It’s another win for Joey Badass.
Just one day after Joey released his remix of YBN Nahmir’s “Bounce Out With That,”Billboard announced the Brooklyn rapper earned his very first Hot 100 entry with XXXTentacion’s “Infinity (888)” track. Billboard reports the collaborative record debuted at No. 83, racking in 9.1 million U.S. streams and 2,000 downloads in the tracking week ending March 22.
“Infinity (888)” landed on XXX’ recently released sophomore album ?, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart earlier this week. Seven of ?’s tracks are currently sitting on the Hot 100, including “Going Down” (No. 95), “Numb” (No. 83), “Changes” (No. 37), and the highest-ranking cut “Sad!” (No. 7).
Joey and XXX also recently teamed up on the “King's Dead (Freestyle)” and are reportedly gearing up to release a joint mixtape. Both rappers teased the project on social media back in January:
While serving time in Broward County Jail back in 2017, XXX conducted a phone interview with Genius, in which he discussed some of his biggest musical influences. The polarizing rapper dropped Joey’s name.
“I like to consider myself an artist. I do alternative rock, melancholy indie, all the way down to an old school lyrical boom bap rap, like Kendrick Lamar or Joey Badass, all the way down to a New Age rap like Young Thug, Lil Uzi, and all of them boys,” he said. “I try to switch up my style as much as possible, because that’s what’s really made me.”
Since the interview, XXX has earned a number of Ws, receiving big-name co-signs as well as achieving commercial success; however, the rapper’s budding career has been mired in serious controversy. The 20-year-old is now awaiting trial for aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness tampering charges, all of which stem from a 2016 incident. Prosecutors are also reportedly reviewing a newly surfaced video in which XXX is seen hitting a woman. Though the rapper's legal team insists “the video was taken completely in jest,” the woman in the clip recently came forward to share her side of the story.
“For those who are questioning why I didn't come forth earlier was because I was terrified for my life,” she said in an Instagram video. “Imagine someone doing that to u unprovoked? At 16? Let alone the people he associates himself w/? Truth of the matter is I would still be holding on to this secret if it wasn't leaked.”
