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Joe Budden has been charged with lewdness after allegedly standing naked in a hallway earlier this month, according to the Edgewater Police Department.
According to the press release released on Dec. 30, EPD responded to a complaint that a man was standing naked outside of an apartment complex's hallway. The man was alerted by their Ring Camera. In a clip, the man who called the police recognized that the man outside was the “Pump It Up” rapper who entered several numbers onto the keypad before heading back to his apartment across the hall.
“These charges are merely accusations,” chief of police Donald A. Martin noted in the press release. “The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Budden's attorney however is firing back amid the release from EPD.
“Mr. Budden is saddened by Police Chief Martin's press release,” Nima Ameri wrote per TMZ. “Mr. Budden has been waiting weeks for his cross complaints to be processed which include substantially more serious charges include possible felony charges against the persons behind these charges against him. 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.”
Ameri added: “The allegations against Mr. Budden are a minor charge, not even resulting in an arrest. A charge Mr. Budden is looking forward to beating in court on the merits, not in the press. The Chief's comments are reckless, and in our opinion racially motivated. Our research has not shown a single press release on a disorderly person charge on the police website this year. His choice to single out Mr. Budden in our opinion is self motivated and based off of Mr. Budden’s race and celebrity status.”
Budden addressed the claims on his eponymous podcast earlier this month.
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“I just sleptwalked somewhere I shouldn’t have sleptwalked,” he told his co-hosts amid his recent absence from the podcast. “You know how I sleep — butta–. Nice nakeda–. Good naked sleepwalking. I just did it again.”
“Nobody could go through this stuff but me. It’s only me,” the rapper continued. “So you gotta deal with what comes with that. You would’ve never guessed it.”
He followed up to his explanation on the podcast with a post on X.
“No need for think pieces guys, I’m dealing with a personal family matter, pls allow me to do so personally,” Budden wrote on Dec. 10. “Super grateful to each member of the crew for holding it down in my absence, thank you.”
Budden's court date is scheduled for Jan. 16.
