Joey BadA$$ : Get Familiar

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Joey BadA$$.

He’s 17 years old, he’s from Brooklyn, New York, He’s part of a BK spawned collective/movement called Pro.Era (The Progressive Era) and… oh yeah – he’s the reason why your favourite rapper will retire or damn near go broke trying to sign him.

“Too far n***a” [Kanye West voice] I hear you cry? Listen… Remember when Puff Daddy had the globe in a shiny suit wrapped straitjacket and then DMX came in with that raw street shit, shocked the system and went platinum plus?

Now take a look at some of the most popular “Hip Hop” today; drowned in lazy weed odes, David Guetta Euro-danceism, strip club anthems, faux anarchy etc… Basically we need someone to crash the system and, as cliché as it may be to say this, Joey might be Neo.

Exhibit A: “Survival Tactics” is the first cut unveiled from the young rapper/gamechanger’s forthcoming solo mixtape 1999, set to be released later this month, with a soundbed which conjures up a mix of ATCQ meets Leader Of The New School meets Wu-Tang – and then Joey’s verse… Goddamn! To say the kid can spit is an understatement, the flow, lyrics, cadence and delivery are of a ridiculously high quality. [Salute to Capital STEEZ as well on his verse he killed it too!] Watch the official video directed by Coodie & Chike below.

Exhibit B: “Waves,” track two from the mixtape, is a completely different vibe from the militant revolutionary vibe of “Survival Tactics.” Taking a more laid back , the kid digs deep into himself and drops some autobiographical bars looking back into his past to guide his future goals. Seriously, the maturity in his words is incredible.

Want some more evidence? Download Pro.Era’s collective mixtape The Secc$ Tap.e now and thank me later.

1999 will be out late March through Cinematic Music Group and Creative Control.tv.

Joey BadA$$ online: proera.tumblr.com/ / Facebook / @Joeybadass_