Since the early days of his mayoral campaign, Mayor Eddie Melton has made the point that he’s out to change the algorithm related to the city of Gary.
Last week, though, the new reputation Melton is attempting to build for Gary took a hit during a segment on the popular Joe Budden Podcast when the famed rapper, along with his co-hosts, made some disparaging remarks about the city.
“There’s like three traffic lights in Gary. Gary is six blocks of wind and tumbleweeds. If I had to go to Gary, I’m not going to Gary,” Budden said as he recalled a prior tour stop through the city.
“Gary was so interesting I got up and looked out the window on the tour bus, like ‘Are we lost?’”
The sting of those remarks was felt across Gary, where residents and leaders alike pushed back against the podcast’s portrayal.
Among the most vocal was Grammy-winning singer and Gary native Deniece Williams, who posted a heartfelt video defending her hometown.
“Someone just sent me a video from this guy named Joe Budden talking about my hometown like a dog,” Williams said. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You have no idea what is going on in Gary at this moment. Don’t you ever run your mouth about my city.”
Melton also stepped in, calling the show live to challenge the narrative and arrange a future appearance. For Melton, it was more than a media moment — it was a chance to show a national audience that Gary is not a punchline, but a city in progress, led by someone committed to changing its story.
Melton and Budden spoke briefly on air this week after Budden was contacted by platinum rapper Ja Rule and Gary native and Grammy-nominated rapper Freddie Gibbs.
Seemingly unknown to Budden was Melton’s deep connection to the hip-hop community. Last year, Ja Rule visited Gary as a guest of the mayor for his inaugural State of the City address.
During his campaign, Melton held a fundraiser in Los Angeles with Gibbs ahead of that year’s election. And perhaps Melton’s most high-profile relationship is with hip-hop mogul and Rocafella Records co-founder Dame Dash, who spoke at Melton’s 2022 fundraiser at Hard Rock Casino.
Melton also has ties in Budden’s home state of New Jersey with Newark City Councilman Dupré Kelly, a member of the legendary hip-hop group Lords of the Underground, also known as Doitall Du.
In their brief on-air conversation, Melton and Budden agreed to set up a future appearance for the mayor.
As word spread about Budden’s remarks through social media, many Gary natives and residents chimed in, expressing love for their often maligned city.
“I love my hometown, 219 for life,” said Gary native Chandre’ Lee on Facebook.
Over on Instagram, Cedric Adams acknowledged the city’s historic struggles while holding hope for its future.
“Gary was destroyed when the factories left and a lot of beautiful Black people were forced to leave. They left a lot of old houses abandoned,” Adams said.
”They are building it back up by the beach,” he continued. “He needs to use his platform to help the beautiful Black people.”
