The Joe Budden Podcast

Episode 856 | "Pillow Talk"
Date: August 30, 2025
Host: Joe Budden (A)
Co-hosts/Regulars: Queens Flip (D), Ish (C), Parks (B), Freeze/Ice (C), plus crew (Po, Corey, Erickson, Savon, Tanner – supporting roles via remote or background)

Episode Overview

Episode 856, titled "Pillow Talk," is quintessential Joe Budden Podcast: a blend of jokes, real-life stories, barbershop-style debates, industry takes, and plenty of musical deep-dives. The crew welcomes back Freeze, fresh from a birthday trip to Jamaica, which triggers a hilarious and telling conversation about relationships, masculinity, and the nuances of "pillow talk." The episode then turns its sharp and comedic eye toward the ongoing “Snitch Olympics” in hip hop, dissecting leaks from the Young Thug interrogation and the related conversations about street codes and authenticity.

In its second half, the show reviews new music (Joey Badass, Gun, Division), with an added focus on the evolving R&B landscape and industry strategies in the streaming era. The team also touches on sports controversies (the Dallas Cowboys’ front office in hot water), celebrity lawsuits (Cardi B’s courtroom charisma), and the state of hip hop radio.

Throughout, there is a running thread of playful roasting, therapy-by-mic, and the real connections that keep the pod tight.

Key Topics & Memorable Highlights

1. Freeze’s Birthday Trip and the Jamaican Raft Story

[00:56–05:54]

• The crew welcomes back Freeze (Ice) and teases him about his “massage” experience during his Jamaican trip for his girlfriend’s birthday; speculation about who actually gave the massage (Freeze vs. the local Jamaican “raft man”).
• Memorable Exchange:
  • Joe: “Your lady’s shoulders were looking mad tense afterwards.”
  • Freeze: “Nah, she was good.”
  • Joe: “She didn’t get the knots out like homeboy.”
  • Freeze: “Oh, no, they was out. Knocked him right out.” [03:35–03:39]
• The guys riff on men not wanting other men to massage their women, ending up in a tangle of jokes about masculinity and insecurity.
• Discussion of reconnecting with fathers when visiting Jamaica, and the myths/debates about “dads caring about you as an adult.”

2. What Should Grown Men Call Their Fathers? ("Daddy" Debate)

[05:27–09:15]

• Controversy and clowning ensue over Flip still calling his father “Daddy.”
  • Flip: “I call my dad Daddy. I don’t give a fuck.” [07:06–07:09]
• The guys question whether some traditional terms become odd or “suspect” (according to their relentless ribbing) as you get older, especially depending on where you’re from.

3. Text Etiquette, Masculinity, and "Slithers"

[22:33–25:57]

• Joe tells a story about texting his friend that he's "about to throw something on" and immediately realizing “that sounds wild.”
  • Parks: “I’m immature, but you can’t text that. That’s a sliver.” [23:32]
• The crew introduces the running joke of "slithers"—small but suspiciously questionable, possibly “sus” behaviors or statements.
• Broadens into playful condemnation of mildly “zesty” language among men—an ongoing inside joke.

4. Pillow Talk: Debate and Therapy

[75:16–88:57]

• The episode’s namesake segment: Flip cannot believe Joe openly admits to pillow talking with his girl.
• Flip: “I don’t discuss anything about anybody up here. I don’t discuss my business. I don’t discuss anything...” [75:59]
• Joe: “I pillow talk with my girl. If I can’t, I’m getting divorced.” [76:35]
• The discussion splits: Is talking openly with your partner about your day and your friends a breach of bro code, or healthy vulnerability?
• Parks notes, “Just because you pillow talk with your girl doesn’t mean you’re necessarily kicking your friends’ backs in.” [80:45]
• They admit the women, in turn, bring way more group chat energy and dish more about their friends than the guys do about theirs.
• Joe: “I love pillow talking, too. It’s not just that I do it—I really enjoy it.” [84:05]
• The segment is self-aware, insightful, and full of the group’s classic bravado.

5. The "Snitch Olympics" in Hip Hop

[30:00–54:50]

• Analysis of leaked Young Thug interrogation audio and public reactions.
• Joe frames the broader issue: “They calling Atlanta Ratlanta. Ralo and Thug have been back and forth for…I wish they would take me out the group chat.” [32:16]
• Multiple hosts break down what was actually said, whether it constitutes “telling,” and the hypocrisy in community responses.
• Ish: “Nothing Thug said was used to put nobody in jail…It’s the same defense people are putting on Gunna.” [40:37]
• Joe’s broader point: the obsession with “ratting” in hip hop is misplaced energy:
  • “This whole who’s a rat and who’s not thing…Y’all need to get a hobby.” [48:07; 49:15]
• Flip, Ish, and others offer sociological context, what “the streets” once meant vs. now, and the manufactured nature of much contemporary “street” image.

6. Music Industry Changes & New Releases

[128:50–152:14]

• Breakdown of new music from Joey Badass (Lonely at the Top), Gun, Division, and more.
• Parks complains about artists not listing features (“That shit is annoying, especially when it’s someone that I don’t know.” [142:04])
• Joe raves about Division’s return to form and the power of classic R&B structure:
  • “Classic Division. If it starts like this, you know what time it is…” [144:49]

Industry Strategy Tidbit (Streaming/Jukebox Tricks)

[163:43–166:11]

• Ish introduces the "maxi single" digital trick: Glasses Malone releases a 7-minute song as 7 separate 40-second tracks (each a different verse), trying to game the streaming system for higher play counts.
• The group discusses whether this method could catch on and broader frustrations with streaming exploitation.

7. Cardi B Lawsuit and Courtroom Comedy

[93:29–97:45]

• Cardi B is being sued for a minor altercation with a security guard; her courtroom candor and authenticity is celebrated.
• Parks: “Whoever that lawyer is, is getting his ass whooped.” [93:39]
• Joe notes, “Cardi is too charming and too funny…She’s going to win over the whole courthouse.” [96:35]
• The group sides with Cardi and laughs at the pettiness of the lawsuit.

8. Funkmaster Flex & Hot 97 Shakeup

[116:03–124:12]

• The crew analyzes the confusing “retirement” promo from Flex and clarifies it was just a timeslot change.
• They reflect on how important Flex, DJ Enough, and Camillo have been for NY radio, and riff on the nostalgia for moments like Flex premiering “Otis.”
  • “Flex personifies hip hop.” – Ish [122:35]

9. Debate: Dallas Cowboys, Management, and Race

[192:30–203:56]

• Joe and Ish square off about the Cowboys' handling of Micah Parsons’ contract/trade, the appropriateness of Jerry Jones’ business style, and whether racial undertones played a role.
• Joe (passionately): “You cannot bypass someone’s agent. You can’t do that nowhere.” [200:54]
• Ish pushes back, questioning the attribution of racism, noting Jones’ history, and arguing for broader context.

10. Running Jokes, Signature Segments, and Freestyle Banter

• "Slithers" Counter: Constant tallying of questionable, potentially “sus” behavior or phrases.
• Pam as Body Oil: Jokes about women using PAM cooking spray for shine on stage or in beauty routines. [65:12–66:45]
• “Decent Man from the City of Demons”: Joe gets obsessed with a viral musician’s oddball performance, repeatedly singing the hook and cracking up the room.
• Group Chat with the Audience: Ongoing asides between pod members about what gets shared at home vs. among the group; audience as an implicit part of the inside jokes.

11. R&B Renaissance and Song Challenges

[172:42–179:23]

• Joe hails Kehlani’s “Folded” as the R&B song of the summer. He celebrates Mario’s unofficial “men’s response” and the subsequent TikTok/social media challenge.
  • “This is one of my favorite music challenges not birthed by Tank in a long time.” [176:48]

12. Other Noteworthy Moments

• Jussie Smollett doc reviewed: “I appreciate the type of liar that Jussie Smollett is…That’s my favorite kind of liar.” – Joe [105:22]
• Makonin’s chef pivot highlighted as an example of artists finding happiness outside of music (with a classic mid-praise roast).
• Emojis and the politics of “praying hands”: Joe rants about friends choosing different skin tones for their emojis and reading into the implications. [212:54–214:39]

Notable Quotes

• Joe Budden:

  • “I pillow talk with my girl. If I can’t, I’m getting divorced.” [76:35]
  • “This whole 'who’s a rat and who’s not' thing…Y’all need to get a hobby.” [48:07]
  • “You’re lit, you’re good, but it’s like glorified slaves. It’s people that are grossing and earning millions and millions for other people. And it affords you the luxury to get out here and act a complete fucking fool.” [50:12]
  • “I love pillow talking, too. It’s not just that I do it—I really enjoy it.” [84:05]

• Parks:

  • “Just because you pillow talk with your girl doesn’t mean you’re necessarily kicking your friends’ backs in.” [80:45]
  • “Whoever that lawyer is, is getting his ass whooped.” (re: Cardi B lawsuit) [93:39]
  • “That shit is annoying, especially when it’s someone that I don’t know.” (re: uncredited features) [142:04]

• Ish:

  • “When they love you, you can do no wrong. And when they hate you, you can do no right. That’s the rule of the new hip hop.” [63:00]
  • “Sometimes you gotta get out your bag and realize. All right, that ain’t work.” (on Division’s musical direction) [149:38]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Freeze’s Jamaica Recap & Massage Debate: 00:56–05:54
• "Daddy" Grown Men Banter: 05:27–09:15
• Texting Faux Pas/Slithers: 22:33–25:57
• Pillow Talk Main Debate: 75:16–88:57
• Snitch Olympics/Young Thug Discourse: 30:00–54:50
• Cardi B Lawsuit: 93:29–97:45
• New Music Discussion (Joey Badass, Gun, Division): 128:50–152:14
• Streaming “Maxi Single” Tricks: 163:43–166:11
• Funkmaster Flex & Hot 97 Format Changes: 116:03–124:12
• Cowboys/Micah Parsons Management Drama: 192:30–203:56
• Kehlani “Folded” & R&B Challenge: 172:42–179:23

Tone and Structure

• Language: Raw, honest, self-aware, peppered with classic hip hop vernacular, clever euphemism, and unfiltered opinions.
• Group Dynamic: Equal parts rowdy barbershop/Jersey living room, interspersed with moments of surprising vulnerability and genuine reflection.
• Audience Role: The podcast, though sometimes irreverent, always nods to the fanbase—explaining inside jokes, making them part of the ongoing conversation.

Summary

Episode 856 is a case study in how “guy talk,” hip hop culture, comedy, and relationship honesty collide. The return of Freeze warms the group, spurring jokes and real talk on masculinity and home life. The central “Pillow Talk” debate is laced with both humor and insight, challenging gender expectations with uncommon candor. The group’s recurring skewering of the hip hop world’s fixation on “snitching” exposes changing values and the blurred lines between authenticity and branding.

The show’s second half delves deeply into R&B’s resurgence and creative industry strategies, while heated debates surface around sports business and issues of race and power.

With laughter, passionate disagreements, and an endless flow of recommendations and references, "Pillow Talk" is a vibrant microcosm of The Joe Budden Podcast’s enduring appeal.

For Listeners

If you haven’t heard the episode:

• Expect classic pod banter, group therapy, and barbershop jokes.
• The "Pillow Talk" discussion is especially worth a listen for perspectives on masculinity, vulnerability, and relationships.
• Deep dives into music industry shifts and codes of hip hop authenticity are front and center.
• Music heads will find strong, early reviews of new R&B and hip hop.
• Don’t miss the crew clowning on each other, and the surprisingly sage wisdom that comes out in between.