Brooklyn's Joey Bada$$ stretched his wings on A$ap Rocky's recent posse cut "1 Train," skilfully rapping over a beat that should have been out of his comfort zone. The 18-year-old can be considered one the premium young rappers out there right now, perhaps only behind Kendrick Lamar and Rocky himself in terms of recognizability, but he can certainly count Rocky, Kendrick, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T (all of whom also appear on "1 Train") as his contemporaries, despite all of the above having more releases under their belt and Joey forging a very different sonic path.
For many, the guest spot will have been the first exposure of the young rapper who occupies a very different space in New York's new wave of artists being tipped to bring hip-hop supremacy back to its founding boroughs. Released last year, Joey's breakthrough mixtape, 1999, was a retro dream, drawing inspiration almost entirely from hip-hop's golden age. With jacked beats from J Dilla, MF Doom and Lord Finesse, 1999 was mixed with a spot on recreation of classic boom-bap production by up-and-coming beat makers Chuck Strangers, Bruce LeeKix, and Freddy Joachim. It was a smooth, jazzy alternative to modern day Lex Luger bangers and even A$ap Rocky's own spacious trap rap and dubstep-infused beats. Additionally, Joey's laidback flow provided the perfect companion to the rich instrumentation, primarily drawing influence from one of his heroes, Doom, popping syllables off each other like a jazz drummer pops his hi-hats. All that was missing was the gravelly texture to Doom's villainous voice, replaced instead with Joey’s youthful freshness. Lyrically, meanwhile, 1999's most fervent enthusiasts compared it to Nas' Illmatic, citing not just the similarity in production, but likeness of the young poet's knock-around New York tales.
And so Joey is something of a unique entity. Yet on "1 Train," he rides the beats twisted strings with pure skill, bringing a different lyrical slant to the track than those that precede or follow him. "Barely even conscious, talking to my conscience/Gettin' deeper in these flows like conches," goes Bada$$, acknowledging his conscious rap style, to me so often reminiscent of a young Common. And later: "Just got back to the block from a 6 o'clock with Jigga/And I'm thinking' 'bout signing' to the Roc/But my n-ggas on the block still assigned to the rocks/And I swear it hurt me soul." It's indicative of 21st century hip-hop that an artist like Joey, with no album to his name yet, can rub shoulders with the elite like Jay. A young Nas wasn't discussing the high life on his earliest records, but it's still refreshing to hear Joey's primary focus is on the streets. A lyric on 1999's "Waves" links him to B.I.G, citing hip-hop as a means to escape violence and poverty. "You'll get it in ya vocals if you ain't a local/Yeah, that's why I'm tryna go global/Yeah, that's why I'm tryna be a mogul."
Joey has indeed suffered in his young life, not least of all last Christmas Eve when his friend and frequent collaborator Capital Steez committed suicide, chillingly tweeting "the end" before taking his own life. But Joey has ploughed on bravely, and his post-1999 releases that have been just as exciting. DJ Premier's production on the single "Unorthodox" is pure silk. On the more recent "Underground Airplay," he's joined by Smoke DZA and Big K.R.I.T. in a slick retro video. And in addition to Preemo, Pete Rock has been working with Joey on his debut album – a perfect fit. Working with two of the greats just further links Joey to the old school. And with the talent to match, he's one of the most exciting rappers around right now.
By: Dean Van Nguyen for RAPstation.com
Joey Bada$$ - Linking the Old School to the New School
Brooklyn's Joey Bada$$ stretched his wings on A$ap Rocky's recent posse cut "1 Train," skilfully rapping over a beat that should have been out of his comfort zone. The 18-year-old can be considered one the premium young rappers out there right now, perhaps only behind Kendrick Lamar and Rocky himself in terms of recognizability, but he can certainly count Rocky, Kendrick, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T (all of whom also appear on "1 Train") as his contemporaries, despite all of the above having more releases under their belt and Joey forging a very different sonic path.
For many, the guest spot will have been the first exposure of the young rapper who occupies a very different space in New York's new wave of artists being tipped to bring hip-hop supremacy back to its founding boroughs. Released last year, Joey's breakthrough mixtape, 1999, was a retro dream, drawing inspiration almost entirely from hip-hop's golden age. With jacked beats from J Dilla, MF Doom and Lord Finesse, 1999 was mixed with a spot on recreation of classic boom-bap production by up-and-coming beat makers Chuck Strangers, Bruce LeeKix, and Freddy Joachim. It was a smooth, jazzy alternative to modern day Lex Luger bangers and even A$ap Rocky's own spacious trap rap and dubstep-infused beats. Additionally, Joey's laidback flow provided the perfect companion to the rich instrumentation, primarily drawing influence from one of his heroes, Doom, popping syllables off each other like a jazz drummer pops his hi-hats. All that was missing was the gravelly texture to Doom's villainous voice, replaced instead with Joey’s youthful freshness. Lyrically, meanwhile, 1999's most fervent enthusiasts compared it to Nas' Illmatic, citing not just the similarity in production, but likeness of the young poet's knock-around New York tales.
And so Joey is something of a unique entity. Yet on "1 Train," he rides the beats twisted strings with pure skill, bringing a different lyrical slant to the track than those that precede or follow him. "Barely even conscious, talking to my conscience/Gettin' deeper in these flows like conches," goes Bada$$, acknowledging his conscious rap style, to me so often reminiscent of a young Common. And later: "Just got back to the block from a 6 o'clock with Jigga/And I'm thinking' 'bout signing' to the Roc/But my n-ggas on the block still assigned to the rocks/And I swear it hurt me soul." It's indicative of 21st century hip-hop that an artist like Joey, with no album to his name yet, can rub shoulders with the elite like Jay. A young Nas wasn't discussing the high life on his earliest records, but it's still refreshing to hear Joey's primary focus is on the streets. A lyric on 1999's "Waves" links him to B.I.G, citing hip-hop as a means to escape violence and poverty. "You'll get it in ya vocals if you ain't a local/Yeah, that's why I'm tryna go global/Yeah, that's why I'm tryna be a mogul."
Joey has indeed suffered in his young life, not least of all last Christmas Eve when his friend and frequent collaborator Capital Steez committed suicide, chillingly tweeting "the end" before taking his own life. But Joey has ploughed on bravely, and his post-1999 releases that have been just as exciting. DJ Premier's production on the single "Unorthodox" is pure silk. On the more recent "Underground Airplay," he's joined by Smoke DZA and Big K.R.I.T. in a slick retro video. And in addition to Preemo, Pete Rock has been working with Joey on his debut album – a perfect fit. Working with two of the greats just further links Joey to the old school. And with the talent to match, he's one of the most exciting rappers around right now.
By: Dean Van Nguyen for RAPstation.com
