Joey Bada$$ proves his status on ‘2000’ – Ishan Viradia

At this point in his career, no one can deny Joey Bada$$’s greatness with his distinct sound and loyal fanbase. Bada$$ knows this and attempts to use this album as a chance to challenge himself and solidify his place as one of the greats. He even goes as far as to refer to himself as part of “the holy trinity” alongside Kendrick and J.Cole. Normally, I would disregard this as an outrageous claim, but during certain points while listening through the album, I believe him. Joey delivers a pure display of his rapping ability alongside something reminiscent of his classic beats with piano and keyboard samples mixed in. This album isn’t without its flaws, however, as many of the tracks have simple rhyme schemes for an artist of his status. These issues paired with less-than-exceptional production create an effect where many songs blur together. Fortunately, however, this feeling is usually broken by a track where he displays his technical ability such as “Zipcodes” or “Survivor’s Guilt”.