Final 12 months, Joey Bada$$ stampeded his means again into rap rivalry when he launched his third studio album, 2000.
Dubbed a sequel to his lauded 2012 mixtape 1999, the album showcased the now-28-year-old’s progress as a charismatic rhyme slinger. Whereas his steely Brooklyn bravado outclassed the competitors as confirmed in “One in all Us” and “Make Me Really feel,” Joey additionally unapologetically unpacked his trauma and grief (“Survivors Guilt” and “Head Excessive”), making 2000 an indelible hip-hop gem final 12 months.
“I not too long ago efficiently grieved, if that is smart,” Bada$$ says retrospectively. “I can’t inform you what it appears to be like like for me now. I don’t even wish to take into consideration grieving something or anybody proper now, however my method now at this age could be extra direct and head-on. I buried issues and would substitute grieving time with work and something that will take my consideration away from grieving a beloved one or a scenario. Now, I might attempt to do my greatest to take care of it.”
And although Joey loved his 2022 wins — together with rave evaluations on the appearing facet for his roles on standard TV collection Energy Guide III: Elevating Kanan and Wu-Tang: An American Saga, he’s able to take a pointy pivot musically. His first step was releasing “Fallin’,” a one-off single glazed with R&B sensibilities, final month. After flexing his rap muscle groups final 12 months, Joey slows the tempo down on his new launch, offering a slick providing about falling deeply in love. Although he’s clearly in his R&B bag, he does an excellent job holding his rap base enthralled with a meaty verse, rapping “They are saying all is honest in love and warfare and I ‘fraid to threat all of it/ F–ok it, if I journey and fall, barely do I miss your name.”
Beneath, Joey speaks to Billboard about piecing collectively his third album 2000, virtually making a completely totally different album, his EGOT aspirations and extra.
You’re already dropping new music after releasing an acclaimed album final 12 months. The place’s the urgency coming from?
Effectively, it doesn’t really feel like urgency on my finish. It’s simply starvation and pleasure. It’s extra activation. Previous to 2000, it was a five-year hole. So, 2000 has me feeling activated once more. There was quite a lot of music that I made on the time … however to me it was by no means a uninteresting second. I used to be engaged on our craft the entire time. Now, I’m feeling activated once more and feeling enthusiastic about making some music. I obtained a lot music. Think about taking 5 years off?
Final 12 months, J.I.D mentioned you have been sitting on the album and holding it hostage earlier than releasing it.
Effectively, respectfully, that was a complete totally different album. I performed him 50 totally different albums. It was extra so a matter of me deciding what I really wished to do. What actually occurred was I put out All-Amerikkkan Badass, experiment with some new s–t, and nonetheless doing the s–t that comes naturally straightforward for me. However by the point I seemed up, I’m like, “Oh s–t, 5 years glided by and we misplaced two.” All this time had elapsed.
So I felt prefer it was solely proper that I needed to feed my core [fanbase], as a result of they stored me afloat. Even with a lot time away, I used to be in a position to nonetheless do reveals and pack them out. Like, my streaming was by no means down, so I felt prefer it was solely proper. I really feel keen to inform folks one thing new. All these experiments that I’ve been engaged on in that block of time.
I learn that when you have been making 2000 you and virtually made an album much like Okay Dot’s Mr. Morale and The Massive Steppers. How true is that?
Yeah — so round that point I used to be engaged on an album referred to as Survivor’s Guilt. It was extra transferring in that path, [around] the title observe of that. You realize, after some time I simply wasn’t strong about that music anymore. I don’t need you to suppose I’ve been unhappy this complete time. I need [fans] to see me develop, and the place I’m really at now. It simply turned a matter of me spiritually, how I didn’t align with that music anymore. So I pivoted from the extra therapeutic introspective sound.
Which data have been most therapeutic to you?
Positively “Survivor’s Guilt” and “Head Excessive” for certain. “Survivor’s Guilt” was a second — and I recorded that track [probably around] 2020 and had that for like three years.
That was quite a lot of heavy s–t.
It wasn’t the session that was loopy, it was going by it that was loopy. And I wrote that within the midst of the pandemic. I simply thought in regards to the idea of being wealthy, and simply the spoils of residing a lifetime of luxurious, and the place that takes an individual. I simply kinda expanded on this concept — after which it simply turned a track about me grieving the lack of my brother. I didn’t intend to put in writing about that. I really didn’t write it — it got here from the center. It was a type of issues with me simply rehearsing some traces within the bathe, going over it in my head, after which I went downstairs and it was a piecing back-and-forth sort of factor till I had this complete verse.
I didn’t even understand how a lot bars it was, as a result of I used to be simply spitting from the spirit — from my coronary heart — and it was magical. I bear in mind following that have, for the primary time I went to get a studying from a psychic. And one of many issues she instructed me — which was loopy to me — I instructed her in regards to the spirits which are following me and my angels, and on the finish of the session she requested me if I wrote a track about him. I really feel like I lastly mended my coronary heart with that track, when it got here to that scenario with my brother and the way I felt about it.
How do you discover that stability in being away, but additionally discovering the urgency to be current and launch music always?
I’m nonetheless attempting to determine it out. You speaking about, “Why you so prepared already?” I’m tryna keep constant. It’s a stability. I really feel like that was profitable for me, particularly after I began within the weblog period within the early 2010s. Like that was good, that was cool — drop a tape, take some years and include one other joint. Yeah, folks have been ready for that. However the local weather of the sport’s so totally different. Like, now it’s about numbers on the board. It’s like, “Let’s go to the gymnasium and put some photographs up and no matter sticks, sticks.” I’m taking a lot time to document high quality s–t, so I’m in a position to put it on rapid-fire if that is smart.
Do you take a look at options in another way now versus while you have been developing?
Effectively after I was developing, options obtained far more … folks wouldn’t care if the dude wasn’t Jay-Z to get on a document like mine. However now I take a look at it as a chance to maintain the ball rolling. Additionally, once we was younger, we had folks hit my telephone [while] we on the studio. If folks sending me data, it’s like, “OK, cool. Let’s get to it and ship it proper again out.” It nonetheless appears like work, however I’m extra engaged and I’m extra in it, too … I’m attempting to get to that 2000s Lil Wayne. It’s simply all starvation and pleasure proper now. I’m outdoors.
You’ve labored with Larry June twice this previous 12 months. What makes him a singular artist to work with?
One, June obtained unbelievable consistency. Two, like myself, June has a road core. That’s anyone that has hustled and he continues to ship that message. [starts rapping June’s song] “That’s a strong plan.” He’s so easy that it’s exhausting as f–ok. There’s s–t that you simply’re gonna be replaying. These are the kinds of messages you wish to have buried into your self-consciousness. I really feel like June has discovered learn how to converse to them, and he’s always providing you with that idea. I’m even at that time in my profession I’m pondering, “Who might I make a collaboration album with?” And he’s anyone that’s on my radar [for that].
Do you continue to need a Grammy?
I don’t. I’d respect one. I simply take a look at it as one thing that’s recognition. After I was youthful, I felt it was an accolade that I wanted to validate myself. I’m really very agency on the thought we [as Black people] want [our own] Grammys. We have to take it again. We had The Supply Awards and s–t like that — as a result of it actually comes all the way down to misrepresentation. That’s one thing that we’ve been coping with for a very long time — and, sadly, we’re going to should proceed to take care of it till we take the wheel. It might be cool. I obtained a spot in my home the place it’d look actual good.
I heard you have been occupied with taking part in Massive L in a biopic. Is that one thing you’re nonetheless attempting to do?
I’ve positively been approached about that. I didn’t say I’d wish to play him. I feel the query anyone had requested me was, “Who was anyone I like?” And I really feel like Massive L is anyone — as a result of developing, I at all times obtained good comparisons with him. Actually, I don’t wish to play a rapper. Even with Wu-Tang, it was a hesitation for me — however I did it, often because I’ve such admiration for RZA. However I wish to keep away from issues which are really too much like who I really am.
Seeing BMF and Ghost, the place does Elevating Kanan rank?
It’s one of the best present. I feel BMF is a good story, however I feel we obtained extra expertise at Elevating Kanan. We obtained an Oscar winner and a Tony winner who spearheads the present. They obtained Oscars at BMF?
I do know you mentioned you don’t care about Grammys, however you starred in Two Distant Strangers, which received the Oscar for greatest reside motion quick. Has the considered EGOT crossed your thoughts?
Completely. Earlier than I even obtained the Oscar, it’s humorous, as a result of that was gonna be one in every of my album titles at one level. It was gonna be The EGOT. That’s positively one thing that I see in my future that I really feel that I’ll manifest. [Ed note: Directors Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe were the announced winners for the Two Distant Strangers win, and Roe thanked Joey in his acceptance speech.]
After I obtained the Oscar, the subsequent day I used to be sitting on my sofa and there was a complete bunch happening and I simply wanted to meditate. I might get a Grammy too! I wasn’t striving for a f–king Oscar — it simply got here.