Joey Bada$$
Brooklyn rapper and Pro Era founder who brought golden-age boom-bap back for a new generation.
Key albums
1999B4.Da.$$All-Amerikkkan Bada$$2000
Key tracks
Survival TacticsChrist ConsciousDevastatedLand of the Free
Who is Joey Bada$$?
Joey Bada$$ (Jo-Vaughn Scott) is a rapper and actor from Brooklyn, New York, and co-founder of the Pro Era collective.
Known for
His mixtape 1999 (2012), which he made as a teenager, followed by B4.Da.$$ (2015), All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ (2017) with "Devastated" and "Land of the Free", and 2000 (2022). He also acts in TV and film.
Style
Classic '90s boom-bap with jazzy samples, combined with sharp, socially conscious lyrics about race, politics and his own ambitions.
Impact
Joey Bada$$ showed that the golden-age New York sound still resonated with a young audience, and inspired a new wave of lyrical East Coast rap.
Influences
- Nas
- A Tribe Called Quest
- J Dilla
- MF DOOM
