Album Review: B4.DA.$$ by Joey Bada$$

Joey Bada$$ first caught my attention (as well Jay-Z's) with his mixtape 1999, and I've been waiting for his first big project ever since.  The Brooklyn rapper and figurehead of the Pro Era hip-hop collective is only 20 years old, but with his commercial debut, B4.DA.$$, he has laid a solid foundation for a prosperous career.

The production credits on the album are impressive for such a young talent.  The usual Pro Era cohorts Chuck Strangers and Kirk Knight are present, but this times among names like Statik Selektah, DJ Premier, Hit-Boy, The Roots, and even J Dilla.  Typical to his New York style, heavy bass lines and boom-bap beats run throughout the project, accompanied by occasional scratching or a flare of keys and horns.  Most notably is DJ Premier's haunting work on the track "Paper Trails", which hangs in the back of your mind for the rest of the album.

However, if I had to put B4.DA.$$ into one (possibly less confusingly abbreviated) word, it would be flow.  At 20 years old, Bada$$ has a fascinating ability to toy with words and manages to find the most poignant way to get a point across.  His flow is rabid and gritty on tracks like "No. 99" and "Christ Conscious".  Just when I found myself thinking that angry Joey was the only Joey I wanted to hear, tracks like "On & On" (the expected tribute track to Pro Era rapper, Capital Steez) and "Curry Chicken" bring out a mellower, more reflective style of rap.  

However, there are a few spots on the album where Bada$$ leaves room for improvement.  The only area he really shows his youth is when multiple tracks run a minute longer than needed.  Maybe some of this blame should fall on production, but it seems like Joey has this bad habit of making a catchy hook, but then overdoing it.  For example, "Big Dusty" is a fantastic track, but the repetetive "Ch-ch-check it out" is just draining by the end.  A small complaint indeed, especially since it is made up for with interesting transitions. 

Joey Bada$$ didn't branch out much on this album, and why would he?  B4.DA.$$ is exactly what a debut project should be...genuine.  Bada$$ isn't doing anything that drastically different from his mixtapes of the past, but the fact is that he is doing it better.  In the coming years, he'll eventually branch out and start changing up sounds, but for now Bada$$ is sticking to his roots.  New York hip-hop is back, and a 20-year-old is leading the way AS he's getting better.

Overall: 8/10