Review of Joey Bada$$ at NXNE

Last Sunday, June 16, I had the privilege of witnessing hip-hop prodigy Joey Bada$$ perform at Dundas Square in Toronto.  To say he exceeded my expectations would be an understatement, his performance was mind-blowing.  DJ/producer extraordinaire Statik Selektah held it down on the turntables during Joey's set, and never skipped a beat.  Bada$$ started things off with classic tracks "Summer Knights" and "Waves", from his mixtape "1999."  Both tracks are personal favourites of mine, and they had the crowd buzzing with excitement.  Another banger (at least in my opinion) that he performed was "Pennyroyal", which was produced by the enigmatic rapper/producer MF DOOM.  Bada$$ effortlessly dropped verse after verse of complex rhymes, proving that he is one of the elite, up-and-coming lyricists in the game.  It's hard to believe that this dude is only 18 years old.

Other notable tracks that he performed include: "95 Til Infinity", "School High", "Unorthodox" and "Word Is Bond".  "Unorthodox" was produced by legendary DJ/producer DJ Premier.  "Word Is Bond" will be featured on his upcoming mixtape "Summer Knights", which is scheduled to drop on July 1.  Fellow Pro Era member Kirk Knight showed a strong stage presence, as he performed alongside Joey Bada$$ during some of the songs.  I particularly enjoyed when Bada$$ paid tribute to former Pro Era member and close friend Capital STEEZ, who tragically passed away back in December.  The tribute elevated his performance even more.

In my opinion, the sky is the limit for this lyrical genius, who hails from Brooklyn.  He just needs to continue gaining notoriety and exposure.  If he stays focused and keeps his eye on the prize, he will become one of the heavyweights in the rap game, sooner than later.

Mainstream Hip-Hop vs. Underground Hip-Hop

I recently read a tweet that really resonated with me.  The tweet questioned why 2 Chainz was famous and Blu wasn't.  The person tweeted this after watching the rappers perform at Hot 97 Summer Jam, an annual hip-hop concert in the US.  2 Chainz is a mainstream rapper from Georgia.  He has very limited lyrical ability, repetitive lyrics often referring to women, money, cars and drinking, and typical cookie-cutter club beats. Blu, on the other hand, is an underground rapper from California.  He is a great lyricist, and delivers conscious yet raw lyrics.  His music has a lot of substance, and definitely expands your mind.  Exile has produced the majority of Blu’s tracks during his career, and he always lays down upper echelon beats.  In my opinion, 2 Chainz is famous because his music is catchy and repetitive, which appeals to a large audience.  Fame and talent don’t always go hand in hand though.  I believe that Blu is much more talented, and is a better lyricist than 2 Chainz.  If you listened to the lyrics of each rapper, you would probably agree with me.

As you may have noticed, I'm biased towards underground hip-hop.  That wasn't my motivation for writing this post though.  I wanted to compare mainstream hip-hop vs. underground hip-hop. Mainstream hip-hop is much more lucrative, has a higher volume of record sales and receives more radio and TV play.  It also has catchy beats, cheesy lyrics with little to no substance, flashy music videos with high budgets, and appeals to the masses.  Underground hip-hop is less profitable, has a lower volume of record sales and receives less radio and TV play.  It also has a greater variety of beats with more sampling, thought-provoking lyrics with substance, lower budget music videos and appeals to a smaller portion of the population.

I don't completely ignore mainstream hip-hop though.  Occasionally there are mainstream tracks that I enjoy, but I despise the vast majority of it.  Sometimes there are tracks that incorporate elements of both mainstream and underground.  There are also underground rappers who made it big and hit the mainstream, but they maintained their musical integrity.  Two rappers who straddle both realms, are Common and Nas.  Common is a conscious rapper, who has been in the rap game since the early 90's.  Nas is a conscious/gangsta rapper, who has been rapping since the early 90's.  He is widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, which I definitely agree with.  I highly recommend his latest album "Life Is Good."

To sum up, I think there will always be comparisons made between mainstream and underground hip-hop.  There will always be debates over which stream of hip-hop is superior.  In my opinion, underground hip-hop is better than mainstream hip-hop, as I mentioned and explained throughout my blog post.  I have always enjoyed listening to music that has substance, insightful lyrics and high quality beats.  Both streams of hip-hop have positives and negatives, but I believe that underground hip-hop will always reign supreme.