Who Is Joey Bada$$?

Get to know the baddest new MC out of Brooklyn.

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Image via Complex Original
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Get to know the baddest new MC out of Brooklyn.

As the line between hip-hop and pop music continues to blur with the coming of each new generation, purists with underground loyalty keep searching for the next rapper to surface with an allegiance to the realness. Enter Joey Bada$$, a talented, high-school age MC from Flatbush, Brooklyn with serious mic skills, a mature ear, and throwback sensibility.

Joey’s buzz began when the rough, rugged and raw video for “Survival Tactics,” his collaboration with fellow Pro.Era representative Capital STEEZ, shook the internet earlier this year. Directed by Creative Control (who made their mark in the industry with Kanye West’s “Through The Wire” video), the video sparked a wildfire of Joey Bada$$ excitement. His wordplay and flow were impressive, and more importantly, his presence suggested the potential for greatness.

Since “Survival Tactics” dropped, Joey Bada$$, who is managed by The Smoker’s Club general Jonny Shipes (who also manages Big K.R.I.T. and Smoke DZA), has been making major moves. He’s appeared on two different MTV programs, been covered by the New York Times, contributed a verse to Mac Miller’s Macadelic mixtape, and recently opened up for Mac at Roseland Ballroom in NYC.

With his highly anticipated mixtape 1999 due in the next few weeks, we invited Joey up to the Plex to chop it up about his BK upbringing, his sudden come-up, being critiqued by Odd Future on MTV, why he’s not feeling Weezy and Kanye’s new music, and how he feels about being compared to the greats. Get familiar.

RELATED: Green Label - A Look at Joey Bada$$'s Greatest Accomplishments

As told to Daniel Isenberg (@stanipcus)

Growing Up In Brooklyn

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Growing Up In Brooklyn

Joey Bada$$:“I’m from Flatbush. I’m the [first one] from my immediate family [to be born in the United States]. Coming up in Flatbush, being raised by West Indian parents, you’re the first-hand experience for your family, living here in this new country with them coming from the Caribbean. It’s a different way of living, but we’ve maintained. I have three brothers, and one sister. And I’m the second oldest. I live with my Mom, and all my siblings are on my Dad’s side. I’m my Mom’s only child.


 

[The Notorious B.I.G.’s 'Hypnotize'] was what drew my attention to hip-hop. I knew that song word for word when it played on the radio or TV. And I was only like two.


 

“As a kid, I was into Hot Wheels, and cars. I was really into cars. I liked smashing things. I still like smashing things. [Laughs.] And then, I was really into poetry, that’s what got me into the whole rapping thing.

“[The Notorious B.I.G.’s 'Hypnotize'] was what drew my attention to hip-hop. I knew that song word for word when it played on the radio or TV. And I was only like two [years old]. I forget what the countdown show was, but I used to wait, because it used to always be number one. So I would wait for it to come on and sing it. That was my song.

“I grew up listening to a lot of hip-hop, R&B, and soul [in my house]. A lot of Prince. My Mom is a big Prince fan, so I’m a big Prince fan. Pause. [Laughs.] And reggae music of course, being from a West Indian background. Reggae music all the time, non-stop. And Soca.”

Learning to Rap

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Learning to Rap

“I wouldn’t dare freestyle as a kid. I didn’t even know what that was. I would just always write poems. And the poems would turn into raps. And then when the raps started turning into something I wanted to record, it was around the time of 6th grade.


 

The first time I ever put a song together, I was sitting in the barbershop in the chair getting a cut, and I saw this girl walk by, and a song just came into my head, like a melody. And I put it on paper.


 

“I had this friend, he was my best friend at the time. He sang, and I rapped, and we formed a little group. That’s when I really realized like, ‘Hey, I want this dream of rapping.’ But time went on, and we went to different schools, and I was exposed to different things, because I went to a more diverse school. It opened my mind up to different aspects of the world, music being the dominant one. It changed my way of seeing things, and made me want to express [myself] differently.

“The first time I ever put a song together, I was sitting in the barbershop in the chair getting a cut, and I saw this girl walk by, and a song just came into my head, like a melody. And I put it on paper. That was the first hook I ever wrote. And I structured my first song from there, with three verses and a hook. I even threw in a little bridge. I was like nine or ten [years old]. It was about something that I’d rather not share. [Laughs.] It was kind of embarrassing.

“From there, when I got the opportunities to do projects or contests [that had to do with songwriting, poetry, or rapping] I would take advantage. Like little Poetry Slams and things like that. I would capitalize on it anytime I got the free time, and even cheating time, while I was supposed to be doing something else. That’s how my love for [rapping] grew.

The Name Joey Bada$$

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The Name Joey Bada$$

“The name was something that I admit at the time would draw more attention to the listener as far as social media. My name at first was JayOhVee. But I changed it to Joey Bada$$, not just for more appeal, but there was a point in my life where I was changing the way I viewed the world. And I grew up intellectually, so I thought the name change was necessary. That’s what sounded cool at the time, what fit my mood. And now it’s just like, ‘Fuck it. It’s not really about the name. Just listen to the music.”

First Recordings

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First Recordings

“I used to record off this MP3, knock-off iPod device I had. I would [put the files on a CD then put the CD in] my Playstation 2 and play it through my TV so it would be louder than my computer, because at the time I didn’t have any speakers [hooked up to my computer]. And then I would put the device on record, and [rap into the device with the beat playing loud in the background from my TV].


 

Nobody really had the same creative sound in my head, as far as the mixing goes. So I would just do it myself.


 

“At this point, I’m just getting used to being in an official studio. A month or so ago, I wasn’t. I was always comfortable recording at home though. I [eventually] had this PC, and I bought this USB condenser mic, and this little vocal editing program, and I just put two and two together and just figured it out myself. That’s how a lot of my stuff started. It would be me not knowing where to start, and then just [learning how to do it on my own]. Nobody really had the same creative sound in my head, as far as the mixing goes. So I would just do it myself.”

First Performance

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First Performance

“It seems so long ago from here. It was like two Christmases ago. I remember that day. I had done this showcase. It was a Dyme-A-Duzin event. Me and him went to the same school, and he threw the showcase. So knowing him through school, I just entered it. It wasn’t in school though, it was its own event that him and his Mom organized. Shout to the homie Dymes.

“It changed my way of how I started making music, because I never got to see how my music was on the performance side of things. I didn’t get a bad response, I got good feedback. And it only made me want to work more.”

Wanting To Be Young Money

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Wanting To Be Young Money

“I really wanted to be Young Money, I swear. I’m mad I even shared that information. There was a point in time where my third eye was closed. I really wasn’t conscious of the things that were going on around me. I was just going based off of what was the basic, mainstream shit. I was younger. I feel like I’ve aged twenty-five years since then.


 

Weezy’s not bad. But now
it’s like, ‘N*gga, get the f*ck off stage.’ My taste went in a different direction. I’m mad at a lot of today’s rappers. Like,
that Kanye sh*t on the
‘I Don’t Like (Remix).’ I don’t like it!


 

“I wasn’t really a Weezy fan. I was caught in the hype. But after a while, I went back to the old shit, and I mean, Weezy’s not bad. But now it’s like, ‘Nigga, get the fuck off stage.’ My taste went in a different direction. I’m mad at a lot of today’s rappers. Like, that Kanye shit on the ‘I Don’t Like (Remix).’ I don’t like it! [‘Theraflu,’] I don’t like it! [Laughs.]

“I’m feeling a lot of underground shit. I’m not really feeling shit that’s on the radio. I mean, I couldn’t really tell you if it’s on the radio, because I literally don’t listen to the radio ever. I might like a song that’s on the radio, and I wouldn’t know.

“I don’t only listen to hip-hop. That’s something I don’t want people to get confused. I’m really into electric funk, I kid you not. I love Daft Punk. That’s what I’m into. Watch. I kinda don’t want to give away ideas for the future, but basically, I will spit over shit like that.”

Dance Battles

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Dance Battles

“Gettin’ light [dance battles]? That’s some throwback shit! It was getting to a point where I never thought it would die down. I mean, they still do it. I know a couple homies that are still into that shit.

“I’m from Brooklyn, so Brooklyn wasn’t really based on gettin’ light. It was based on Shotta dancing. Like, reggae dancing. It was still structured the same way as [gettin’ light] with battles and filming and all that, but it was reggae dancing. That was the shit. We used to go hard for that shit. Set up major battles, videos, everything. We used to go hard. We didn’t care if it blew up to the world. We used to go hard just between us. I used to definitely do that shit.”

Skateboarding

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Skateboarding

“I wanna explain this shit. Yo, I guess I am a skater. But I’m not fuckin’ Tony Hawk. It’s like, I use my board to get from point A to point B. This summer is gonna make it a year [that I’ve had a skateboard]. Now, I’m starting to trick and shit because I’m starting to fall in love with it more. But it’s just a hobby. Niggas making it seem like I’m fuckin’ Rodney Mullen and shit. The shit is not even that important to me! I just like riding. Pause. [Laughs.] I like cruising. I literally like cruising, and racing. When I used to skateboard back in 6th grade, I was more into tricks.”

Linking Up With The Smoker’s Club

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Linking Up With The Smoker’s Club

“I uploaded this freestyle on YouTube [of me rapping when I was fifteen], and it got to WorldStar. And [Jonny] Shipes had seen it, and it caught his attention, and he hit me up on Twitter. He was like, ‘Yo, hit me up in my email.’ And I never heard of him, ever. So I looked at it as, like, ‘Aiight, little homie noticed the skills.’ [Laughs.]But I was like, ‘Fuck it, let me see what he about though.’ And I hit him up, and I learned that he was official. Ever since then, I’ve just been fuckin’ with him.


 

He always had the vision, then I had my own vision—so it was like perfect division.


 

“Shipes was like, ‘I wanna build you as an artist. I wanna see you grow.’ He wanted to help me out with whatever I needed. He always had the vision, then I had my own vision—so it was like perfect division. [Laughs.]

“Then, we just started working together. That’s my manager. I had a project in the works at the time, but as soon as I met him, my potential just shot up. So I trashed that project and put a new one in the works, and that was 1999.

“I love Shipes. That’s my big bro. And [Smoke] DZA. That’s my big bro too. He looks out for me. We haven’t even linked up on any music shit. We’re not even in the studio doing shit. That’s literally like my big bro.”

Pro.Era Crew

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Pro.Era Crew

“It started off, and there were four of us. It was myself, [Capital] STEEZ, my homie CJ Fly, and Pow Pe. We all went to the same school, Edward R. Murrow. We would cut classes, and go sneak in the auditorium backstage and just rhyme, for periods and periods. The raw shit.

“We started building right away, and homies had homies, and we formed this empire. We’re like twenty deep, with everyone contributing as either rappers, singers, producers, graphic designers.

“STEEZ and Pow came up with the name. We’re progressing, that’s what it is. Be progressive. Third eye shit. Third eye shift.”

Discovering ’90s Rap

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Discovering ’90s Rap

“Growing up, and wanting to stay relevant to the time period of the music I was listening to made me want to go back and listen to [older recordings of the artists I was a fan of]. Like, my favorite artist was Jay-Z, so I went back on Jay-Z to the times where his music was floating in my subconscious, in the womb, or when I was two years old. I went back on everything. My favorite artists are [MF] Doom, Nas, Jay-Z, B.I.G. The usuals, [other than Doom].


 

I can’t resist the Doom beats. They keep calling me. I have all of them, or have at least heard them through YouTube.


 

“I can’t resist the Doom beats. They keep calling me. I have all of them, or have at least heard them through YouTube, all those Special Herbsbeats. We have a secret hidden freestyle that’s like an hour on this one Doom beat mixtape.

“I was put on by STEEZ. I didn’t know who Doom was until I got to high school, because I was so stuck on that Lil’ Wayne shit. “World Domination” [from 1999] is on a Doom beat, called ‘Datura Stramonium.’

Illmatic. I generally don’t fall for the hype, but Illmatic is illmatic! But you know what? It’s funny, I might like It Was Written more than Illmatic. But Illmatic was still illmatic. I probably like It Was Written more because I don’t want to say I’m more for the hype, but It Was Written I feel like is truly better than Illmatic. He killed that shit.

Reasonable Doubt, love. Ready To Die. The Massacre, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, that was my shit. Life After Death. Aquemini, ATLiens. Operation Doomsday too.”

Comparisons to Nas

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Comparisons to Nas

“Yeah, that pops up often. Him, Big L, Biggie. People are going to call you that. I’m not mad. It’s an honor to be [compared] to the greats. Of course [I’ve been influenced by them]. These are my favorite artists that they’re talking about and comparing me to.


 

I was feeling pressure, but that whole burden has been lifted off my chest by some guardian angel recently. Like, I’m gonna do what I wanna do.


 

“I was feeling pressure, but that whole burden has been lifted off my chest by some guardian angel recently. Like, I’m gonna do what I wanna do. It’s my music, it’s how I feel. And we’re just gonna do it our way.

“If [I’m not on Hov’s radar yet], then I definitely will be by next week. That’s words from my man Jesse. It’s funny, I asked him that question two days ago. I said, ‘You think I’m on Hov’s radar?’ I heard he’s really up on his shit. That would be dope.”

The Making of “Survival Tactics”

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The Making of “Survival Tactics”

“Me and STEEZ, we got this older homie named Bagir, and he’s just like, an older hip-hop head. He’s a producer, and an older hip-hop cat from around my school’s neighborhood. A little older than me, not like, old. I normally don’t call people older than me that are in my age range ‘old.’ That’s the respect that I have for him. Everybody knew him around the school.


 

That video was supposed to be out way, way back. We shot it in the fall, and it was supposed to come out in December. But we weren’t really trippin’ off that... Hell yeah [we had fun making it]. It was surreal.


 

“One day STEEZ was like [to Bagir], ‘Yo, put me on to some shit.’ Then he sent STEEZ that [Styles of Beyond] beat. And then STEEZ sent it to me, and as soon as he sent it to me, I had a verse ready. Then STEEZ made his verse. Honestly, me nor STEEZ knew who Styles of Beyond was.

“Then, that same weekend, we were in the studio, and we just knocked it out. This was like last summer. Shipes was overlooking us at this point, but we did this on our own, in [a home studio].

“That video was supposed to be out way, way back. We shot it in the fall, and it was supposed to come out in December. But we weren’t really trippin’ off that. We had to wait on some shots because the weather got bad. It came together as a success. We were proud of it.

“Hell yeah [we had fun making it]. It was surreal. I met [the Creative Control] guys through Shipes. They’re part of the team, and they’re like genuine, good guys. Those are my homies, Coodie and Chike. We were coming up with ideas as we were going along [with the masks from Urban Outfitters and different shots to use], so it was perfect synchronization.”

The Making Of “Waves”

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The Making Of “Waves”

“I wrote that in my Mom’s room. She wasn’t home, and my computer was down, so I was just using her computer. I was in the zone. It just came about. It just flowed. I did not stop writing that verse for one second. As soon as I heard the beat, it started writing itself.


 

I been a fan of Complex, [which is why I mention the magazine on ‘Waves’ in the line, ‘Soon to accomplish articles in Complex.’]


 

“I been a fan of Complex, [which is why I mention the magazine on ‘Waves’ in the line, ‘Soon to accomplish articles in Complex’]. It’s crazy, when the year started, I had this computer class first period when I would first come to school. And I would do the lesson, obviously, but not ‘til the end. And I would be on Complex in the beginning just reading all the articles.

“The video shoot [with Va$htie] went well. I can’t wait to see it. Shipes manages Va$htie as well. Va$htie is mad cool. I love Va$htie. I was involved in the concept, but that’s all I’ll say.”

Vice and New York Times In-School Coverage

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Vice and "New York Times" In-School Coverage

“See, a photographer from the New York Times came and captured the story [of Vice coming to film me at school]. It was in their Technology section. That was the first time the limelight was blazed upon my skin, my melanin. [Laughs.]It was painful. I’m not a fan of the limelight. I’ve very reclusive. I’m to myself. So when the cameras came in, it was too much for me. I wasn’t embarrassed, because I was always a popular kid, not to toot my own horn. The limelight wasn’t really anything new, but I like to be low-key. Smooth. On the low. I don’t really like people in my business and stuff like that.


 

My gym teacher was like, ‘So, you’re an artist? Maybe you should show me some of your paintings.’


 

“It’s funny. That day, it changed, like, all my teachers started looking at me different. My first period class is gym, so I go in my gym class, and my teacher is like, ‘Oh, so you’re an artist?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ I guess she had heard the news that they were coming to the school, but I didn’t know that it would spread like that. It fuckin’ spread like a plague. I was like, ‘Damn!’

“So anyway, my gym teacher was like, ‘So, you’re an artist? Maybe you should show me some of your paintings.’ [Laughs.] I’m like, ‘No, I’m a music artist.’ She was like, ‘You’ve got the New York Times coming here, you must be really good.’

“Then, I went to the principal’s office, which I’ve never been in before. I come in to the principal’s office, and they’re like, ‘So you’re the guy everyone’s talking about! New York Times is coming to see you!’ Unfortunately, I had this very bad headache that day. So all day I stayed in the principal’s office, and they were, like, feeding me, and bringing me water. I was getting treated like a king. I didn’t have to go to any classes that day.

“People, at least close to me and my friends, they knew I was rapping. But I guess it changed when they saw that like, ‘Yo, I’m really doing this.’ But they’ve always been showing love. But people who haven’t been showing love before have been coming out like, ‘Yo, I applaud you.’”

Working With Mac Miller

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Working With Mac Miller

“He had just tweeted like, ‘Yo, I just heard some Joey Bada$$, that shit was grimy as fuck.’ And I was just overly elated from then. So I was trying to get in contact with him, but we had no direct contact. So I was just on standby, like, if he really about that he’s gonna reach out to me.

“So then he hit me up on Twitter, and he sent me his number. I called him, but it was the Woodie Awardsweekend, so shit didn’t work out. Then eventually, he called me, and we chopped it up. Then he sent me the track [for ‘America,’] and I had like two days to complete it, because he was dropping the tape in like two days.


 

I’m a fan. He’s definitely a guy that our generation is looking up to right now. Who else is doing it as big as Mac Miller independently?


 

“I’m a fan. He’s definitely a guy that our generation is looking up to right now. Who else is doing it as big as Mac Miller independently?

“[Opening up for Mac at Roseland Ballroom] was dope. That was like three thousand kids. That was our first big venue, and we rocked that shit. You would’ve thought those people knew us. A couple [knew who I was]. As I was walking in, they were like, ‘Oh, Joey Bada$$ walked past me.’ I’m like, ‘I’m not a star.’ [Laughs.]

“I went like 60/40 with STEEZ. We did ‘Survival Tactics’ and ‘Talking Shit,’ then I did a couple songs, then he did ‘Vibe Ratings.’ We snuck in ‘Cab Fare.’ They were feeling us OD, so we put on another track. The stage manager was bitchin’, but we were like, ‘Fuck it.’ [Laughs.] I know Mac wasn’t trippin’.

“I wish [we performed ‘America’ with Mac and Case Veggies that night]. But we shot the video for it later that night. [Casey Veggies wasn’t at the show], but at the video shoot we linked up. I didn’t get home until like five o’clock in the morning.”

Appearances On MTV’s RapFix Live And Sucker Free Countdown

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Appearances On MTV’s RapFix Live And Sucker Free Countdown

“I looked at RapFixas a 106 & Park of the underground. I didn’t really know what it was, I saw it once or twice. But looking at it, that’s what I got out of it. The way it was proposed to me was, ‘Your video is going to be featured, and Odd Future is going to be the special guest of the day.’


 

I admit, I’m becoming less of a fan [of Odd Future] as the days go by and as my buzz grows.’


 

"I didn’t know it was going to be a direct interview with Odd Future and that they were going to play my video for them. That’s some bullshit. I don’t even need their opinions, you feel me? I was confused. I was definitely up on them, like any hip teenager at the time. But I admit, I’m becoming less of a fan [of Odd Future] as the days go by and as my buzz grows. [Laughs.]

“I was on Skype from a back staircase at school [during my appearance on the show]. I didn’t want to be bothered, or anyone to intrude, like, ‘Yo, what are you doing?!?!’ And me be like, ‘I’m just on MTV.’ That’s what it was.

“The Sucker Free shit, that all happened the same day we had the Mac Miller show. That whole thing is a blur. That day was just ridiculous for me. I got out of school and we went to the Sucker Free interview.

"Then I got out of that, and we went to the Mac show. Then we did that, then hit the [‘America’] video shoot. That day was like ‘Superstar Lifestyle 101.’ I was like, ‘What the fuck did I just do today?’


 

[DJ] Envy is a cornball. He wasn’t up on me. Two minutes before the sh*t started, the cameraman was like, ‘Joey Bada$$, YouTube hit ‘Survival Tactics,’ blah blah blah.’


 

“I did [that freestyle verse] like it was nothing. I had so much other shit on my plate, I was like, ‘How do I even prep for this?’ So I just did it. It just came out.

“[DJ] Envy is a cornball. He wasn’t up on me. Two minutes before the shit started, the cameraman was like, ‘Joey Bada$$, YouTube hit ‘Survival Tactics,’ blah blah blah.’ He don’t know shit. Include that shit, ‘cause I want niggas to know, he’s a fuckin’ cornball.”

Social Media

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Social Media

“Social media, I’m ashamed to say, has played the biggest part in building my buzz up. I’m actually working on building my buzz up locally. I’m a fan of how things work naturally.


 

[Radio] is not important to us
at this point. We’re looking way past radio.


 

I often think about, ‘What if there was no social network? How would I be expanding myself out here?’ So that’s what I’m working towards now. Building my buzz up locally, whether it’s doing more ciphers, doing more shows, or going to more local events.

“[Radio] is not important to us at this point. We’re looking way past radio. They play [my songs] on college radio and Sirius though. They’ve been playing our shit overseas too as soon as our shit dropped.”

1999

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The 1999 Mixtape

“Well, it’s definitely finished. I can’t lie to the people. It’s finished now. We’re going to put it out very soon. I want to put it out properly. I wanna drop another video, have a listening party, you know, shit that I always wanted. I pray that my fans will be patient. Like, let me enjoy this the way that I hoped to do so.


 

People refer to the '90s as the Golden Age of hip-hop. '99 being the last year is like a ‘last hope’ type of thing. And it also intervenes with the whole Y2K thing. So it’s not only the ‘last hope’ in hip-hop, it’s the ‘last hope’ in the world.


 

“There is a lot of confusion about [me titling the mixtape 1999]. People refer to the '90s as the Golden Age of hip-hop. ‘99 being the last year is like a ‘last hope’ type of thing. And it also intervenes with the whole Y2K thing. So it’s not only the ‘last hope’ in hip-hop, it’s the ‘last hope’ in the world. You know, with the whole Y2K theory, people were thinking ‘99 was the last year of earth. It’s funny because now it’s 2012 and people are thinking the same shit. It’s some subconscious shit.

“There’s original production on 1999, but there’s also gems that I just found. But people aren’t going to be mad at that, because they’re like, gems. Like, secret shit that only probably a select few people have heard of. When I was making 1999, I was going through a time that I didn’t have producers that were making the same sound as what I had in my head. So I had to explore, or make it myself, which I’m still learning how to do now.

“I browse for days and days, checking the history, related artists. I used to never listen to songs. If it didn’t say instrumental, I wouldn’t click it, because me listening to the song would fuck up my idea [of how I wanted to flow and rap on it].”

Family Response To Success

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Family Response To Success

“They’ve been loving it. They’ve been encouraging me to go on, but finishing school is a priority. I have to. Not only to make my mom happy, but I have to, as an individual.

“I feel like [school] has actually been getting easier. The only reason I can say I’m slacking now is because summer is approaching. Every student goes through that, like, ‘Aiight, year 'bout to end. Fuck it—YOLO!’ [Laughs.]

Collaborations

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Upcoming Collaborations

“There are a couple artists that I already have things in the works with. Perrion, he’s from Harlem. Raz Fresco, he’s from Toronto. And brandUn DeShay, a rapper/producer from Chicago. I’ve been following them, from before my buzz started. Younger cats that have been doing their thing. It’s mostly from being online, and from networking, as I went to events and shit like that. People that I’ve always wanted to work with.


 

Perrion, he’s from Harlem. Raz Fresco, he’s from Toronto. And brandUn DeShay, a rapper/producer from Chicago. I’ve been following them, from before my buzz started.


 

“[As far as legendary producers I want to work with], Lord Finesse number one. Number two Mad-Lib. Me and 9th Wonder, we actually have a good relationship. He just hit me up, showin’ me mad love. 9th Wonder’s always been a producer whose beats I’ve been writing to. [We have something in the works for] the future.

“I feel like [in terms of collaborating on songs with legendary rappers], I have to leave my mark first. I have to engrave my point, and my standing, before I even jump to that level. Just a shout out or something like that would do it for me right now. I have a group of dope, talented artists that I can make songs with. I don’t really need to be going outside my camp. But there are just some people I already assured that I would work with. People that I would like to work with.”

The Future

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The Future

“I’m not really a person who sets goals. I’m just a person who goes for something I want to do. It’s just free-ball. It’s like, ‘Aiight, this is 1999. This is what I got right now to present to the world. Stay tuned ‘til my next.’ I don’t really know where I’m going from it. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. It’s good music. I mean, it’s whatever the people take from it.

“Of course, I would love for it to go to the next level. I want to [tour and make money and all those things]. But either way, it’s not like I’m gonna stop. I naturally like doing this.”

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