New York-bred rapper Joe Budden emerged on the scene in 2003 with his breakout single “Pump It Up” produced by Just Blaze. Five years later, he joined forces with hip hop stars Royce da 5’9”, KXNG Crooked, and Joell Ortiz to form the hit-making group Slaughterhouse. The moniker originated from a Budden song of the same name featuring the other artists.
Their self-titled debut album arrived in 2009 and their sophomore LP, Welcome To: Our House, dropped in 2012. But in April 2018, the MCs parted ways and the supergroup was no more.
Budden reflected on Slaughterhouse’s disbanding on a new episode of REVOLT’s “Drink Champs” dropping tomorrow (March 23). In a preview for the episode, N.O.R.E. asks him about the group’s breakup. The “She Don’t Put It Down” rhymer seemingly took full responsibility for their split.
“Come on, give me the blame; I’ll take it. I’ll take the blame,” he said. “I ruined everything. Everything that you loved, I ruined that s**t.” Check out the clip below.
Slaughterhouse was reportedly in the midst of recording their third album, Glass House, when the members left in 2018 to work on their own careers. In a since-deleted Instagram post, KXNG Crooked explained back then that music ceased to become the main focus. “The group ain’t rapping no more and that’s fine,” Crooked wrote, according to Vibe. “It was fun while it lasted. Glass House, I have no clue. All I can tell you [is] it exists. If it comes out, I’ll retweet it. Other than that, it’s all love. Everybody who supported me in Slaughterhouse, thank you.”
Glass House has yet to see the light of day, but Crooked has continued to collaborate with fellow Slaughterhouse alum Joell Ortiz. The duo released a joint project, H.A.R.D., in 2020. The two linked up again in March 2022 for the album The Rise and Fall of Slaughterhouse, which contained songs like the pointedly titled “F*kglasshouse.” Budden, meanwhile, has since retired from music and been working as a podcast host.