Joey Bada$$ and his musical stylistics have attracted comparisons to the early ‘90s MC. At the tender age of 19, the Brooklyn rapper, born Jo-Vaughn Scott, is hardly your YouTube sensation suckling at the teat of fame.
A bonafide lyricist whose complex poetics alone are enough to make you hit “rewind,” Joey is cut from a different cloth, considering the slew of “new wave” rappers whose careers are bolstered by wicked production or “tight beats.”
In a last minute attempt to sit-down with the Pro Era co-founder, Hip-Hop Wired briefly caught up with Joey outside the quaint Hotel On Rivington. Moments before his set at the WAT-AAH! pop-up concert in SOHO, New York, the rapper shared with us mere tidbits about his highly anticipated debut album before touching on a Beast Coast compilation. While it felt like pulling teeth getting Joey to tell us about his upcoming album, he did manage to hint at a few surprises.
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Though the 1999 rapper remained independent, we’re hopeful that his debut album will garner him much deserved attention. B4.DA.$$ (Before The Money) is expected to descend later this year.
Hip-Hop Wired: Will there ever be a Beast Coast compilation album – as in Pro Era, Underachievers, Flatbush Zombies?
Joey Bada$$: Hell yeah.
HHW: When can fans expect that kind of project?
Joey Bada$$: Fans can expect it when Beast Coast goes on tour again, that’s when you guys will get the album.
HHW: Is that soon?
Joey Bada$$: It’s definitely in the near future, for sure. Let’s just leave it at that.
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Photo: Instagram
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HHW: Do you see rappers like Bishop and Astro as your peers or competition?
Joey Bada$$: I see them like my little homies, my little brothers. I definitely support the both of them.
HHW: How did you all meet?
Joey Bada$$: I met Bishop before he was even a rapper, and the same with Astro. We all used to go to the same barbershop and everything, so you know, just from around the way. I definitely support their music and all of that.
HHW: If Nas never made Illmatic, would you be rapping like French Montana (or nah)?
Joey Bada$$: No, never [Laughs]. Nah – Chief Keef voice – nah.
HHW: You’re the first from your family to be born in the U.S., correct?
Joey Bada$$: Uh, yea, first generation.
Hip-Hop Wired: Has that been or is it a weight on your shoulders?
Joey Bada$$: What, being a first generation?
HHW: Do you ever feel the pressure to become something monumental?
Joey Bada$$: Nah, not at all. You know, I always put enough pressure on myself to become something big. And they [family] support my work, so I’m really fortunate enough to have that around me.
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HHW: Your debut album is expected to drop soon this year. Are there any special features or production that we can look forward to?
Joey Bada$$: There’re a lot of surprises, for sure [laughs]. That’s all I’m going to say.
HHW: Tell me a little bit about the concept behind the album?
Joey Bada$$: Aight, so, it’s basically in the mind of… like, aight, what my album is going to support is like – ahhhh, I don’t want to get into that, I don’t want to give it away. It is more in depth, about who I am, my story. I’ll say that much.
HHW: C’mon, give me something great to write about!
Joey Bada$$: I can’t, I can’t. Not yet, not yet. I’m so sorry. Ask me again later.
HHW: Alright, alright… your gold teeth grill – 47K? What does that stand for?
Joey Bada$$: 47K. That’s how much I charge for a verse.
