Key Takeaways:
- Joey Bada$$ premiered his newest single, “ABK,” live on national TV, giving fans a first taste of his next era.
- The performance included lyrical shots at Ray Vaughn and references to his East Coast roots and mock label TDEast.
- The 1999 creator also recently welcomed a baby boy with Serayah, adding a personal milestone to his busy summer.
Joey Bada$$ is making it known he’s ready to go to war. On Wednesday (July 16) night, the Brooklyn rapper stopped by “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to debut “ABK,” the first single from his forthcoming album, Lonely at the Top.
Taking the stage behind a podium with a “The United $tate$ of Rap” plaque, Joey Bada$$ wasted no time delivering bars like, “It’s the Beast Coast boogeyman, steppin’ in my Timberlands / I ain't with the small talk, I got bigger plans / Back by popular demand, hit him where he stand.”
In the second verse, he seemingly addressed his rap battle with the West Coast, and more specifically, Ray Vaughn. “They thought I was light work, so they sent their little mans to kill me / Thought it might work, all 2025, I hit 'em where it might hurt,” he spat. The reference became even clearer toward the end of the verse, when the 1999 artist called himself the nicest emcee since Nas, Biggie and JAY-Z.
The "Love Is Only a Feeling” rapper also name-dropped TDEast, his mock label imprint fans have heard about plenty of times on diss tracks like “THE FINALS” and “CRASH DUMMY.” Watch his full performance below.
It obviously goes without saying, but a lot has gone down for Joey Bada$$ in the past few months. Aside from taking jabs at Vaughn, AZ Chike and even Kendrick Lamar, the Pro Era frontman also welcomed a baby boy with Serayah in June.
The child marked Joey Bada$$’ second, as he has a daughter from a previous relationship. In their joint ESSENCE cover story, the “Show Me” artist reflected on how she’s adjusting to becoming a big sister. “I think she’s like, ‘I got to share my daddy now?’” he joked. “But I already know she’s going to come around. She’s going to be super hands-on.”
Lonely at the Top currently doesn’t have a release date yet. However, during a sit-down for UPROXX’s “Sound Check,” Joey Bada$$ revealed that he plans on dropping an album by Aug. 30.