Joe Budden says he’s done with Nicki Minaj following her recent appearance at a Turning Point USA event, making it clear that her decision to align herself with the conservative organization crossed a line for him.
On the most recent episode of ‘The Joe Budden Podcast,’ Budden reacted to Minaj’s participation in Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, where she appeared onstage and spoke about politics and culture. The moment quickly sparked backlash online and became a major topic of discussion across hip-hop and social media.
During the podcast, Budden said Minaj’s appearance fundamentally changed how he sees her and her place in the culture. He explained that he no longer wants any personal or professional relationship with the rapper, saying he’s “done” and made it clear he doesn’t want to hear from her going forward.
“I’m done,” Budden said. “That was it. Sorry, I’m gone. That’s it. The last dance. That was the last candle on the cake for me. Sorry, Barbs. Sorry, Nick. Don’t call me, don’t text me. It is what it is.”
Budden framed his reaction as less about disagreement and more about values, noting that her decision to appear at the event felt incompatible with the community and conversations he believes hip-hop should be rooted in. He also emphasized that public figures should be aware of the implications that come with aligning themselves with politically charged platforms.
“Sometimes how y’all move around out there does have an effect on how I view you,” Budden added. “And this was one of them things. I’d be a fool to think that you didn’t consider that before you did it. Which just says to me that you really don’t give a f*ck.”
“I’m even more baffled — I don’t even know how much more of this conversation I could have,” Budden continued, addressing how the values Minaj espoused at AmericasFest ran so contrary to her previous behavior. “They’re so anti-transgender, which is confusing to me because I’ve been to the Nicki concert. I’m so confused by so much of what was said on that stage.”
Co-hosts Richard “Parks” Vallely and Marc Lamont Hill also weighed in during the discussion, offering additional context around the broader cultural impact of celebrity political endorsements and how those choices are often received by fans and peers alike.
“I watched the whole thing, hoping that maybe it was going to be impartial or there was a reason, but she was just echoing a lot of the sh*t that you would expect to be echoed,” Parks said.
“Extremely disappointed,” Budden added. “Very anti-Black of you. Very anti-Black of you. Let’s just call sh*t what it is.”
Hill said he wasn’t even dissapointed because he’s come to expect such behavior from Minaj: “I expected that, unfortunately,” Hill said. “I remember when I first criticized Nicki a couple of months ago and I said she’s doing these MAGA talking points and she sounded like a MAGA person and the Barbs came after me like, ‘Why are you saying she’s MAGA just ‘cuz she cares about X, Y, and Z?’ Is she MAGA now? She’s at a Turning Point conference. She’s talking to Charlie Kirk’s wife. Talking about how handsome Trump is.”
“She was calling J.D. Vance ‘assassin’ which is a weird thing to say – to the woman whose husband was just assasinated,” Hill added.
Minaj’s appearance at Turning Point USA marked one of her most visible political moments to date and drew swift reaction across social media, with supporters and critics debating what her participation represented. While Minaj has not publicly responded to Budden’s comments, the conversation underscores ongoing tensions around politics, celebrity influence, and accountability in entertainment.
For Budden, however, the matter appears settled. As he put it on the podcast, the decision changed things permanently and he’s moving on.
