LL Cool J Defends Joe Budden After Yung Miami 'Pump It Up' Shade

LL Cool J recently hand-delivered Joe Budden his Gold plaque for the 2003 hit single "Pump It Up" -- a moment that dinged Yung Miami 's funny bone when she took aim at the podcaster ... but LL says it's no laughing matter!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with LL in NYC this week, and he tells us JB has nothing to be ashamed of waiting over 20 years for his first RIAA-certified record ... some artists never get one ... while others only move units after they're RIP!!!

JB and Miami traded disses on social media -- if you remember, this feud has been festering for some time.

JB showed the City Girls no mercy when their last album "Real Ass Whores" crashed and burned in October 2023 ... and he went on to signal the end of female hip hop as we got used to it.

City Girls have since gone their separate ways, but LL's still lit in the game after several decades ... he, Q-Tip and Def Jam are rolling out his new project "The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy)" on September 6!!!