Joey Bada$$ Releases Three New Singles in 'The Light Pack'
By Maryam Muhammad
One should never underestimate the ability of Brooklyn’s finest MC.
It’s been three years since the 2017 release of Joey Bada$$’s second studio album, All-Amerikkkan Bada$$. Unlike many artists of his day, Joey stuck with his native boom-bap roots on the record, drawing comparisons to artists of Hip-Hop’s golden age, such as Jay-Z, Nas, and Yasiin Bey. In a world where rappers are expected to focus on commercial success and touch on surface-level topics in their music, Joey can be seen going against the grain, and All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ is proof of that. The album, dedicated to social justice issues like racism and police brutality, was widely successful and received much critical acclaim in the media, even expanding Joey’s fan base as well.
With such an overwhelming response, there was an immediate heavy push for the Flatbush rapper to release another solo project. Being loyal to his fans, Joey tried to appease them with some notable features, appearing on the song “327” alongside Tyler, The Creator on Westside Gunn’s Pray for Paris album as well as CJ Fly’s “RUDEBWOY.” Joey even dropped the Escape From New York album in 2019, a collaborative project between Pro Era, the Underachievers, and the Flatbush Zombies under the name, “Beast Coast.” While fans immensely enjoyed said album, they were still hoping for solo music from the Brooklyn Badmon.
For a while since then, Joey has been hinting at new music, often talking about it on Twitter as well as teasing it on his Instagram story. Thankfully, after what felt like the longest wait in the world, Joey finally gave fans not just one, but three new singles recently. It was finally the moment of truth.
Each song is a part of what he called, The Light Pack, which was released in July of this year. According to a post on his Instagram page, the three songs were for the mind, body, and soul: the first song, “The Light,” for the soul; the second song, “No Explanation” featuring Pusha T, for the mind; and the third and final track, “Shine,” for the body.
On the cover art for The Light Pack, Joey can be seen participating in a traditional voodoo ceremony, which can be seen in the music video for “The Light.” In this music video, which came out on July 17th, Joey begins with a message to his fans. He writes, “On June 16th, 2020, I chose to partake in a traditional voodoo ceremony in search of rebirth. My purpose with this visual is to inspire black people to realize their power and take it back, as I did. Don’t be afraid of who you are, that’s their job. We are magic.” Along with this message on the screen is a symbol, which appears to be a cross between the Eye of Horus, the Ankh, and the symbol for infinity—mind, body, and soul.
As of now, anything related to a future album or project by Joey Bada$$ remains shrouded in mystery. However, it looks like we might hear more from our favorite rapper sooner than we think.
Keep up to date with Joey Bada$$ and watch the music video for “Light” below!