Rapper Joe Budden arrested after shocking naked act outside his New Jersey apartment

Former Eminem collaborator Joe Budden has been charged with lewdness – after the 44-year-old rapper was allegedly caught by his neighbor standing nude in the hallway of his New Jersey apartment building.

The lyricist-turned-podcaster was cuffed after being turned in by the neighbor, who saw the unsanctioned display in footage obtained from a Ring doorbell camera.

The footage showed the father-of-one fully naked, cops in Edgewater township said – releasing a statement Monday outlining the incident.

It occurred on December 4 and was even mentioned by Budden himself on his podcast, where he cryptically told his co-hosts he ‘sleepwalked somewhere [he] shouldn’t have sleepwalked.’

‘You know how I sleep butta** naked… Good naked sleepwalking. I just did it again,’ Budden continued on his eponymous program.   

‘Nobody could go through this stuff but me. It’s only me. So you gotta deal with what comes with that. You would’ve never guessed it.’

Days later, on December 10, the hip hop B-lister tweeted: ‘I’m dealing with a personal family matter, pls allow me to do so personally,’ before disappearing from the airwaves for several days. He has since returned.

Meanwhile, he is also seen in a newly released mug shot, glaring at the camera. Budden is set to appear in court on January 16, the Edgewater Police Department said – as reports began to emerge of Budden’s alleged misconduct.

The charges stems from an incident at the rapper’s apartment building in Edgewater (seen here), across the river from Manhattan in New Jersey 

‘At approximately 7:21am ET, the Edgewater Police were dispatched to an apartment complex for the report from a resident that a man was standing outside of their apartment door completely naked,’ the police statement read.

‘The caller recognized the man as a neighbor, Joseph Budden Jr.,’ it alleged, using the rapper’s full name. 

‘The caller was alerted to Budden by their doorbell camera,’ cops revealed. ‘The video depicted Budden attempting to enter a code into the door keypad several times before reentering his own residence across the hall.’

An investigation ensued, leading to Budden’s arrest.

Once booked, he was charged with lewdness, Edgewater Police Chief Donald Martin confirmed – warning that the charges were just accusations until Budden is proven guilty.

The charge, he said, stems from ‘sexual misconduct or indecency in public,’ and carries the potential for a six-month jail sentence and a $1,000 fine.

Budden, who famously fell out with Eminem not long after signing to Shady Records in 2011, has not yet commented on the looming case.

A post on his social media show him seemingly living life as usual, with one published around 2pm Tuesday, New Year’s Eve, showing him sporting shades with no written caption.

Budden is seen glaring in a newly released mug shot, released along with a statement outlining the charges against him and alleged incident. His lawyer claimed it was only made public because of Budden’s ‘race and celebrity status’

Post on Budden’s social media show him living life as usual, with one published around 2pm Tuesday showing him sporting shades with no written caption – just a series of cryptic emojis

The incident was mention by Budden on his podcast earlier this month, where he cryptically told his co-hosts he ‘sleepwalked somewhere [he] shouldn’t have sleepwalked’

It did include a series of emojiis – a smiley face with sunglasses, a pair of hands shaped into a heart, and a closed fist – though it is unclear if they came in reference to the case.

Moreover, since returning to the podcast, Budden’s show has been taping at a different location – not its usual studio in Edgewater.

While Budden has kept relatively mum about the incident, his attorney aired the rapper’s distaste in a statement, telling TMZ Tuesday, ‘Mr. Budden is saddened by Police Chief Martin’s press release. 

‘Mr. Budden has been waiting weeks for his cross complaints to be processed which include substantially more serious charges including possible felony charges against the persons behind these charges against him,’ Hackensack-based lawyer Nima Ameri said.

‘The Chief has in our opinion sat on those but instead used his time to gain some free publicity for himself. Chief Martin should seek publicity by doing notable policing not inflaming disorderly person allegations.’

‘His choice to single out Mr. Budden in our opinion is self motivated and based off of Mr. Budden’s race and celebrity status,’ she added.

Back in April, Budden bragged about grossing upwards of $7 million during his time as a podcaster, which began in 2015. He claimed to have pocketed an estimated $4 million during that time – after the show was adopted by Spotify.

‘Early on we were doing it for free,’ Budden said.

Days later, on December 10, the hip hop B-lister tweeted: ‘I’m dealing with a personal family matter, pls allow me to do so personally,’ before disappearing from the airwaves for several days

He has since returned, and is set to appear in court on January 16, the Edgewater Police Department said

Back in 2022, Budden claimed that Eminem’s influence over him and other rappers detracted from their own talents. The two are seen together shortly before their falling out, in 2011

Back in 2022, Budden claimed that Eminem’s influence over him and other rappers detracted from their own talents. 

‘Whatever tension exists between me and my brothers solely exists because of how all of us view Em,’ he said, four years after the Eminem-run rap group he belonged to, Slaughterhouse, broke up.

‘I just think the group could do better without him. I thought that we were better than him. 

‘I had always been in control of my music. When we did all the music, we couldn’t hold it…By the time it came back, it was different. It wasn’t the same.’ 

He went on to assert the beats provided by Shady Records simply ‘weren’t for Slaughterhouse.’ He is due back in court next month.