B4.Da.$$

B4.DA.$$
Studio album by Joey Bada$$
Released January 20, 2015
Recorded 2012–14
Genre Hip hop
Length 53:26
Label
Producer
Joey Bada$$ chronology

Summer Knights
(2013)		 B4.DA.$$
(2015)
Singles from B4.DA.$$
  1. "Big Dusty"
    Released: August 8, 2014
  2. "Christ Conscious"
    Released: September 30, 2014
  3. "No. 99"
    Released: December 9, 2014
  4. "Curry Chicken"
    Released: December 23, 2014
  5. "On & On"
    Released: December 30, 2014
  6. "Teach Me"
    Released: January 7, 2015

B4.Da.$$ (pronounced Before Da Money) is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist Joey Bada$$. It was released on January 20, 2015, his 20th birthday, by Cinematic Music Group and Relentless Records in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as being made available for digital download on iTunes.[1][2][3] The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 5, selling 53,990 units in its first week.[4]

Background

Joey Badass first began to receive widespread recognition after the release of his debut mixtape 1999 on 12 June 2012.[5][6] It was named the 38th best album of 2012 by Complex Magazine[7] and the best mixtape of 2012 by HipHopDX,[8] as well as being nominated for "Mixtape of the Year" by BET.[9]

B4.Da.$$ was announced via Twitter in April 2013.[10] Originally slated to be released later that year, Joey pushed back the release of the album.

“ It's coming really soon. I don't want to set a date and be like "yeah it's coming here" then disappoint my fans and not have it ready. ”

—Joey Badass, in an interview with Oyster Colored Velvet on 7 July 2014.[11]

Joey Badass' recognition continued to grow further with the release of his critically acclaimed single "Unorthodox", produced by DJ Premier, before the release of his second mixtape Summer Knights on 1 July 2013, which was placed 19th on XXL's list of the best mixtapes of 2013.[12]

Recording and production

Producers who contributed on this album include fellow Pro Era members, Kirk Knight and Chuck Strangers, as well as Statik Selektah, DJ Premier, Hit-Boy, J Dilla, The Roots, Samiyam, Basquiat, Freddie Joachim, and Lee Bannon.[13]

Promotion and release

The first single from B4.Da.$$, titled "Big Dusty", was released on August 8, 2014.[14] The album's release was preceded by the "#B4DAMONEYTOUR", where Badass performed a handful of the album's singles prior to their release dates, the tour's musical guests included American hip-hop artist Vince Staples, hip-hop collective Run The Jewels, Chance & Status, Raz Fresco and his own collective, Pro Era performing many unreleased songs, during the tour, Badass and Pro Era made a four episode video series to promoting the tour and the album.

Joey Badass first announced B4.Da.$$ in April 2013, and went on tour in Europe, Australia and New Zealand in late 2014 to promote the album prior to its release.

The tour ran across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, though Badass cut the European leg short due to the death of Pro Era member and Badass' big cousin, Junior B, to whom he dedicated the album, the "No. 99" music video and the fifth single "On & On", as well as Capital STEEZ. While in Australia, Joey Badass was arrested and charged with assault, allegedly punching a security guard in the face at the Falls Festival in Byron Bay, New South Wales which resulted in major controversy surrounding him and Pro Era.[15] According to reports, the guard did not recognize Joey Badass and stopped him before he took to the stage, mistakenly thinking he was not authorized to be there. He spent the night in jail before being granted bail and entering a plea of not guilty to the charge in a court hearing the next day.[16]

On September 30, 2014, "Christ Conscious" was released as the album's second single. The third single from the album, "No. 99", was released on December 9,[17] with "Curry Chicken" being released as its fourth single 14 days later.[18] On December 30, "On & On" featuring Maverick Sabre and Dyemond Lewis was released as the album's fifth single.[19]

Pro Era received major buzz prior to the album's release due to a photo of American president Barack Obama's daughter Malia seen in a Pro Era shirt. The album received major coverage resulting in its pre-sales increasing massively.[20]

Joey Badass premiered "Teach Me", the album's sixth single featuring Kiesza, on British radio station BBC Radio 1 as Zane Lowe's "Hottest Record" and received frequent airplay on London radio stations, Capital Xtra and BBC Radio 1Xtra. On 19 January, a day before the album's release, the single was featured on BBC Radio 1Xtra as the "Track Of The Day". The song peaked at number 23 on the UK R&B singles chart.[21]

The album was also featured on Billboard, XXL and Complex's lists of most anticipated albums,[22][23][24] Prior to the album's release, Joey Badass performed "Like Me" with BJ the Chicago Kid, The Roots and Statik Selektah on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on January 13.[25]

Prior to the official release, Badass held an early release concert the night before, in Brooklyn's Rough Trade record shop. Fans that purchased the album received access to the performance, as well as a post concert meet and greet to the first 50 fans that purchased the album. As a celebration of B4.DA.$$, on his birthday, Badass held an album release party in New York City.[26]

The album was physically released in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2015, with Joey Badass performing in a similar promotional launch event at Rough Trade shops in East London the day after. Fans again gained access by purchasing the album, while Joey then did a meet-and-greet with fans straight after the performance.[27] He also appeared on Le Before du Grand Journal in France on 5 February, where he performed "Paper Trail$" with Powers Pleasant after being interviewed by the show's host Thomas Thouroude.[28]

The art direction and music packaging for B4.DA.$$ were done by Pro Era members Tony Whlgn and Dee Knows, featuring Joey Badass on a New York City rooftop.[29]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 74/100[30]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [31]
The A.V. Club B[32]
Consequence of Sound B+[33]
Exclaim 7/10[34]
The Guardian [35]
HipHopDX [36]
PopMatters 8/10[37]
Rolling Stone [38]
Slant Magazine [39]
Spin 5/10[40]
XXL (XL)[41]
Pitchfork 7/10[42]

B4.Da.$$ has received generally positive reviews from music critics. Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound praised the album, noting that Joey's "wordplay, comparable to his friend Ab-Soul's, remains integral to his approach, but here he's more personal and purposeful than he was on his mixtapes, rapping about rapping but also lamenting the realities of being young and black in America."[33] Vish Khanna of NOW Magazine also gave the album a positive review, saying that "his production choices (and those of Statik Selektah, Kirk Knight and Freddie Joachim) are innovative and timeless."[43] Kyle Fowle of The A.V. Club gave the album a score of B, saying that Joey Badass "finally lives up to the expectations that have been thrust upon him, delivering a confident debut steeped in the history of hip-hop and simultaneously engaged with the current cultural climate."[32] In a positive review, Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe says that Joey Badass "speaks with a clear-eyed vision about growing up young and black in America. He’s often as playful as he is combative, asserting his place in hip-hop."[44]

Full of praise for the album, Dave Heaton of PopMatters notes that the album "is strikingly similar in tone to the mixtapes; he [Joey Badass] is not trying anything different, but rather continuing what's worked well for him. But everything is more refined and better expressed; there are also songs that stand out more as anthems."[37] Nathan Fisher of Inveterate also chips in with another positive review, stating that fans of Joey Badass "will no doubt be impressed and satisfied with what he delivers, which is a mature improvement on his first two efforts, showing clear growth in both delivery and lyrical content."[45] Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine gave the album three-and-a-half stars, saying that it "deftly traverses the different economies of the rap world, from the desperate hustle of the streets to the showy wastefulness of the club and the tricky minefield of the music business."[39] Dan Rys of XXL praised the album, noting that "it just so happens that this story is a lot more personal than the 'fuck bitches, get money, do drugs, buy diamonds' aesthetic of so many of his [Joey Badass'] peers in the rap game."[41]

Edwin Ortiz of Complex gave the album a mixed review, saying that it "finds a way to balance out the confines of revivalist '90s rap with deeper tracks that play up a more introspective Joey." However, he continues to say that Joey Badass' potential is only "half-realised" on the album, "which speaks to his lack of adjustment in transitioning into a full-fledged artist who truly represents something other than '90s nostalgia rap."[46] David Turner of Rolling Stone gave the album three stars, stating that the album "still sounds like it's stuck in the past, with solid production from old-school legend DJ Premier and his latter-day disciple Statik Selektah."[38]

On the other hand, B4.Da.$$ received a mostly negative review from Rebecca Haithcoat of Spin, saying that Joey Badass' style is characterized by "often-poetic lyrics rapped in a blunted monotone over moody production" and is "skilled, but never very fun. Unless you're a teenager trying to establish aesthetic lines in the sand or an old hip-hop head who still gets excited about a Wu-Tang Clan reunion show, over the course of an hour those cloudy beats and Badass' unrelenting, I-really-mean-it flow get kinda tedious."[40] Paul MacInnes of The Guardian gave the album two stars, saying that the album "is too often set at the middling pace of a Fugees B-side, and a rapper whose technical abilities are nowhere close to those old timers he seeks to emulate. In the end, the flattery isn't enough to make the imitation interesting."[35]

Commercial performance

B4.Da.$$ debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, selling a total of 53,990 copies in its first week.[4] The tally made B4.Da.$$ the top rap album of the week, outperforming Lupe Fiasco's Tetsuo & Youth, also released on January 20, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 14.[47] In its second week, the album fell to number 41, selling an additional 12,493 copies.[48] On 4 March 2015, Joey Bada$$ announced on Instagram that sales for his album had surpassed 120,000 copies.[49]

Track listing

No. TitleProducer(s)[50] Length
1. "Save the Children"  Statik Selektah 3:35
2. "Greenbax (Introlude)"  Lee Bannon 0:48
3. "Paper Trail$"  DJ Premier 3:17
4. "Piece of Mind"  Freddie Joachim 3:38
5. "Big Dusty"  Kirk Knight 4:53
6. "Hazeus View"  Kirk Knight 3:39
7. "Like Me" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid)J Dilla, The Roots 4:28
8. "Belly of the Beast" (featuring Chronixx)Hit-Boy 3:56
9. "No. 99"  Statik Selektah 2:46
10. "Christ Conscious"  Basquiat 2:53
11. "On & On" (featuring Maverick Sabre and Dyemond Lewis)Freddie Joachim 4:40
12. "Escape 120" (featuring Raury)Chuck Strangers 3:47
13. "Black Beetles"  Chuck Strangers 3:50
14. "O.C.B."  Samiyam, The Soul Rebels 3:43
15. "Curry Chicken"  Statik Selektah 3:33
Total length:
 53:26
Notes
"Big Dusty"
29-second sample of "Big Dusty", the fifth track on and debut single from the album.
"Teach Me"
26-second sample of "Teach Me", the second bonus track on and sixth single from the album.
Problems playing these files? See media help.
Sample credits

Personnel

Credits for B4.Da.$$ adapted from AllMusic.[29]

  • Action Bronson – featured artist
  • ASTR – producer
  • Lee Bannon – producer
  • Basquiat – producer
  • BJ the Chicago Kid – featured artist
  • Mark B. Christensen – mastering
  • Chronixx – featured artist
  • DJ Premier – producer
  • Francesca Guzman – vocals
  • Wayne "Heirowayne" Harewood – vocals, A&R
  • Hit-Boy – producer, mixing
  • J Dilla – producer
  • Joey Badass – primary artist, executive producer, A&R
  • Freddie Joachim – producer
  • Kiesza – featured artist
  • Kirk Knight – producer, vocals
  • Andrew Krivonos – engineer, mixing, sequencing
  • Dyemond Lewis – featured artist, vocals
  • Maverick Sabre – featured artist
  • Nastee – mixing
  • James Niche – vocals
  • Adam Palin – additional production
  • Parks – mixing
  • Raury – featured artist
  • Anthony Reid – additional production
  • The Roots – instrumentation
  • Amanda Rosenthal – project manager
  • Samiyam – producer
  • Jonny Shipes – executive producer
  • The Soul Rebels – instrumentation
  • Statik Selektah – producer & majority of mixing
  • Chuck Strangers – producer
  • Tony Whlgn – art direction, design
  • Elle Varner – featured artist
  • Brady Watts – bass guitar
  • Cas Weinbren – keyboards
  • Cole Williams – vocals

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[51] 17
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[52] 8
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[53] 69
New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)[54] 11
UK Albums (OCC)[55] 28
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[56] 3
US Billboard 200[57] 5
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[58] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[59] 1
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[60] 3

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom[1] January 20, 2015 CD, digital download Cinematic, Relentless, Sony Music UK Limited
United States[2][3] Pro Era, Cinematic, RED
Worldwide[61] January 27, 2015 LP
Japan[62] February 8, 2015 CD, digital download Cinematic, Sony Music Japan

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "iTunes - Music - B4.DA.$$ by Joey Bada$$". iTunes UK. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "iTunes - Music - B4.DA.$$ by Joey Bada$$". iTunes US. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Amazon.com: Joey Bada$$: B4.DA.$$ (CD): Music". Amazon Music. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Balfour, Jay (28 January 2015). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Joey Bada$$, Nicki Minaj, Lupe Fiasco". HipHopDX. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Caramanica, Jon New Releases New York Times, 7/29/12
  6. ↑ Zeichner, Naomi Waves Video The Fader, 6/2/12
  7. ↑ "38. Joey Bada$$, 1999 — The 50 Best Albums of 2012". Complex. 2012-12-18. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
  8. ↑ "HipHopDX's Top 10 Mixtapes Of 2012 | Discussing Lil' Wayne, Drake & Many More Hip Hop Artists". HipHop DX. 2012-12-31. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
  9. ↑ "Best Mixtape | Hip-Hop Awards | Shows". BET. 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  10. ↑ "Joey Bada$$ Announces New Solo, Capital STEEZ Projects Dropping In Summer & Fall - XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2013-04-20. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
  11. ↑ "Joey Bada$$ talks B4.DA.$$, Snoop Dogg and keeping it real on Twitter". Oyster Colored Velvet. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  12. ↑ http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2013/12/the-25-best-mixtapes-of-2013/3/
  13. ↑ Fleischer, Adam (25 September 2014). "Joey Bada$$ Just Finished His Album And It Will Feature Hit-Boy, DJ Premier And Kiesza". MTV.
  14. ↑ Lilah, Rose (12 August 2014). "Joey Bada$$ "Big Dusty" Video". Hot New Hip Hop.
  15. ↑ Tom Breihan (5 January 2015). "Joey Bada$$ Arrested For Hospitalizing Australian Security Guard". Stereogum. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "Joey Bada$$ Arrested in Australia for Allegedly Assaulting a Security Guard". Spin.com. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  17. ↑ Block, Justin (29 September 2014). "Stream Joey Bada$$' "Christ Conscious"". Complex.
  18. ↑ "Joey Bada$$ - "Curry Chicken"". STEREOGUM.
  19. ↑ Frydenlund, Zach. "Premiere: Listen to Joey Bada$$' "On & On" f/ Maverick Sabre and Dyemond Lewis". Complex. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  20. ↑ Dana Schuster (14 January 2015). "How Malia Obama is shaping teen tastes". New York Post. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "UK R&B Singles Chart". UK. 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  22. ↑ "30 Most Anticipated Albums of 2015". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  23. ↑ http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2014/01/most-anticipated-albums-2014/
  24. ↑ http://uk.complex.com/music/2014/01/most-anticipated-albums-2014/joey-badass-b4-da-money
  25. ↑ "Joey Bada$$: Like Me". NBC. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  26. ↑ "Joey Bada$$ playing album release show at Rough Trade, playing Fallon, collaborated with Kiesza (listen)". Brooklyn Vegan. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  27. ↑ http://www.roughtrade.com/events/2015/2/987
  28. ↑ "Avec Joey Badass – Le Before du 05/02". CanalPlus.fr. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Joey Bada$$ – B4.DA.$$". AllMusic. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  30. ↑ "Critic Reviews for B4.DA.$$". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  31. ↑ Jeffries, David (January 20, 2015). "Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$". Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Fowle, Kyle (January 20, 2015). "Joey Bada$$ thoughtfully engages with hip-hop’s past on his debut album". Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Madden, Michael (January 20, 2015). "Joey Bada$$ – B4.Da.$$". Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  34. ↑ Lowers, Erin (January 20, 2015). "B4.DA.$$". Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 MacInnes, Paul (January 15, 2015). "Joey Bada$$: B4.DA.$$ review – 90s hip-hop nostalgia that wears thin too soon".
  36. ↑ Balfour, Jay (January 20, 2014). "Joey Bada$$ - B4.Da.$$". Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Heaton, Dave (January 21, 2015). "Joey Bada$$: B4.DA.$$".
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Turner, David (January 20, 2015). "B4.DA.$$". Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Cataldo, Jesse (January 20, 2015). "Album Review: Joey Bada$$ – B4.DA.$$". Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Haithcoat, Rebecca (January 20, 2015). "Review: Joey Bada$$' Throwback 'B4.DA.$$' You'll Want to Throw Back".
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Rys, Dan (January 23, 2015). "Joey Bada$$ Takes A Big Step Forward On ‘B4.Da.$$’". XXL. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  42. ↑ Rys, Dan (February 3, 2015). "Album Reviews: Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  43. ↑ Khanna, Vish (21 January 2015). "Joey Bada$$ – B4.DA.$$". Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  44. ↑ Capobianco, Ken (20 January 2015). "Joey Bada$$, ‘B4.DA.$$’". Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  45. ↑ Fisher, Nathan (January 20, 2015). "Review: Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$". Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  46. ↑ Ortiz, Edwin (21 January 2015). "Joey Bada$$ Stays Trapped in the ‘90s on "B4.DA.$$"". Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  47. ↑ Walsh, Peter (28 January 2015). "Joey Bada$$’ ‘B4.Da.$$’ Debuts At No. 5 In This Week’s Album Sales". XXL. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  48. ↑ Harling, Danielle (February 2, 2015). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Ne-Yo, Pitbull & Joey Bada$$". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  49. ↑ "Joey Bada$$ (@jozifbadmon) on Instagram: "120,000 strong! Thank ya'll #B4DAMONEY #LongLiveSteelo #ForeverJR"". Instagram. March 4, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  50. ↑ "Joey Badass Drops Defıant New Sıngle And Album Artwork". 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  51. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  52. ↑ "Illegal name entered Joey Bada$$/Joey+Bada%24%24/chart?f=309 Joey Bada$$ Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Joey Bada$$.
  53. ↑ "Joey Bada$$ – B4.da.$$" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  54. ↑ "Joey Bada$$ – B4.da.$$". Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  55. ↑ "Joey Bada$$ | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
  56. ↑ "2015-01-31 Top 40 R&B Albums Archive . Official Charts Company.
  57. ↑ Illegal name entered Joey Bada$$/Joey+Bada%24%24/chart?f=305 "Joey Bada$$ Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for Joey Bada$$.
  58. ↑ "Illegal name entered Joey Badass/Joey+Badass/chart?f=326 Joey Badass Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Independent Albums for Joey Badass.
  59. ↑ "Illegal name entered Joey Bada$$/Joey+Bada%24%24/chart?f=333 Joey Bada$$ Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Joey Bada$$.
  60. ↑ "Illegal name entered Joey Bada$$/Joey+Bada%24%24/chart?f=407 Joey Bada$$ Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Tastemaker Albums for Joey Bada$$.
  61. ↑ "Amazon.com: Joey Bada$$: B4.DA.$$ (LP): Music". Amazon Music. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  62. ↑ "iTunes - Music - B4.DA.$$ by Joey Bada$$". iTunes Japan. Retrieved January 9, 2015.