NEWS
EVENTS
Joey Bada$$ - Summer Knights
RnB/Hip Hop | Monday 8th July 2013 | Chris
On the first of the month, Brooklyn boy Joey Bada$$ finally dropped 'Summer Knights' in the form of a mixtape. It's been an eventful year for Joey with some confusion over his releases, but as soon as it was announced that the Summer Knights EP release date was being pushed back and it was being made into a full-length mixtape there was a lot of hype surrounding this release. This is partly due to the unequivocal success of his first mixtape '1999' which came out last year. It featured tracks such as Waves and Survival Tactics which made Joey an internet phenomenon at the tender age of 17. Before '1999' had even dropped, people were avidly watching his freestyles and the music videos created by his crew Pro Era, and hailing him "the next Nas" and "New York's chosen one". He struck a chord with hip hop fans worldwide who were left reminiscing about the golden days of the 90's when Nas, Big L and A Tribe Called Quest reigned the mic.
The Pro Era
There is no doubt that Joey is one of the more promising artists from the new generation of emcees. He formed the collective known as 'Progressive (shortened to Pro) Era' whilst in high school who have expanded and grown into a 25-strong multi-media movement that cover everything from rapping and beat-making to graphic design and video production. Progressive Era pride themselves on being a forward thinking movement but there is an air of nostalgia for the 90's surrounding them, a time period they never truly participated in. This was a milestone era for east coast rappers who made a lasting imprint not only on New York, but on the world. It birthed iconic albums that were acclaimed for pioneering a purist sound and these are a constant reference within hip hop.
It comes as no surprise that Pro Era, a group of avid hip-hop fans from Brooklyn are keen to recreate the glory days and to revive the east coast hip hop scene through 90's methods. The group is unified by this shared vision and a loyalty to their team. This was manifested most clearly through the actions of Joey Bada$$ who has turned down offers to work with list of big names and even turned down a record deal from Jay-Z. You have to admire the youngsters for their DIY attitude as it allows them to stay true to themselves and avoid being channelled in a certain direction. Pro Era and other crews in the Beast Coast umbrella are looking to reinstate and reinvent 90's New York vibes with the additions of some skateboards and hashtags.
The Mixtape
Summer Knights is a 17 track mixtape which showcases the progress of the Pro Era movement through contributions from artists in their roster. Chuck Strangers and Kirk Knight both deserve a special mention as they're constantly proving themselves as huge assets to the team. Particularly Chuck whose prowess in production adds some diversity to Summer Knights. He infuses electronica to give a futuristic effect to Reign and jazzes up My Yout with a reggae twist.
Although a progressive and independent team, Pro Era have left traces all over the mixtape that suggest these college boys are students to the greats and have taken notes from previous rap crews. Visions of the The Wu-Tang Clan are channelled through tracks such as 47 Goonz, Sit N' Prey and Satellite, while the more jazzy tracks Sorry Bonita and Hilary $wank have a Tribe feel to them. There is a direct reference to Souls of Mischief with the track 95 til Infinity, in which Pro Era's breakout star Joey Bada$$ spits a raspy flow over a Lee Bannon instrumental - one of the highlights of the mixtape for me.
Bringing the focus back to Joey, this solo project is slightly less colourful than his previous mixtapes. He is no longer the carefree junior student who coasted around Brooklyn on a skateboard and had some internet fame. He has had an up and down year and is under a lot of pressure as an artist after being declared as the next big thing. He also experienced the tragic loss of his good friend and co-founder of Pro Era Capital Steez. The track #LongLiveSteelo was included in the mixtape as a dedication to Capital Steez who committed suicide around Christmas time last year aged 19. The darker tones to the mixtape are complimented by more spiritual flows which is an endearing quality to the Pro Era crew. After all, you don't meet that many teenagers who are in touch with their chakras.
Joey is back and he's more self-assured and experimental than before. This time he brings some different rap styles into play, although the majority of the content is nothing ground-breaking. It was always going to be difficult to follow '1999', but this is another strong mixtape which can tide fans over 'til the release of his debut album B4.DA.$$. The album has been in the pipeline for a while, but he has said that he's taking his time to perfect it and it should be out by 2014. Joey Bada$$ is an artist still learning his trade and an interesting one follow as he is a visionary with a looming fog of potential corruption. With the weight of New York on his shoulders and uncle Jay-Z occasionally bending his ear, it will be interesting to see what becomes of the fresh prince Joey Bada$$ and his Pro Era crew.
By Chris Schwartz
