Most people find time to break from a busy schedule and visit the big city at least once in their lifetime. There seems to be a vast energy there that pulls people to it and moves them once they arrive, an utmost pacesetter for the inspired daily grinder. Hip Hop heads know all about the West Coast/ East Coast drama in the nineties, and yet still. We have all had those days where we throw on Illmatic and allow Nas to put us into a “New York State of Mind”, especially when we cannot go there and get the thrill in person. The next day it would be Biggie’s infamous “Juicy”; we are all suckers for that signature bass line and a solid rags to riches story. NYC IS the rags to riches story, the American Dream. And such it goes, the BEAST coast.
Jo-Vaughn Scott may not have been the first big name out of Bedstuy, Brooklyn, but he definitely has set a pace of his own in the Hip Hop world. It all began when he “got sick of class, started making classics” with the incredible 1999 mixtape in 2012. The face behind the tape would go to only be seen on the streets of Brooklyn, and in black and white attics where ProEra would pertain to their Brooklyn image, spitting on ciphers one after the other.
This was where we saw a certain grit come out of our main player, true potential at its best. Being made clear that Joey Bada$$ was a rapper with a message to prove, there was always talk of his debut album, B4.DA.$$, a play on that very message, not to mention his own name. But the setbacks were merely beginning. The now-20 Joey Bada$$ had found himself the center of an international media buzz. Enter Malia Obama posting a selfie sporting a ProEra shirt, and the sudden death of Pro Era member Capital Steez. #longliveSTEELO gained the support of ProEra fans. As hearts went out, the album began to take shape of a eulogy of sorts, and the buzz was swarming, simmering, and seeking its hopefully final release date in January.
It was around the same time that Joey had began releasing singles to promote the anxiously awaited project. “Big Dusty” was first, representing the sound and brand of Joey Bada$$ today – being told before anything else to check his style. The beat marks the depths of Brooklyn at the waking hour, Joey reflecting absolute maturity and a certain rawness in his voice and flow: “I guess I exercise too much when I work out” and “Truth is/ if it ain’t real I don’t feel it/ if it don’t hit my spirit/ I don’t get near it.” Then came “Christ Conscious” featuring more energy and a Joey stripped to his bare bones this go round. The microphone checker and killer, “got dragon balls like my name was Vegeta”, “keep that grip tight like my smith and wesson”. The pace for B4.DA.$$ was being set well, and by the time it was finally released, being lead by five singles, we were all too ready.
We taste his very purpose with opener “Save the Children” and track 3 “Paper Trails”: “Cash ruined everything around me” and “They say money is the root of all evil/ I say money is the root of all people” , “It’s the dolla dolla bill that kills, ya’ll.” Points made clear and vibes made easy, it was before the money that there was love. I mean that’s real as fuck, and if the album succeeds in no other way but that one point made, it’s still a W.
However, the flaws of the album seem tied to the albums’ consistency. There are no doubt moments that drag and crawl along. The centerpieces of the album seem to fall short of the pace Joey had been setting up for this whole time. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen something like this happen to up-and-coming artists. Production quality vastly improved on, and the image of the artist regarded as more crucial than the working parts that make up the meat of the project. Even though there are times where the project struggles, the moments that shine nearly outweigh the ones that slow down its pace. For instance, the album is long enough to achieve playability, and offers itself as an LP with different obtained moods throughout, and thus the option to choose what mood we desire, all pertaining to the mindset of “before the money.”
Album closer “Curry Chicken” wraps things up with more of Joey’s charisma, summing up his message and promoting what he stands for and insists we stand for also; to be true to the streets you were raised on, and remember there was a time before the money came along where life was a struggle. Nothing should ever be taken for granted no matter the circumstance – and it’s in that way where the album deserves to be number one in Hip Hop currently. 2015 has many shoes to fill, and thanks to Joseph Badmon and a proper debut, we are off to an appropriate start.
7.7
