Photo credit: Joe Budden TV
Joey Bada$$ is facing fresh criticism after performing JAY-Z’s “Song Cry” following the end of his engagement to Serayah.
The rapper’s choice to perform the emotional 2001 classic has sparked plenty of conversation. Joe Budden is now weighing in, and he does not believe the performance should be viewed as an act of accountability.
Joe Budden Questions Joey Bada$$’s Accountability
During a recent discussion, Budden and his co-hosts debated whether “Song Cry” was the right song for Joey to perform amid the relationship controversy.
Budden argued that simply performing a song about regret does not automatically mean someone is taking responsibility.
“I think the first part of accountability is acceptance of what you did wrong,” Budden said during the discussion.
He questioned where Joey was directly accepting responsibility for his alleged actions.
Budden also pointed to the difference between acknowledging that someone was hurt and actually apologizing for causing that pain. He argued that those two things are not necessarily the same.
Joey Bada$$ Performed JAY-Z’s “Song Cry”
Joey performed “Song Cry” during a live appearance shortly after his breakup with Serayah.
The JAY-Z song, released on The Blueprint in 2001, deals with regret, relationship problems and infidelity. Joey has also had a connection to the track for years, having previously interpolated it on his 2012 mixtape 1999.
The timing made the performance especially noticeable.
Serayah announced in August that she had ended her engagement and relationship with Joey. She accused him of repeated infidelity throughout their relationship, including during significant moments in her life.
Joey has not publicly confirmed that the performance was intended as a response to Serayah.
Joe Budden Calls the Performance Toxic
Budden took issue with the idea that Joey’s performance should be interpreted as an accountability anthem.
At one point, he described the situation as “toxic” and questioned why Joey would perform the song so soon after the relationship drama became public.
Budden also acknowledged that he was speaking from experience rather than presenting himself as morally superior.
He argued that Joey could have chosen a different song, particularly given the timing of the performance.
“That’s my problem with Joey Bad,” Budden said while discussing the rapper’s decision to perform the song.
Serayah Has Moved On From the Engagement
Serayah and Joey share a child, which means they remain connected despite the end of their romantic relationship.
After reports suggested the two might have reconciled, Serayah’s representative clarified that they communicate only about co-parenting. She also reportedly returned her engagement ring.
Meanwhile, Joey has remained relatively quiet about the allegations.
His “Song Cry” performance has therefore become one of the few moments fans can examine for clues about how he may be processing the breakup. Still, there is no confirmation that the song was meant as a message to Serayah.
For now, Joe Budden’s criticism adds another layer to the debate over whether Joey’s performance represented genuine remorse or simply an artistic choice that happened to arrive at a complicated moment.
Source: Joe Budden TV, Complex, TMZ
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