2000 is a perfect sequel to Joey Badass’ 1999.
Our Rating: 9/10
When you are 17 and deliver a stellar mixtape, the sequel needs to be a masterpiece that shows your growth over 10 years. And this is what Joey Bada$$ did with his latest album 2000, the sequel to his highly praised mixtape 1999.
Joey Bada$$, the east coast has aged like a fine wine as an artist recently. In addition to becoming a rapper and a style icon, he has also ventured into acting, appearing in the Academy Award-winning short film Two Distant Strangers and Wu-tang: An American Saga. Additionally, he has given his fans a few songs, features, and a well-liked rendition of “Head High” on Colors.
Now after his All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ back in 2017, he has returned with his album 2000, and let me start the review and cover some of the remarkable tracks in the album.
Joey gives a really strong start to the album in “The Baddest.” He has incredible flow throughout the song, delivers lines that will make you think as to how crafty he is, and even borrows a little bit of Biggie’s approach. The song a 1997 hip-hop vibe to it:
I CAN TAKE FIVE YEARS OFF ‘CAUSE MY S**T IS TIMELESS
MY CORE GOT MY BACK SO I’M STANDING ON MY PROMISE
THESE NI**AS ONLY BACKED BY THEY LABEL, THEY ALL SPINELESS
I’M BACKED BY POPULAR DEMAND AND ON THAT TIMING
Using the smooth piano sampling of DeBarge’s “I Like It,” Joey takes a look at his initial years in rap in the intro “The Baddest,” situating himself alongside artists like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole without any doubt.
As the album starts strong, “Make Me Feel,” establishes a strong foundation as Joey Bada$$ clearly defines his personality over a masterfully modified blues sample. If I’m being really honest, ‘2000’ led me to some introspection and a bit emotional too. The album’s artistic excitement is mostly derived from 1999, which was fueled by dictionary rhymes and storytelling. He trades the same verses with Westside Gunn over a percussion rhythm on the song “Brand New 911,” which is pure flow in terms of the quickness and tone of the lyrics.
When he returns to his memoirs, he recalls how his cousin created “Where I Belong,” which feels very New York to me. In the song, Joey screams cold-ass bars over a rhythm that reminds me a great deal of old-classics hip-hop about his difficult upbringing, the ascent to fame, and promising future. You will undoubtedly name him one of the coolest Emcees in the league based on how he rides across the beat, striking us with subtle flows.
Undoubtedly, “Cruise Control” is the album’s most extensive song. It has a classic R&B song, inspirational words, smooth rap flows, a sweet nod to Big Pun, and even Nas’s support. 1999, like Nas’s seminal debut Illmatic, remains as Joey Bada$$’s signature expression, imposing a shadow over future releases that feel insignificant in comparison. Ironically, and probably on purpose, Nas appears on “Cruise Control” to give a nod to Bada$$.
Guest Larry June immediately overshadows Joey’s basic swagger on “One of Us,” setting the bar for rappers who make luxury seem as accessible as using Face ID to check-in. He just…raps about sleeping with this poor guy’s soon-to-be fiancée as a skit from “One of Us” about a man contacting Joey to urge him to quit sleeping with his soon-to-be fiancée seeps into the love ballad “Welcome Back.”
The throwback to Golden Era, New York hip-hop includes powerful lyrics and themes that avoid seeming pompous and cheesy. One of those songs, this one, reminds you of why you first became obsessed with hip-hop and gives you that “feeling.” On “Wanna Be Loved” and “Make Me Feel,” he uses the same approach, giving hip-hop fans a sense of longing for a bygone era and style of hip-hop.
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SiR’s uplifting choruses never fail and work as the perfect framework to carry Joey Bada$$ high as he thinks on the journey of his existence and on what it signifies in the setting about where he began from, with ‘Head High’ being my particular stand-out single on the album. Joey Bada$$ unleashes intellect words in the opening verse of “Head High,” reminding those in the ghetto to keep their heads on a pivot. He raps about knowing XXTENTACION and describes how the deceased rapper was actually a genuine man to him in the second verse. What I really dig about this song is just how composed and adult Joey performs over the Statik Selektah production, reassuring us that the young kid we once lauded as the next big thing is now a seasoned pro.
In “Survivors Guilt,” anyone will be capable of connecting to Joey’s story. At some point, Bada$$ looks for a deeper significance in his accomplishments. In “Survivor’s Guilt,” he revisits the passing of Capital Steez, a legendary figure since he committed suicide in 2012 at the age of 19. He doesn’t just rap about their bad misfortunes; he also sings praises for the good old days they formerly had. Although Joey usually has a powerful voice, in this song, he seems depressed, fitting the gloomy arrangement.
Ab-Soul ends “Survivors Guilt” with some heartfelt remarks on Joey Bada$$ and Capital Steez. Awesome track.
A taste of vintage Joey Bada$$ on a simple groove of piano, string instruments, and percussive drumming makes up the ideal way to cap off such an intense album: “Written In The Stars.” It concludes the lp on a confident spirit.
In addition to serving as a memory capsule recalling the era of New York hip-hop, Bada$$ offers listeners what Kendrick couldn’t: a suggestion of ability and lyrical effort that is still quite approachable for the ordinary hip-hop audience. Although “2000” doesn’t precisely break new conceptual territory, it is a distinctively Joey Bada$$ production and fills the places it does inhabit with care and distinction. Joey Bada$$ is a major force in hip-hop, and this album is just another masterful indication of why.
