Latest Release
- 11 OCT 2024
- 1 Song
- ? · 2018
- Love Is Only a Feeling - Single · 2017
- ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ · 2017
- 2000 · 2022
- 1999 · 2012
- THE REV3NGE - Single · 2022
- 1999 · 2012
- B4.Da.$$ · 2015
- LONG.LIVE.A$AP (Deluxe Edition) · 2013
- TELL ME - Single · 2024
Essential Albums
- Joey Bada$$'s breakout debut 1999, initially released in 2012 as a free mixtape, reveals the then-17-year-old as a true rap prodigy. Over jazzy production from his PRO ERA crew and repurposed beats from MF DOOM, Lord Finesse and the late J Dilla, Bada$$ delivers couplets with fervour, confidence and a clear intent to impress—the same way he would have at his Brooklyn high school’s lunch table. Young Joey favours a vintage New York boom-bap aesthetic far beyond his years, forged by influences like Boot Camp Clik, Wu-Tang Clan and Nas. The album's official release here, six years later, is as much a testament to its staying power as to the timeless sound of Joey Bada$$'s forefathers.
Albums
- 2024
- 2024
- 2024
- 2024
- 2024
Artist Playlists
- His laidback, classicist hip-hop sound gave New York tradition a new direction.
More To Hear
- Leñ Boogs spotlights the best NYC hip-hop of 2022.
- The artist discusses the meaning behind his single "Head High."
- The artist discusses the meaning behind his single "Head High."
- The artist discusses the meaning behind his single "Head High."
- Brooklyn rapper Nyck Caution returns with his "Open Flame" EP.
- The Hip-Hop supergroup chop it up on music and future plans.
- The DJ delivers a Monday Motivation Mix.
More To See
About Joey Bada$$
“I feel responsible to speak for people who don’t have a voice,” Joey Bada$$ told Apple Music in 2017, and the Brooklyn rapper’s music reflects this commitment. Born Jo-Vaughn Scott in 1995, Bada$$ has been repping his borough and New York City forefathers like Nas and Big L since he released his 2012 mixtape 1999 when he was just 17. Thanks to his bottomless reservoir of issues-minded lyricism over boom-bap beats (“Survival Tactics”) and joyful Native Tongues-style flowing (“Waves”), it became an instant classic in hip-hop circles. By 2015’s B4.Da.$$, his political perspective had broadened, as he tackled greed (“Paper Trail$”, which nods to Wu-Tang Clan) and the struggle to stay hopeful in a world that wants to see you fail (“Like Me”). And he’s done it all while remaining independent, thanks to the growth of the collective he co-founded, Pro Era, an assemblage of rappers and producers who grew up together in Brooklyn and whose projects include their own record label and clothing line. Over time, Joey’s music has expanded in style and production—for instance, 2017’s “Devastated” contains elements of trap and a rock-inflected shouted hook—but his focus on sophisticated narratives about life as a black man in America and giving voice to the voiceless isn’t changing one bit.
- HOMETOWN
- Brooklyn, NY, United States
- BORN
- 20 January 1995
- GENRE
- Hip-Hop/Rap