After a couple of years spent building out the other parts of his resume, Joey Badass has been slowly but surely dipping his toes back into rap. Promising that his third album is “for sure” dropping this year, the Brooklyn-based rapper made his triumphant return to the rap game with his boastful new single “The Rev3nge.” Today, he unveiled his next new single, the defiant “Head High,” with a passionate performance of the song on popular YouTube music series A COLORS Show.
Standing in front of an icy blue background in a cream jacket and matching patterned pants, Joey recounts a conversation with XXXtentacion, comparing him to Joey’s own fallen compatriot Capital Steez, and ruminates on the cyclical nature of trauma and violence in the hood while refusing to give in to it. “Dancin’ with the devil, tryin’ not to lose my balance,” he mutters. “Look, God blessed the kid with many talents.”
Should Joey’s album drop as promised this year, it’ll be his first full-length collection of music since 2017’s All-Amerikkkan Badass, which solidified his talent as more than just a ’90s throwback homage artist.
Watch Joey Badass’ passionate performance of the defiant “Head High” for A COLORS Show above.