It’s been a minute since Joey Bada$$ dropped a solo album, with his latest effort being 2017’s politically-charged project All-Amerikkkan Bada$$. Though he has certainly teased his next release on several occasions — not to mention holding it down as a key contributor on Beast Coast’s 2019 posse album Escape From New York — it would appear that Badmon’s focus currently lies on another medium altogether.
Not long after securing an Academy Award for Two Distant Strangers, which recently won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short, Joey landed a role in 50 Cent’s new series Power Book III: Raising Kanan. With the series having officially premiered last night, Joey took to Instagram to share a few screencaps of his character Unique.
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“Meet Unique,” captions Joey. “Flyest, illest druglord on the SOUTHSIDE. Catch him every Sunday on @raisingkananstarz episode 1 out now!” Though the series is only getting started, fans should be happy to note that Bada$$ is signed as a series regular, which means we’ll be spending ample time with Unique — the perfect opportunity for Joey to flex his acting chops.
He recently opened up about his inspiration behind the performance during an interview with Page Six, confirming that he drew from personal experience. “I’ve taken what I’ve seen in Brooklyn — with this being about the ’90s-era drug dealers,” he explains. “Just seeing the guys of those times, I actually knew some of those guys… so it’s easy to pull inspiration from. Just having prior conversations — all these people sharing experiences with me, and my own experiences.”
To catch Joey Bada$$ and Unique in action, be sure to check out Power Book III: Raising Kanan every Sunday night, exclusively on Starz.