Joe Budden finally woke up and smelled the excellence. The rapper-turned-podcaster admitted he’s been late to the Kelly Rowland appreciation club, and he showed up loud and proud. And honestly, we’re not mad at it. Some folks arrive on time, some show up fashionably late…but he’s here now.
During his recap of Brandy and Monica’s Boy Is Mine concert, Joe said watching Kelly live hit him like a revelation he should’ve had a decade ago. Nearly speechless, he confessed, “I am officially now a Kelly Rowland Stan page.”
Then he doubled down on the self-drag with,
“Have I just been under a rock? I don’t understand how I’m just putting two and two together that Kelly Rowland is a goddess amongst mortals. Why didn’t I know that?”
Sir, the rest of us knew. Destiny’s Child knew. The Grammys knew. Beyoncé definitely knew. The streets been knew…
Joe described Kelly’s entrance like he had just seen the mother of dragons descend from the heavens: “Kelly comes out looking every bit of like, ‘I work out three times a day, I eat grass and celery, I eat what’s right.’ She looked like her pores was oozing like some Destiny’s oode.” Not sure what “Destiny’s oode” is, but we felt the spirit of it.
He even admitted he tapped his girlfriend mid-show because he couldn’t contain how stunned he was. Honestly, relatable. Kelly Rowland been stopping traffic since the “Dilemma” days.
Why Everybody Always Loved Kelly Rowland (And Why Joe Is Late)
Let’s keep it real. Kelly Rowland has never been the underdog; people just love pretending she was. From vocals with texture and depth to her timeless beauty to her energy that always feels grounded yet otherworldly, Kelly has always carried a quiet power.
She doesn’t have to scream for attention; she walks in, and the room realigns. The Black community especially never slept on her. She’s been our chocolate icon, our classy queen, our gym goals, our soft-spoken assassin with the microphone. Period.
Joe’s sudden awakening is cute, but honestly? The hive of longtime Kelly stans has been thriving since the early 2000s with no days off.
About The Tour
The Boy Is Mine tour kicked off on October 16, 2025, in Cincinnati, Ohio, produced by the Black Promoters Collective. The run celebrates Brandy and Monica’s legendary 1998 duet, and fans have been eating it up. Kelly Rowland being added as a headliner back in June only made the whole thing more iconic. Three powerhouses, one tour, that’s a lot of vocal history on one stage.
And now, thanks to Joe Budden’s epiphany, the Kelly Rowland fan club just gained its loudest member. Better late than never.