Weekly Album Review: Joey Bada$$ – “B4.DA.$$”

This January, New York revivalist hip hop artist and Pro Era member Joey Bada$$ has recently came out with his debut solo album, “B4.DA.$$.”

Joey Bada$$ gained mainstream attention along with Pro Era in 2012 with two mixtapes that dropped that year: “The Secc$ Tap.e” and their more successful mixtape, “P.E.E.P: The aPROcalypse.” Both put Pro Era on the map, mainly due to their very nostalgic sound. Pro Era have shown comfort in using old school New York production on their albums, sounding very similar to the early 90s era of hip hop, with its groups like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest.

Joey Bada$$ would begin to gain solo success around the same time in 2012 with his debut mixtape “1999.” This mixtape showcased his lyrical proficiency and storytelling ability on songs like “Waves,” in which he is basically talking about how he wants to come up in the hip hop industry and how he wants to be perceived. He is also accompanied on this mixtape by other Pro Era members, most notably Capital STEEZ, who delivers two amazing verses on “Survival Tactics“ and “Killuminati.”

Following the unfortunate death of Capital STEEZ in 2012, the group would become rather quiet in 2013 while going on tour with fellow New York hip hop groups The Underachievers and Flatbush Zombies. Joey Bada$$, however, would release his second mixtape, “Summer Knights.” This mixtape, while it was still good, does not capture the listener’s attention all the way through like “1999” does.

There was a lot of hype surrounding “B4.DA.$$” thanks to the singles Joey dropped prior to the release. The one big problem that most critics had with Joey about the release of this album was his supposed lack of energy, but with the release of a few of his singles as well as a few features on other songs, it seemed like that problem had been fixed. Take the song “Christ Conscious,” for example. Joey Bada$$ starts off the song with a ferocity that goes well with the heavy beat.

Joey Bada$$ not only seemed more energetic on this album, but he was also easier to relate to. In the song “Black Beetles,” he talks about self-esteem and how the hip hop world is not what he thought it would be. He also does not shy away from that old-school 90s hip hop sound on a number of songs. The song “No.99” even uses the same sample from “A Tribe Called Quest’s Scenario.”

While fans can find a lot of things to love about this album, a few things were missing. For example, there were virtually no features on this album (unless you count the bonus track “Run Up On Ya” that had an Action Bronson verse). One or two meaningful features would have been interesting. Also, Joey Bada$$ should have chosen a different beat and instrumental for the song “Escape 120” because his flow did not match them that well.

This album, altogether, is worth listening to. Joey Bada$$ definitely showed maturity and progress from his last two projects, and it is definitely a great album to debut with.