1999 by Joey Bada$$ (Review)
[Originally Published on April 2, 2020]
To rouse fan excitement for his then upcoming album, J Cole released two brilliant tracks as well as equally moving visuals from his hometown in 2016. Each song was a State of Hip Hop address, with “False Prophets” being the stronger and more provocative of the two. The dazzling instrumental was borrowed from Joey Bada$$’s “Waves”, which grew the emcee’s exposure and fanbase. If this was your first time hearing the Brooklyn native spit, you were definitely sleeping beforehand.
Joey Bada$$ is a technical rap wizard and one of our generation’s most important voices. As his stage name suggests, Joey is a rebel by nature who doesn’t concern himself with commercial success or maintaining the status quo in hip hop. Frankly, he’s not with the shits. The Beast Coast emcee’s rage is understandable. White supremacy’s byproducts, specifically police brutality as well as inner-city poverty, loom large as themes on 1999.
The aforementioned “Waves” engages the endless struggle of poverty from its opening lines with masterful wordplay: “Since ’95, Momma been working 9-5/ I know the landlord’s fed up with our lies/ So we pray to the Gods, the Jah’s, and the Allahs/ to keep us safe and watch our lives.” The next few bars describe Joey’s awareness of the violence around him, and how that fear motivates him further “Put on my hood when I walk through hoods/ Cause these niggas these days is loco/ You’ll get it in ya vocals if you and ain’t a local/ Yeah, that’s why I’m tryna go global.” The track also critiques rappers who are not focused on their craft and are “worried bout the trendin’ fashions rather than descending passion.” The backbone of this tape, “Waves” is a timeless treasure.
“Survival Tactics” further describes the unforgiving, hard-knock life of the Brooklyn projects. We get a sense that this environment is responsible for this emcee’s relentless fire and tenacious delivery. “World Domination” is Joey’s ruthless rebuke of wack emcees. As the leader of rap group PRO ERA, Bada$$ is happy to share the stage with his teammates throughout, most notably Capital Steez and CJ Fly. The album closer “Third Eye Sh*t” is the stuff of legends. The 12-minute posse cut dives deep into purpose and introspection—and each emcee describes what’s wrong with the world as they see it.
A precocious thinker and emcee, Joey recorded 1999 at the age of 16. He embodies the anger and awareness of the millennial generation, but sonically leans toward the boom bap of 90s rap. Bada$$ has frequently been compared to Queens legend Nas, and the parallels are uncanny. Nas also recorded his opus as a teenager, is known for his surgical pen, and released a classic that largely flew under the radar in the mainstream. Whether Joey will join Nas in the GOAT conversation someday remains to be seen. However, one thing is for certain: 1999 is the first time we’ve heard Illmatic-level rap since, well, Illmatic.
