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This album was released on April 7th this year. I don’t have much to say about this actual album before I listen to it. I’m expecting it to be really good. It sucks that it’s gonna be overshadowed by Kendrick’s new album. It also leaked, so I’m not sure how well it’s gonna do. Joey’s got a pretty loyal fanbase tho, so I’m sure they’ll come through for him. Anyway, I’m a little hesitant about reviewing this album so soon… I kinda wanted to do a Joey Bada$$ marathon before this project released, but that obviously didn’t happen. I also think I should finish some of the marathons that are already in progress before I start any new ones. I’ve never heard 1999. I know. I gotta do something about that… I skimmed Summer Knights, which was really dope. I reviewed B4.DA.$$ back when it first came out. I deleted that review tho because it was fucking terrible. I gotta redo it. I really like that album tho. Hopefully this one is even better. I really don’t like the lead single tho. Devastated is the only song I’ve heard from this project, and I’m really hoping that the rest of this album sounds nothing like it. I’m still pretty excited for this. Joey Bada$$ is one of my favorite rappers. I think this is gonna be really good. Every song is produced by 1-900, except where noted.

Track 1: Good Morning Amerikkka (Prod. DJ Khalil)

Alright, here we go. This beat is really fuckin’ dope. It seems like Joey’s pretty much over that vintage 90s Hip Hop sound. Nothing about this production seems old school. It’s not like he’s rapping over Trap beats, but it also doesn’t sound like an Eric B. instrumental. I could see Chance on this beat. It’s dope af. Joey’s goin’ in. “What’s freedom to you? / Let’s talk about it, take a minute, think it through / I’m all about it, but the concept seems loose / The cops will still shoot us down on Channel 5 news.” Racial injustice is clearly gonna be the main theme of this project. Joey’s flow is really nice. He killed this shit. This is a really good intro. It’s short and sweet. I fuck with this. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 2: For My People (Co-Prod. DJ Khalil)

The way the previous track segues into this one is really seamless. Joey’s singing on the hook, and it actually sounds pretty fuckin’ good. There are some uncredited female background vocals. This is really good. It sounds like Joey’s gotten a lot better at having an accessible sound without being a complete sellout. This could be a really good single. The first verse was nice. He killed that second verse. “I’m shootin’ out the actions manifested in my passion / Influencing and surpassing, they expect to see a life in my direction / Man that section 8 depressin’ / Hard to be progressin’ through recession and oppression.” I fuck with this track. It’s dope af. 5/5

Track 3: Temptation (Co-Prod. Kirk Knight)

This beat is really smooth. It’s dope af. Joey’s singing on the hook. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but it’s actually really catchy. It just took a little getting used to for me. Hmm… I don’t know why, but this song kinda made me think of Tupac. For some reason the way Joey’s rapping just made me think of him. This is a REALLY fuckin’ good song. I feel like this could be another big single. I could see old people enjoying this track. Like, people of all ages. This is fucking awesome. This is probably my favorite track so far. This is a great song. The hook is fantastic. The beat is wonderful. I definitely fuck with this track. I loved the way Joey was rapping on this shit. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 4: Land Of The Free (Prod. Kirk Knight & Adam Pallin)

This album is off to a great start. I’ve heard good things about this single too. It’s starting now. Euuuuugh… DAMN. This beat is heavy. It’s really fuckin’ smooth. I LIVE FOR THIS SHIT. This is fucking awesome. I could definitely see Mick Jenkins on this beat. The first verse was great. “Sorry America, but I will not be your soldier / Obama just wasn’t enough, I just need some more closure / And Donald Trump is not equipped to take this country over / Let’s face facts ’cause we know what’s the real motives.” The hook is nice too. Got…DAMN. That second verse was bananas. Holy fuck. That rhyme scheme that he used for the whole verse was crazy. He killed this shit. Good lord. This album is fucking awesome so far lmao. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 5: Devastated (Prod. Powers Pleasant, Kirk Knight & Adam Pallin)

I remember really disliking this song the first time I heard it. I’ll give it another chance tho. Maybe it’ll grow on me a little bit… It’s starting now. Huh… I just listened to the hook… Hmm… This actually isn’t that bad. I guess I was just initially turned off by the more accessible sound he’s going for here. His singing isn’t that great, but it works. I actually like this hook now. The beat’s not bad. The first verse was cool. Yeah, the hook definitely takes some getting used to for me. I don’t dislike it anymore tho. The bridge is cool. The song just ended. Huh. This is easily my least favorite song on the album so far, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. The hook’s kinda catchy, and I like the production. I just don’t know if I’d ever wanna listen to this again, you know? Like, it’s not bad, but it’s just not the kinda thing I’d ever have the desire to listen to again. If it came on the radio I’d be fine with it, but I’m not gonna go out of my way to hear this shit again. It’s alright. 3/5

Track 6: Y U Don’t Love Me? (Miss Amerikkka) [Co-Prod. Powers Pleasant]

OOOOEEEEUUUUUIIIIIAAAGHHHH. My GAWD. YALL. THIS BEAT IS IMMACULATE. GOOD LORD. This is amazing. The production on this album is CRAZY. As you could probably tell from the title, this song is about relationship issues. It’s obviously a metaphor for the corrupt government of the United States. He’s being mistreated by his girl, Ms. Amerikkka. “Tell me why we got a war? / Why we gotta fight, why we always gotta spar for? / Why the cops always gotta get called? / Why you always tryna see me in trouble with the law?” This is awesome. Man… It’s gonna be really fucking hard to choose a favorite song from this album. I’m lovin’ this shit. I fuck with this track. It’s dope af. 5/5

Track 7: Rockabye Baby Feat. ScHoolboy Q (Co-Prod. Chuck Strangers)

Okay… Here we go. This is one of the more energetic songs on the album so far. This beat is HARD. Fuck yes. God. The way Joey’s rhymin’ on this shit is so fuckin’ dope. He killed the first verse. The hook is awesome. The beat is fantastic. This album y’all… This shit is so fucking good. What the FUCK? GodDAMN. Bruh… The way this beat evolves for Q’s verse is fucking amazing. This is incredible. Q fucking ripped that verse to shreds. FUCK. This shit is dope af. 5/5

Track 8: Ring The Alarm Feat. Kirk Knight, Nyck Caution & Meechy Darko (Co-Prod. Kirk Knight)

Bruuuuh… This album… Lmao. I’m so happy. This is fantastic. Joey’s spittin’ his motherFUCKin’ ass off right now. Good lord. He fucking slaughtered that first verse. He flipped that notorious Wayne line about how real G’s move in silence. That was tight. This beat is crazy. The hook is dope. This is incredible. THIS IS SO FUCKING HARD. BRUH. I love this shit. Joey’s goin’ in again on the second verse. He fucking snapped on this shit. I love this fucking beat. OH MY GOOOOD. HAHAHAHA. YES. WHEN MEECHY DARKO COMES IN IT SOUNDS SO FUCKING AWESOME. THIS IS FUCKING PERFECT. He didn’t even have a full verse, and he STILL sounded awesome. The way Nyck Caution comes in right behind him is so fucking dope too. He’s tradin’ bars with Kirk Knight. BRUUUUUH. What the fuck? This is unbelievable. The outro from Meechy was awesome too. Yes. This is my favorite song so far, and that’s saying a lot. This shit is fucking amazing. 5/5

Track 9: Super Predator Feat. Styles P (Prod. Statik Selektah)

This beat is smooth. Okay, now we’re getting to that more old school sound that one would typically expect from Joey Bada$$. It doesn’t sound dated tho. Man… Joey is killin’ this first verse. The hook is really dope too. Styles P sounded really good on this beat. This album is damn near perfect so far. Lyrically, this song is pretty much covering the same thing as Boogieman by Childish Gambino, but in greater detail. “Here’s for the Presidents, the Congressmen, the Senators / Who got us all slaving while they reaping all the benefits / Got the world thinking that it’s true ’bout what they said of us / AmeriKKKa’s worst nightmare: the super predator.” This is dope. It’s not blowing me away like most of the other tracks, but I enjoyed it. 4/5

Track 10: Babylon Feat. Chronixx (Co-Prod. Like)

Okay, I’ve been looking forward to this track because I really enjoyed the collaboration with Chronixx from B4.DA.$$. Hopefully this is just as good, if not better. It’s starting now. This beat is really dope. The hook isn’t bad. I don’t know why Joey sang it instead of Chronixx. He just barely pulled it off. His vocals are a little shaky. It works tho. Damn… Joey’s performance on this first verse is really powerful. “Fuck your breath, nigga, don’t even deserve air / Don’t even deserve shit, don’t even deserve nothing / If black lives really mattered you niggas would do something / Instead we mean nothing, in fact we being hunted.” This is crazy. Chronixx sounds fantastic on this bridge. The second verse was really good too. Jesus. Lmao. This is yet another amazing song. It’s dope af. 5/5

Track 11: Legendary Feat. J. Cole (Prod. Statik Selektah)

Okay. This should be interesting. Hopefully Cole can keep up. We’ll see. This beat is excellent. The first verse from Joey was great. The hook is nice. Cole’s goin’ in now. Wow. His verse was actually really cool. “The stubborn all get taught tough lessons / I look at all I got like ‘What’s missing?‘ / God is my only guess, ’cause yes, faith relieve the stress / I find peace again when I find Him and see I’m blessed.” The song just ended. This is really fucking good. Fuuuck. Lol. This album is awesome. You can tell that the album is getting ready to end. I think the placement of this track is really good. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 12: Amerikkkan Idol (Prod. DJ Khalil)

Woooaah… Okay, this is REALLY fucking cool. Joey’s flow on this first verse is crazy. I love the way he’s riding this instrumental. There’s not even any percussion, but he’s still rippin’ this verse. Oh shit. Okay the beat just dropped. This production is awesome. The hook is great. “I’m out for dead presidents that represent me / Because I’ve never known a live one that represent me.” Oh… LORD. The way the beat switched up for the second verse was insane. GOD DAMN. This production is amazing. Good fucking God, man… That last verse was absolute insanity. Oh my God… Dude… It just ended. This song is fucking incredible. 5/5

Final Thoughts:

God. Damn. You guys… This album is incredible. Joey fucking Bada$$ put his ASS into this project. This is amazing. There is not a single bad song on this album. I think what Joey did with this album is insanely impressive. Seriously I hope he gets the credit he deserves for this project. He made an entire album about racial injustices without coming off as preachy. Damn near every song on this project is about how America is fuckin’ up when it comes to race relations. He cares. He really cares about this issue. It would be nice of him to make one song about this problem, but he spent his time working on an entire album for this shit. This is part of his discography. When people look at Joey Bada$$’ work, they’ll be forced to think about this shit. It’s not even just the content of this album tho. Lyrically, Joey Bada$$ is one of the best MCs out right now. I really don’t think he’s getting the credit he deserves. The production is fantastic. There’s not a single bad verse. Every feature did a good job. I haven’t heard Kendrick’s new album yet, but honestly… Joey might have album of the year. It’s gonna be hard for Kendrick to top this. We’ll see what happens tho. This shit is absolutely dope af.

Favorite Song: Amerikkkan Idol

Least Favorite Song: Devastated

Verdict:

95%

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