By Remi Segal
Staff Writer
“B4.DA.$$.,” or “B4. da. Money,” is Joey Bada$$’s first official commercial release.
Joey Badass is a Brooklyn rapper and this is his debut commercial project. Joey is not new to the rap scene; he has been around since 2010 and dropped his debut mixtape, “1999,” in 2012.
Joey has had numerous features on numerous records, and has featured many artists on his records. On his debut album, Joey has featured artists such as: BJ the Chicago Kid; Chronixx; and Pro Era member Diamond Lewis. Joey is pretty versal when it comes to his emotions, his topics; as well as having a great flow, and so far in his career Joey is yet to put out a completely garbage verse.
Joey is where he is, thanks to his consistency and his style; his talent; his sound. He is easily the most relevant young rapper today concerning the revitalization of New York’s classic hardcore hip-hop sound. Hip-hop is aging; its maturing as a genre, and now it has been 20 years since artists like: Black Moon; Smif-n-Wessun; Nas; Biggie; Big L; Wu-Tang; Tribe; and other New York legends all dropped some of New York’s finest. In the modern day, Joey has been at the forefront of artistically celebrating this newfound nostalgia for what a lot of people are seeing now as a new golden age of hip-hop.
What separates Joey from other modern rappers is that he doesn’t let the fame get to his head. He shows his respect and tips his hat to a lot of artists who made it big in the late 90s and early 2000s, such as: Lauryn Hill; Mos Def; Fugees; and MF Doom. Joey has not been alone in his rap crusade; he has had Pro Era with him every step of the way.
Even though a lot of people might argue that the value of lyrics is going straight into the toilet, when it comes to a large portion of modern hip-hop, simultaneously, the genre is establishing its greats. Just the same as politicians or professional sports players can be good, bad, or ugly; this same rule applies to hip-hop as a whole. It is not just in the modern day that there have been bad lyricists in rap; there have always been bad lyricists; it is only that nowadays bad lyricists hit it big and go mainstream, whilst those who stay true to the roots of the culture stay underground; just like Joey.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect about this project is the production list. There are producers like Statik Selektah and classic heavy hitters on here like DJ Premier. Some of the powerful instrumentals on this album are the songs “Like Me,” “O.C.B.,” “”Peace of Mind,” and “no. 99.” The song “Like me,” which may have one of the most nocturnal and quietest; unsuspecting instrumentals, captures a feeling of tranquility well.
Most of the songs on this album are really smooth, charming, jazzy, and soulful. These instrumentals have a very easy going vibe. The instrumentals on this album really help accomplish the underground feelings of past times in rap, but at the end of the day, it is Joey that steals the show. He’s the type of MC that values flow, and values wordplay and lyricism in the way that a traditional MC would. On most of this LP, Joey comes through with passionate delivery, great flows, and constant quotable lines.
B4.DA.$$ was released for purchase both digitally and as a physical copy on January 20.
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