Where in the world was Joey Bada$$?

Following a hiatus of three years, Brooklyn rapper Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, better known as Joey Bada$$, returns to the hip-hop scene on Aug. 29 with his album titled Lonely at the Top. Like many other rappers, Joey Bada$$ has turned to braggadocious and in-your-face lyrics, although this is nothing new for him. Before Lonely at the Top, there was 2000, which features some similar themes of supposedly “being the best.”

This does raise a few eyebrows, however. If you are truly the best, then why are you getting shelved? Columbia Records, Joey Bada$$’s record label, had put his album’s release on hold for a time, leading him to go live on Instagram to vent his frustrations, calling Columbia “dead weight,” and saying that his album was apparently “signed, sealed, and delivered.”

Joey had also been busy with parenting his daughter, Indigo, as well as furthering his acting career. Playing the part of Kadeem “Unique” Mathis in Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Joey Bada$$ had garnered him an impressive amount of praise from both critics and fans alike, with IMDb rating the show a 7.7/10. Eventually, Columbia Records went through with the release of Lonely at the Top, giving excited listeners the chance to press play.

Now playing: Lonely at the Top

As waves of sound begin to fade in, you are met with the introductory track: “DARK AURA.” Funnily enough, the beat does not sound dark at all, leaning more towards an angelic sound if anything. Maybe the “dark” part of the beat is Joey seemingly falling into the sin of pride, bragging in nearly every line of the song.

The second half of the song details the path to success, as well as some of the shortcomings that follow, such as the endless drama with others in the game trying to bring you down. “DARK AURA” was one of the singles for the album, which I believe was a great choice. It perfectly encapsulates the confident nature of Joey’s rapping throughout the project, making it one of my personal favorites.

“SUPAFLEE” enters with rough and unorthodox synths in an infectious pattern, very reminiscent of the Neptunes era of music. It was very simplistic for the most part, with just the synths and drums until a pre-chorus of sorts, which layered a few softer synths or strings, with a bass line taking the place of the drums.

As the third track, it effectively upholds the album’s energy, with countless pop-culture references and featuring Bri Steves. The feature added a lot of swagger to the song, truly enhancing the listening experience and making this one of the album’s stronger songs. Though it can be off-putting at first, this song became a bit of an earworm for me, and I liked it more with each listen.

Unfortunately, this album was not perfect. “READY TO LOVE” was the fifth song on the project, and it was frankly underwhelming. Joey Bada$$ decided to lean into a full-on R&B sound, with a hook sung by Ty Dolla $ign.

I just don’t think that R&B suits Joey’s sound very well. It clashes with his consistently prideful lyricism, and it sounds much more commercial than any of his other songs on the album. It stood out to me as more of a cash-grab, and a failed one at that.

Thankfully, the sound swaps back into Joey Bada$$’s lane with “BK’S FINEST”. The production reminds me more of his past work on 1999, with three features from Rome Streetz, Kai Ca$h, and CJ Fly. It was a nice throwback that left me wanting more, especially from the featured artists.

Its only fault is that it seems to rely too much on said featured artists, leaving little room for Joey himself to shine. It doesn’t make sense to include three features on one song when half of the project has no features at all. I feel that at least one of them could have been moved to another song, evening out the project, and avoiding situations like this.

“UNDERWATER” immediately follows “BK’S FINEST”, throwing the album into another direction again. This time, it is more reminiscent of past songs such as “Love Is Only a Feeling.” It is very mellow, with some R&B elements that were thankfully done right this time around. Joey Bada$$ also showcases some of his singing capabilities, with dreamy effects applied to sell the feeling of being underwater.

This is one of the only tracks where Joey is not outright bragging about something, and instead, he raps about how he is close to breaking down under the immense pressure of the spotlight. He says that he has been “swimming in doubt,” and that his “crown is heavy.” Although on the more depressing side, this song pulls back the curtain on the realities of being an influential figure in rap, which I see as one of the most important parts of the whole project.

The album’s other single, “STILL,” has Joey Bada$$ rapping calmly over a mellow beat, talking about how he knew that he would be tested on his way to success. The majority of the song details Joey’s faith in God, with occasional bars highlighting the importance of self-betterment, self-control, and family. Joey puts his family on a pedestal, saying that “family is everything” and that “a man is nothin’ if you lose it.”

Though not a bad song by any means, “STILL” felt very stagnant in a sense. It didn’t have anything truly special about it that would warrant it being a single for the album. Yes, the message is important, especially to Joey, but the song does not go anywhere. I found that as a common theme throughout some of the songs in the album, such as the final track, “LONELY AT THE TOP.” The lack of sonic progression in the songs really holds this album back from being great.

Concluding thoughts

I did enjoy this project, but unfortunately, some of its setbacks prevent it from being anything truly special. Joey is a gifted rapper, but he appears to lack direction in this project. Many songs regurgitate the same few ideas in different words, which feels like a step back from some of his highlight songs off of past projects, like “Righteous Minds” off of 1999. “Righteous Minds” is full of storytelling about the dangers of trying to live righteously when someone “might leave you lifeless for prices.”

Joey’s success has drastically lowered the stakes, which is very obviously reflected in the casual nature of many of the songs on the album. I still consider this album above average, although it is definitely not Joey Bada$$’s best work.

I rate this album a 6/10

Favorite tracks: DARK AURA, SUPAFLEE, BK’S FINEST, UNDERWATER.