Joey Bada$$ brought some Brooklyn boom-bap to the West Coast this weekend, kicking off his sold-out Blue Note Los Angeles residency with a celebration of the music that introduced him to the Hip Hop world.
The Brooklyn MC opened the first night of his ‘Time Will Tell’ residency Saturday, August 29, performing material from his critically acclaimed 2012 debut mixtape 1999 and its 2013 follow-up Summer Knights.
Backed by a live band inside the intimate Blue Note setting, Joey reached back into his early Pro Era catalog for fan favorites including “95 Til Infinity” and “Hillary $wank,” taking the audience back to the period when a teenage MC out of Brooklyn helped introduce a new generation to the sound and spirit of ’90s East Coast Hip Hop.
The opening night was fittingly dedicated to 1999 and Summer Knights, but Joey’s three-night residency is designed to trace his evolution chronologically. Night Two focuses on B4.Da.$$ and ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$, while the final Los Angeles show pairs 2000 with his latest project, Lonely At The Top.
The residency also serves as a live extension of Joey’s Time Will Tell documentary series, which looks back on his career while documenting the next stage of his life and artistry.
After wrapping the Los Angeles dates on August 31, Joey will bring the same three-night concept back home to New York City for a Blue Note residency running September 5 through September 7.
For the fans who have been rocking with Joey since Pro Era was running through Brooklyn with 1999, opening night wasn’t simply nostalgia.
It was a reminder of just how well those records have aged.