ALL-AMERIKKAN BADA$$ - Review

Joey Bada$$, legally known as Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, is a New York rapper born and raised in grand ol’ Brooklyn. Today I will be reviewing his second studio album, ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$, released on April 7, 2017. You can see from the “KKK” in album title alone that racial issues will be mentioned, and in our day and age it’s hard to get into racial conflicts without getting into politics. However, art should not be a platform from which one spews political propaganda, but rather an expression of one's thoughts and feelings on those heated topics. Scott uses a more common and arguably a more powerful art form to do just that: Rap. In this review, I will focus more on what Scott has created. This review is not meant to state/sway personal opinions, but rather highlight what Scott decided to include in his art.

Beneath the messages that is clearly present in his tracks, the actual music is magnificent. The production is top notch, and just pure. However, pure does not mean simple. Far from it actually. A few of the songs were wonderfully layered, with samples that did nothing short of elevate the music and meaning. The prominent track that comes to mind will always be TEMPTATION. The sample that can be heard in the bookends of the song is a recording of a nine-year-old girl from Charlotte, North Carolina. Zianna Oliphant made the speech to a council meeting after the police shot and killed Keith Lamont Scott. Both Oliphant and Scott speak on the overarching question of “why does skin color/ethnicity directly contribute to one's worth to society?” The song starts off on a somber note with the sample, and this continues in the pre-chorus. However, once the chorus hits, the song seamlessly picks up. Once the 1st verse ends, and the 2nd chorus starts, another layer with the instruments is stacked, conveying more character behind his words. This layering, the adding and taking away of certain instruments, garners a level of depth that goes beyond the message of this song, and really propels it to the top of my personal favorites from the album.

Another highlight from this album is undeniably the song DEVASTATED. This track was clearly made to get on the radio, So many aspects, from the catchy hook to the mention of smoking weed to a more trap-like beat, all point towards the notion that this song was sculpted around the needs to get this song on the radio. However, that did not stop Scott from still letting both his fans and new listeners know about struggles that was faced. The difference between this song and the others on the album is he is referring to himself and his life before the fame, rather than the struggles of the black man. Despite the strayed path this song took from the album, one can appreciate the variety it added without actually detracting from the artist's creativity.

The seventh track on this album is ROCKABYE BABY. The track was released a week before release of the album. This was done in order to prevent it from getting leaked; however, it failed in its task as the album was leaked a few days before the official date. The 3rd single released for this album was one that stood out above the rest of the album, and for all the right reasons. The beat, for lack of better words, goes hard. It has that typical New York feel, and is simply murdered by the the raging duo that is Joey Bada$$ and ScHoolboy Q. In this song they reflect on how they fall into American society and touch on some of the inequalities faced by black people. There is also great use of autotune with securely placed voice alterations and musical “glitches” done by both artists.

Despite all the greatness that comes out of this album, it’s not without its flaws. Although previously I had stated that DEVASTATED added variety, it’s unique in that due to the fact that there isn't much more in the songs. As invigorating as the messages are in his songs, one can easily get tired of him preaching song after song after song. The redeeming factor that elevated these songs from boring copy/pastes is the music and the beautiful lyricism by Scott. Once again, this does not exclude the lack of eclectic topics that is talked about. In a world of Drakes and Futures who are always talking about relationships and other myopic matters, it's refreshing to hear an artist speak on such high level issues. Although many would argue the “high level part” just as I will right now. Black people face civil tension everyday; that is one thing anyone who has ever been on twitter can agree on, let alone those who follow the news. However, as the same people who follow the news would tell you, there is so much more strife and progressiveness happening in the world, so much other bad and good. It becomes relatively boring to simple speak on just the struggles of the black man where other ethnic groups, such as latinos and asians, also face many dilemmas.

One song in particular, RING THE ALARM, which had 3 features, was simply not good. It may seem counterproductive, but the one song that took a break on the album’s theme of black empowerment and inequality, was arguably the worst song on the album. The whopping total of 4 artists all speak on concerns with the current lack of skill in the rap game. Although it is a great topic and one that I could personally rant on for a solid half hour, the song was simply a hit or miss. The punches barely landed but the listener could easily shrug them off, and that seemed to be the majority of the song. Bars that were just lackluster and verses that just seemed incomplete -or even forced-made up the song. Overall, disappointing-but to be fair the potential was low to begin with, considering the plethora of features.

That Friday night this album dropped I was planning on giving it a thorough listen. However, before I could find some free time, I received a highly respected recommendation from a fellow Blue Monkey member, Jose Cafaro. He specifically told me “Yo imma give [ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$] a 9/10. The last song AMERIKKKAN IDOL, he takes about 3 minutes to send everyone a strong message about racism, police brutality, and unifying African Americans. It’s really good... For sure man, he [deserves a 9]. I was contemplating between an 8.5 or a 9, then I heard the last song” and I took away nothing but praise for this album. I set out with high hopes and high expectations for this album. Although I agree with Cafaro on his remark about the powerfully written song, I do not agree with his rating. Personally, it simply lacked that extra creativity needed to earn the prestigious 9. I give ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ a 8.5/10.