Joey Bada$$ has been catching wins since the success of his debut album, B4.DA.$$, in early 2015. After touring the world and snatching up a couple endorsement deals, Joey’s been back in the studio lately, and has unleashed loosie bangers like his Notorious B.I.G. dedication, “Brooklyn’s Own,” and “Ready.” Today, we’ve got some new heat with “Devastated,” which, unlike its title suggests, is a feel-good record about perseverance, something Joey and his crew, Pro Era, know a little something about.
The timing of this release couldn’t be better. Earlier this year, Joey engaged in a brief back-and-forth with shamed Brooklyn rapper Troy Ave, who has been at odds with Bada$$ ever since Joey refuted his claims that he and his label, BSB, were the biggest independent rap operation in the game. What began as a social media tussle escalated to exchanged disses this year, leading to Bada$$ infamously rapping “I desTroy Average rappers” on Sway In The Morning. During Troy Ave’s prior appearance on Sway, he called the late Capital STEEZ, who was a core member of Joey’s Pro Era crew, a “bozo” for committing suicide.
Yesterday, surveillance footage of the shooting at T.I.‘s Wednesday night show at Irving Plaza was released, and on it, a man that looked very much like Troy Ave could be seen emerging from backstage firing shots into the venue. Ave was arrested in connection with the shooting at NYU Langone Medical Center yesterday, and charged.
We guess Joey let karma catch up to Troy. Listen to “Devastated” below.
