked to 50’s 2000 shooting. Other violent clashes include the infamous Hit Factory altercation, where 50 was stabbed in 2000. Decades later, their hostility had never subsided.