This Is Why Joe Budden Almost Fired Melissa Ford After That Drake Line This episode, Loon delivers a piercing breakdown of one of the most hypocritical moves in podcasting history. When Drake shouted out Melissa Ford on "Give Me a Hug" — while taking a jab at Joe Budden — the Joe Budden Podcast team secretly bought the domain on Drake’s merch and rerouted it to Joe's Patreon. Not Melissa’s. Not a collab. Straight exploitation. In this episode of It’s Up There Podcast, Loon breaks down one of the wildest betrayals in podcast history — and it’s got Joe Budden written all over it. When Drake dropped "Give Me a Hug" and gave Melissa Ford a shoutout while simultaneously throwing shade at Joe, fans expected Mel to shine off the moment. But what happened instead? Joe Budden’s team snatched the domain name tied to Drake’s merch drop and rerouted it to his Patreon, cutting Mel out entirely. Loon pulls the mask off the manipulation and asks the hard questions: 🧠 Why would a self-proclaimed creator advocate hijack a moment meant for his co-host? 💼 Is this business innovation or just ego-driven overreach? 🏛️ How does this mirror the corporate behavior Joe Budden used to protest at Complex & Spotify? 🧩 Why do Black women keep getting shut out of platforms they help build? This episode dives deeper than gossip — it’s a cultural x-ray of gatekeeping, branding betrayal, and hypocrisy in the new media landscape. 🔍 SEO-Friendly Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: Why It’s Up There Podcast Is Leading the Culture 01:45 – What Every Creator Needs to Hear Right Now 03:22 – LaRussell’s Shift on Labels & Creator Control 06:01 – The Rise of Joe Budden: From Rapper to Podcaster 09:50 – Drake Mentions Melissa Ford on “Give Me a Hug” 13:30 – Joe Budden Team Grabs the Viral URL Behind Her Back 17:40 – Why This Was Exploitation, Not a Strategic Collab 20:10 – Legal Grey Areas: Could This Lead to a Lawsuit? 24:30 – The Ironic Fall: Joe Becomes the System He Fought 28:45 – PR Spin & Joe’s Internal Pushback 32:12 – Melissa Ford’s Role: Strategy or Stand? 36:10 – How the Creator vs Culture Debate Is Changing 38:55 – Bonus: Brick Baby vs Loose Cannon Situation 42:25 – No Jumper’s Gang War Allegory & Street Exploitation 47:50 – Adam22’s Role & Why He Didn’t Intervene 53:00 – Final Word: What Accountability in New Media Really Looks Like 55:42 – Closing Remarks: Don’t Just Build For You. Build For Us. 📌 JOIN THE LOONIVERSE 🎥 Full Episodes ➤ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnwwxLxHiDWYLCXvb81w69QAfr6cc1Y3N 💬 Join The Community ➤ https://discord.gg/3AwsHfDcJB 🎧 Patreon Exclusives ➤ https://patreon.com/ItsUpTherePodcast 📸 Follow on IG ➤ @ItsUpTherePodcast 🎙️ Available on Black Effect & Everywhere You Get Podcasts 🗣️ Comment your thoughts below. Was Joe protecting the brand—or blocking the people who built it? 🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with someone who needs to hear the truth. #ItsUpTherePodcast #JoeBudden #MelissaFord #Drake #HipHopMedia #Loon #PodcastDrama #BlackEffect #ViralMoments #PodcastGatekeeping #CulturalCommentary

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