Joey Badass Says Kanye Told Him He Was an Inspiration Behind Making of “Real Friends”

During a 40-minute Instagram Live session, Joey recounted a private meeting with Kanye at Coachella.

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Image via Getty/Taylor Hill

joey badass

Those watching Joey Badass on Instagram Live Saturday night were privy to a good 40-plus minutes of anecdotes and updates about upcoming collaborations, as the wine and stories were flowing equally freely. But arguably one of the biggest revelations came halfway through the session, when an Instagram commenter asked Joey about Kanye West.

“I’ll tell y’all something very real about Kanye,” Joey teased before slowly setting the scene. “So look, I met Kanye for the first time at Coachella in 2016. He was like, ‘You heard “Real Friends?’”

“I’m looking at this nigga like, ‘Yeah, I heard “Real Friends.” Who the fuck ain’t heard “Real Friends?’” He was like, ‘You inspired me to make that song, B.’ I honestly couldn’t even believe he was saying that shit. The only thing I was thinking in my head was, ‘Nigga, why the fuck you ain’t put me on that shit? I could use the clout.’”

Joey let out a long laugh after joking about not being on the song, and he also revealed why he’s waited so long to reveal the private moment with Kanye.

“I never let this out of the bag because I didn’t really care to,” Joey explained. “But I’m gonna let it out of the bag because I’m a little wavy right now, and a drunk man tells no lies. Shout out to Kanye, man…real nigga. I still don’t believe it to this day.”

While running though a bottle or two of his favorite wine, Joey also spoke on some upcoming collaborations.

“Me and Jorja Smith we got one already,” Joey said in response to one fan asking about the UK songstress. “It just ain’t finished yet…coming soon though. Me, Jorja Smith and Little Simz ’ting. Coming real soon.”

Some viewers were also curious about a potential pairing with Logic.

“Me and Logic coming soon…don’t worry,” Joey added. “Come on, you think we not gonna do music together? We went on a whole tour together. Coming real soon.”

As for why fans haven’t heard some of the unreleased tracks, with guests such as Alchemist—who Joey said he has a whole project worth of material with—it’s a matter of timing.

“What y’all gotta understand is that I got music for the next five years,” Joey explained. “It’s just really about how I’m gonna roll the shit out an timing. I’ve been here five years. I’m gonna be here for the next 25 years.”

The lesson here is that Joey makes for a quality follow on Instagram. And if you’re interested in his future projects, it might help to bring a bottle of wine.

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