Joey Bada$$

Rapper, actor, and producer Joey Bada$$ established the Pro Era collective and emerged from Brooklyn as one of the leading figures in 2010s hip-hop. Drawing from the legacies of Nas, Tupac, Black Thought, and additional architects of golden-age rap, he infused his own perspective into incisive narratives about street life and broader social issues, refining the sonic palette through sample-driven beats and laid-back rhythms rooted in 1990s traditions. Acclaimed mixtapes including 1999 from 2012 paved the way for Top Ten-charting projects such as his 2015 debut B4.DA.$$ and the 2017 follow-up All-Amerikkkan Bada$$. Entering the new decade, he concentrated on television appearances in Mr. Robot, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, and Power. He resurfaced with the third studio album 2000 in 2022, after which he contributed tracks alongside Conway the Machine, Lyrical Lemonade, and additional artists.

Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott came into the world in Brooklyn’s East Flatbush neighborhood and initially performed as JayOhVee before adopting the Joey Bada$$ moniker ahead of Pro Era’s 2012 signing to Cinematic Music—a crew that also counted Powers Pleasant, Capital STEEZ, and Dirty Sanchez among its members. That year he issued his solo debut mixtape 1999, which was succeeded in 2013 by Summer Knights. Later the same year the Summer Knights EP marked his official introduction, containing four selections drawn from the preceding mixtape. Early 2014 brought another Pro Era project, The Secc$ Tap.e, Vol. 2.

B4.DA.$$ reached listeners in January 2015, showcasing beats crafted by Statik Selektah, DJ Premier, and Pro Era producers Kirk Knight and Chuck Strangers. Among its highlights was a cut completed with the Roots that revived an unreleased instrumental from the late J Dilla. Subsequent years found Joey linking with Korean hip-hop artist Tablo and British band Glass Animals. In 2016 he secured a recurring part on the thriller Mr. Robot beginning with its second season and continuing through the series finale in 2019. His second full-length, All-Amerikkkan Bada$$, surfaced in 2017 and welcomed guest contributions from ScHoolboy Q, Styles P, J. Cole, and further voices; the politically charged collection featured the singles “Land of the Free” and “Rockabye Baby.” In 2018 he commemorated the sixth anniversary of 1999 with a vinyl reissue while adding further small-screen credits on Boomerang, Grown-ish, and Wu-Tang: An American Saga.

July 2020 introduced The Light Pack EP, his first Columbia Records outing, which contained the tracks “The Light,” “No Explanation,” and “Shine.” The next year he dropped the single “THE REV3NGE” and joined the ensemble of 50 Cent’s crime drama Power Book III: Raising Kanan. July 2022 brought his third album 2000, which featured appearances from JID, Larry June, Diddy, and others and entered the Billboard Top 200 at number 25. “Fallin’” surfaced in 2023, the same year he appeared on tracks by Rome Streetz and Erick the Architect. 2024 delivered “Passports & Suitcases” featuring KayCyy, plus guest spots on Lyrical Lemonade’s “Fallout” and Conway the Machine’s “Vertino.”