Joey Bada$$: Brooklyn's Finest
WILL LAVIN—First of all, congratulations. You’re about to be a father for the second time. What are you most looking forward to this time around?
I’ve been a father for what’s about to be seven years. My first is a girl and I’m about to have a baby boy. My daughter and my baby sister are about the same age and they’re wild—like super wild, so I’m looking forward to having a boy, because from what I’ve observed, boys are chill. I’m just really ready to meet him.
As well as having a baby on the way, you’re busy with music, acting and activism. How do you maintain a good work-life balance?
I’m trying to figure it out every day. I do my best to allocate time for the different areas, like, “Maybe today’s focus is this and maybe tomorrow’s focus is that.” It’s definitely a learning process, though. I can’t say that I have one set process that works all the time, but it’s definitely a matter of just carving out time for each thing that I have to do.
Joey Bada$$ has a child and new music on the way.
© Koury Angelo
Your last album was 2022’s 2000. Are there any plans to release a new full-length project anytime soon?
I’ve got a lot of new music, I’m just a huge perfectionist. So I’m trying to get out my head a little bit more. I’m trying to apply the 70 percent rule, which is basically:“‘Is it 70 percent there?” “Cool, put it out.” Because on some I’ll be like, “Nah, it’s at 99 percent. There’s still one more thing.” And it really delays the process sometimes. But there’s definitely a lot of music in the can that I’m trying to get out this year.
Early in your rap career, you almost signed to JAY-Z’s Roc Nation but opted to go the independent route. Do you ever think back and reflect on what might have been?
Hell yeah! I didn’t necessarily opt to go the indie route; it was a chain of communication that I didn’t have any part in. You gotta understand, at that point I’m a 17-year-old kid from Brooklyn, that was the dream, the highest honor you can have. Jay is my favorite rapper, even to this day, and within a year of being in the game he wanted to sign me. But he didn’t want to sign me as an artist, he wanted to manage me. I had a manager at the time and I always wonder if that’s how it got botched.
In February, you released Pardon Me, a three-track EP that continues your lyrical back-and-forth with the West Coast. However, on “Sorry Not Sorry,” you create an interesting bridge between East and West by declaring yourself a combination of 2Pac and Biggie. In what ways do you feel their respective qualities manifest in your music?
Biggie, to me, is just like a flow master. He’s got one of the hardest flows ever. And then ’Pac to me is just all spirit. He’s got that purpose, he’s gonna give you a message. He’s gonna speak to you. So I think those two elements right there are what I carry for sure.
Another artist you’re a big fan of is the late Big L. A few years ago you expressed interest in portraying him in a biopic. Have there been any new developments?
There was, but I already played Inspectah Deck [on Hulu’s Wu-Tang: American Saga]. I don’t want to play any other artists. If I play another artist, it’s not going to be a rapper, it’s going to be like a Motown artist, some shit like that. I would still love to be involved in that project, but I can’t see me playing him at this point.
Your portrayal of Unique in Power Book III: Raising Kanan has been receiving a lot of praise. The character is often described as “unhinged” by fans of the show. How do you prepare mentally for a role like that?
I just jump into it. I guess it’s a process, but to me it’s not really a process. As soon as I land on set and I put them clothes on, it’s just time, you know? I’m in there. I’m in that mindset, I’m in that mode. I’m in that frame of thought.
Bada$$ launched Impact Mentorship, offering free support for men of color.
© Koury Angel
The show’s executive producer, 50 Cent, seems to be big on giving acting opportunities to talented musicians—like Method Man, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and more. What have you learned since working with him?
He’s a very interesting individual; he surprised me. Not that I didn’t think he was smart, but I think he’s much smarter than people may think. His mind is very interesting and very multidimensional. He reminds me a lot of myself, like how he thinks. It was really dope to have some one-on-one time with him to understand his level of thought.
Another role of yours saw you star alongside Rami Malek and Christian Slater in Mr. Robot. What was that experience like?
I reflect on that all the time. It was my first experience on a TV and film set, and my first experience acting on a large scale. It taught me a lot. My first day ever as an actor was in the company of Rami Malek and Christian Slater. That’s my first scene! I showed up day one, and they’re like, “You got a scene with Christian Slater and Rami Malek.” It forces you to show up at a high level. I’m forever grateful for that because I had to start on this high point, and I think it’s pretty much guided me as an actor ever since.
Last year, you launched your Impact Mentorship program, which provides free mentorship and support for men of color. You called it your “greatest creation.” Can you explain what it is?
We provide professional mentorship for men of color. I pretty much recruited a bunch of my friends and colleagues to join in on the calls. Once a month, they meet with their mentee for about an hour and pretty much share their jewels, tips and game. We’re in year two right now and I’m with my second mentee. We’ve got a lot of great people in the program: 19Keys, JID, Cordae, Denzel Curry, Jaylen Brown was in it year one, and chef Kwame Onwuachi.
You also recently announced that you’d be serving as the first Artist-In-Residence at Columbia University. What does something like that mean to you?
It’s kind of like an extended arm of the mentorship program. I’m just using my vessel to share my knowledge and information with a selected group of students who go to the schools. We just recently completed the residency at NYU, where we did four different workshop sessions. It’s kind of like having these different fireside chats, and I think the format is way better, because I used to do lectures, too, and I gave a couple lectures at NYU and Harvard, but I like the fireside-chat style more because it allows for more fluidity.
