This Tuesday the Pro Era rapper Joey Bada$$ started his Amerikkkana tour with a sold-out show in Boston at Paradise Rock Club. While the tour comes a year after he released his second studio album All-Amerikkkan Bada$$, Joey played a mix of his work dating back to some of his first songs such as “Survival Tactic” and a majority of his first solo mixtape 1999.
The majority of his music is political commentary on being black in America, standing for something much deeper than a lot of the rap that is present in the genre today. It was clear that he was feeding off the energy of the crowd, distinguishing his two types of fans, those who are there for his message and those who are there for the image. He made a point to recognize that some of his fans were there for “Devastated” while some were there for the magic that is Joey Bada$$. Lucky for Boston, many of the fans in the crowd seemed to be day one fans of the rapper, and they were able to hear some of the classic songs that shaped his fanbase.
He started the show with most of 1999, mentioning that this tour is the first time 1999 has been available on official vinyl. It was something special to see him perform the songs that shaped high school for the day one fans. “World Domination” was the first song that seemed to get the crowd onto another level—the charisma and precision that Joey has when delivering his music is something that needs to be experienced to really understand. He segued into his newest album by expressing to the crowd that we have to spread love and positivity because that is all we have.
After performing almost all of his All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ album, fans were ecstatic to hear the intro to the new single by Powers Pleasant featuring both Joey and A$AP Ferg. Powers Pleasant had been the DJ behind Joey’s entire set, but when he and Joey performed their new single “Pull Up,” it was quite literally a movie. Although the single had only been out for six days, everyone in the crowd went wild and screamed every lyric back at the stage. The energy shared between the two performers and the crowd was electric and prepared the crowd for Joey’s most popular song “Devastated.” He announced it was his last song, and the crowd knew exactly what was coming. He dove into the crowd just before the last verse and crowd surfed through the end of the song. Fans began to leave following “Devastated,” but Joey was not finished. He came back out to perform two last songs for those who stuck around in awe of the performance they had just witnessed. Closing his almost two-hour performance with “AMERIKKKAN IDOL,” his fans intently listened to him deliver his message about being black in America. Although there is no doubt Joey Bada$$ could have sold out a larger venue, the intimate show at Paradise Rock Club left fans with an experience they will never forget.
Featured Image by Pro Era
