Joey Bada$$ made his return tonight when he dropped the new loosie "Ready" during Ebro's Beats 1 Radio show. Joey spits aggressive rhymes over the Statik Selektah-produced track, reflecting on the haters and his long path to success. He even addresses his recent paparazzi-punching incident at the Yeezy Season 3 event, rapping "Critics trying to box me/I feel like Rocky when it comes to paparazzi/Somebody stop me."
Most surprisingly, Joey digs up an old beef over record sales he waged last year with fellow New York rapper Troy Ave. "My ni**a Kirk just outsold Troy Ave," he raps. The pair went back and forth over record sales back in June after Joey called himself the "#1 independent hip-hop artist/brand in the world." Troy tweeted that the B4.DA.$$ rapper was a "fake independent" and cited his big-name sponsorship deals. It sounds like Joey isn't quite ready to let that one go.
In addition to the new song, the Brooklyn native also delivered his first ever college lecture at NYU on Friday. He spoke to about 300 students on his come up in hip-hop, remaining independent, and navigating the music industry. With work on his sophomore album underway, an appearance on Forbes' Hip-Hop Cash Princes list under his belt, and some new fire to feed the fans, it looks like Joey could be in for another great year.
You can stream "Ready" on SoundCloud below.
