During a recent episode of the Joe Budden Podcast, Ish and Ice opened up about something fans have likely suspected for a while: they haven’t fully taken advantage of the platform they’ve been part of for five years.
Ish was the first to admit it, pointing to procrastination and laziness as the culprits. Despite sitting on one of the biggest platforms in podcasting, he acknowledged that not doing more — not building out additional projects, not capitalizing on the access he has — has cost him real opportunities, and real money.
Ice echoed the sentiment, admitting he too could be “outside more,” chasing better opportunities. For him, the issue was different: he said one of his biggest downfalls was putting family over everything else and treating business as an afterthought. But based on the conversation, it sounds like he’s starting to figure out better boundaries — finally launching a Patreon page and making a conscious effort to be more proactive about the business side of things.
The Bigger Picture
Here’s the thing — I’ve said this before, and I’ll keep saying it: these guys have access to one of the top platforms in the game, and they could be doing so much more with it.
Why isn’t there an Ish show? He’s into music and tech — there’s an obvious lane right there. Why doesn’t he have a real estate show? With how many realtors and real estate professionals are active online, he could easily bring those voices onto the platform and pull in a whole new audience. Same goes for Ice — he’s been in the music industry for years, with real relationships and real knowledge, and there’s no dedicated show to show for it.
Meanwhile, look at how fast other people are moving. Marc just got on the platform and he’s already doing a show with Ian. The Power Wives project is already up and running. QueenzFlip built his own lane essentially by himself. Parks is already doing his thing in the music space. Marc, in particular, seems to already have his own base and is clearly taking full advantage of being on the platform.
It was refreshing, honestly, to hear Ish and Ice admit this out loud, because five years is a long time to not have your own show built out. At this point, Joe Budden shouldn’t be the hungriest, most active person on his own platform — the people around him should be matching that energy, if not exceeding it.
The Hardest Part Is Already Done
What people don’t always realize is that the hardest part of building anything in media — podcasting included — is building the base. The audience. The platform itself. That’s the long, grinding part that takes years.
Look at Shannon Sharpe. He built his base over decades — first as an NFL Hall of Famer, then through years of broadcasting and commentary. By the time he started his own podcast, he already had that foundation, and now he’s blown up, bringing on other people who also arrived with built-in audiences — Ochocinco, Chad Johnson, and others with their own followings.
Joe Budden already did that work. He built his name through music, then through blogging and media, and now he’s built an entire platform from the ground up. For Ish and Ice, the base is already there. It’s not about building it from scratch — it’s about taking what’s already been built and running with it.
It’s like getting thrown an alley-oop that’s already on its way to the rim. All you have to do is finish the play. Joe Budden has already thrown it. The question now is whether Ish and Ice are finally ready to go up and dunk it.