Joey Bada$$ has cleared the air about his "beef" with West Coast artists and gave fans the scoop on his upcoming album.
On Tuesday, August 19, the Pro Era co-founder stopped by The Breakfast Club to discuss a wide range of subjects, from fatherhood to being the hot topic of group chats everywhere. Later, DJ Nyla Symone brought up Joey's lyrical war with West Coast artists, which he launched on day one of 2025 with his banger "The Ruler's Back." The 30-year-old artist clarified that his intention was "never to come for the West Coast."
"My energy was more connected to, like, it was really in the spirit of, like, 'Yo you having y'all moment, but New York City got something to say too' type of thing," Joey explained. "People had their complications with that, like, 'Oh y'all had y'all moment. We ain't say nothing.' But I'm like it's 2025 and it's playful. It was a playful nature for me. This rap s**t is a sport and I have so many allies on the West. From my perspective, if you really seen it, I didn't mean no disrespect. That wasn't my intention, but I'm like 'Yo we rappin'."
Joey Bada$$ followed up with several other songs, in which he taunted the West Coast and even tried to bait Kendrick Lamar into responding. He never did, but other California natives like Ray Vaughn and Daylyt felt compelled to defend their territory. They both made headlines after they dropped a couple of diss tracks aimed at Joey.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Joey Bada$$ also spoke about his upcoming album, Lonely At The Top. The album is scheduled to drop on August 29, but he previously planned to release it earlier this year. Joey opened up about how the label got involved with the upcoming project and why it got slightly delayed.
Watch the entire interview below.