Joe Budden proposes to Shadée Monique as couple marks 7 years together
TheGrio...
The rapper-turned-podcast mogul and Houston entrepreneur have been together since 2019 and recently celebrated their seventh anniversary.
Joe Budden is entering a new chapter with his longtime girlfriend, Shadée Monique.
The rapper and podcast host proposed to Monique after seven years together, making the moment official just one day before his 46th birthday on Aug. 31.
The proposal was captured in an Instagram Reel shared by veteran hip-hop journalist Elliott Wilson. In the clip, Budden prepares to pop the question as those around the couple look on.
Budden and Monique began dating in the summer of 2019 and celebrated their seventh anniversary in July. While the couple did not immediately make their relationship a major part of their public lives, they gradually became more open about their romance on social media. By 2022, Budden was publicly celebrating their anniversary online.
For longtime listeners of Budden’s podcasts, however, Monique is hardly a stranger.
The Houston native has become a familiar presence within Budden’s expanding media world, occasionally chiming in from behind the scenes on “The Joe Budden Podcast.” The couple also hosts “Pod Wives,” where conversations about their relationship have included discussions about marriage, making the engagement less of a surprise to those who follow them closely.
Outside of podcasting, Monique is an entrepreneur and operates Bawdy Essentials, a clothing boutique.
The engagement arrives during another period of expansion for Budden, who has spent much of the past decade transforming himself from rapper and reality television personality into one of hip-hop media’s most recognizable independent voices.
As theGrio previously reported, Budden recently expanded the Joe Budden Network into true crime with “Crime in America,” a weekly series developed with Wolf Entertainment and Advance Local’s Headline Studio. The project pairs Budden’s commentary with reporting from journalists covering criminal cases in local communities.
That move is only the latest extension of a media career built largely around “The Joe Budden Podcast,” where music, culture, politics and relationships regularly become the subject of lengthy conversations and debates.
Relationships have also been part of Budden’s public story for years.
Back in 2013, while appearing on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop,” Budden spoke with theGrio about relationship expectations within hip-hop and what he viewed as the genre’s outdated ideas about masculinity and romance. At the time, he argued that artists should have more room to discuss love and real-life relationships without those themes being dismissed as incompatible with rap culture.
More than a decade later, his relationship with Monique has unfolded during a very different stage of his life and career.
Budden has previously been engaged. His highly publicized relationships, including with former “Love & Hip Hop” co-star Tahiry Jose, were once intertwined with reality television and entertainment headlines. His relationship with Monique, by comparison, has largely developed alongside the media business he has built since stepping away from recording music.
The couple has not announced a wedding date or shared additional details about their plans.
For now, the proposal marks a milestone after seven years together and arrives as Budden prepares to celebrate his 46th birthday.