Joe Budden fires back at Angela Rye and “Native Land” hosts for insulting QueenzFlip and dismissing Marc Lamont Hill’s role on JBP [VIDEO]

Joe Budden claps back at Angela Rye and her “Native Land” co-hosts after they criticized his podcast, defended QueenzFlip, and told Marc Lamont Hill to “come home” to more intellectual spaces.

A new feud has erupted across Black podcasting, pitting Joe Budden’s “The Joe Budden Podcast” (JBP) against the politically charged “Native Land Podcast,” hosted by Angela Rye, Bakari Sellers, Andrew Gillum, and Tiffany Cross.

The tension began earlier this month when JBP co-hosts Marc Lamont Hill and QueenzFlip engaged in a heated on-air argument that went viral — a debate that quickly spiraled into discussions about classism, education, and authenticity in Black media.

After Native Land dissected the viral argument in their October episode titled “Joe Budden’s Podcast and the Dumbing Down of America,” Rye’s remarks about Hill “needing to come home” to more “intellectual” spaces triggered a sharp rebuttal from Budden himself.

In Episode 870 of JBP, released this morning (October 18), Budden delivered a nearly three-minute monologue defending his co-hosts and accusing Rye’s panel of “elitism masquerading as pro-Black unity.” The fiery clip has since spread rapidly on X, TikTok, and YouTube. Thereby, igniting a wider debate on respectability politics within Black entertainment.

Joe Budden’s Message: “Marc Is Already Home”

In the viral 2-minute-52-second clip, Joe Budden can be seen sitting alongside his co-hosts Ish, Ice, and Parks on JBP’s signature white couch. Thus, speaking passionately into the mic. His tone alternates between calm frustration and unfiltered conviction.

“I got a problem with the people that masquerade as kumbaya, super Black, all for the people — but I’ll be the first one to tell you how we’re different,” Budden says, calling out the Native Land hosts directly.

He goes on to accuse Rye and her crew of looking down on JBP’s format and audience while relying on its viral moments for content:

“Y’all wanna pull from us for clicks, but you don’t respect what we built. We’re the number-one Black-owned urban podcast — we don’t need validation from you.”

Budden saved his strongest words for Rye’s “come home” comment about Marc Lamont Hill:

“Marc is home. He’s sitting with Black men that came up in different circumstances. That’s what this platform is about. If you so pro-Black and community, why didn’t you hire him when he was a free agent?”

As the clip closes, Budden thanks his own platform for “picking up” Hill when others didn’t, subtly referencing Hill’s controversial departure from CNN years prior.

“Don’t sit on your platform talking about what Marc should or shouldn’t be doing. When he was out here without a mic, y’all didn’t offer him one.”

The Roots of the Feud

The spark behind Budden’s response was an earlier JBP argument between Marc Lamont Hill and QueenzFlip, aired in early October. During that exchange, Flip accused Hill of “trying to sound smarter than everybody,” to which Hill fired back, “I say regular words that are tricky to you.”

The moment exploded online — viewed millions of times — and triggered think pieces about “anti-intellectualism” and “elitism” in Black discourse.

Native Land Podcast joined the conversation days later, framing the argument as symbolic of “America’s dumbing down.” Rye’s commentary — suggesting Hill should “come home” to more elevated, intellectual conversations — was widely interpreted as dismissive of JBP’s rawer, culture-driven audience.

In turn, Budden’s response video feels like a direct challenge to what he sees as “respectability gatekeeping” — the idea that only polished, academic spaces are worthy of serious discussion.

The Copyright Strike and Fallout

Adding another layer to the controversy, multiple online reports claim JBP issued a copyright strike against Native Land for using their footage without permission in that episode. Neither side has confirmed it officially. However, the move intensified conversations about ownership and content ethics in the podcast world.

Supporters of Budden viewed the alleged strike as justified. Therefore, a reminder that independent platforms must protect their work. Meanwhile, critics accused JBP of silencing opposing perspectives.

Meanwhile, Marc Lamont Hill has since clarified that his disagreement with QueenzFlip was resolved privately, and there’s “no ongoing beef.” He described the on-air argument as “a passionate exchange between brothers,” emphasizing respect between the two.

A Battle Between Two Worlds

At its core, this feud highlights an ongoing cultural divide within Black media — between what some label “academic elitism” and what others champion as “authentic expression.”

Joe Budden’s JBP represents the unfiltered, streetwise voice of Black entertainment — grounded in debate, jokes, and culture.
Angela Rye’s Native Land, by contrast, positions itself as an intellectual safe space for political and social commentary led by credentialed figures.

The clash exposes how these spheres — though both unapologetically Black — sometimes struggle to coexist. As Budden put it during his rant, the issue isn’t disagreement; it’s condescension:

“We’re all fighting the same fight — just from different corners. Stop acting like your corner is cleaner.”

Reactions Across Social Media

The conversation has dominated X, where the fan-edited clip from Episode 870 has surpassed 240,000 views, generating thousands of replies and quote posts.

Support for Joe Budden and JBP (Majority Sentiment)

• “This convo was long overdue. They be talking like Marc on some bummy platform when he’s on the #1 Black-owned show. Bunch of hypocrites hiding behind intellect.”
• “Joe’s point about ‘free agency’ hit hard. They had a chance to hire Marc and didn’t.”
• “People love to critique JBP’s audience until they need it to go viral.”

Criticism of Budden and His Approach

• “Joe has no leg to stand on. He aired that Flip vs. Marc argument for clicks — now he’s crying about classism.”
• “He’s right about elitism but wrong messenger. JBP plays into stereotypes just as much as they complain about them.”
• “Angela Rye didn’t lie. Marc’s out of place there sometimes. You can tell.”

Broader Commentary

• “This isn’t just about podcasts — it’s about how we judge Black voices that don’t sound like the ones in classrooms.”
• “It’s weird that every Black media debate turns into a class debate. Y’all both talking to the same people, just with different vocabularies.”

Engagement remains high, with clips circulating on TikTok and Reddit — where users frame the Budden vs. Rye tension as “street culture vs. think-tank culture.”

Bigger Picture: A Reflection of Black Media’s Growing Pains

This controversy goes beyond Budden and Rye — it reflects a broader evolution in how Black audiences consume media.

Podcasts like JBP cater to an organic, personality-driven format that values relatability and real-time reactions. Meanwhile, Native Land champions rigor and representation in political analysis. Both have dedicated audiences — and both believe they’re serving the culture.

Yet as Budden argued, the real issue may not be which platform is “smarter,” but which one is more inclusive of different Black experiences:

“We ain’t gotta sound like y’all to be valid. We just gotta sound like us.”