Live: Joey Bada$$

21st November

Academy 2

8/10

It is so easy to forget that the rapper Joey Bada$$ is only 19, and at his recent gig at the Manchester Academy 2 he certainly performed with an experience beyond his years. The young artist already has two albums to his name, and played a good variety of his old and new tracks. The crowd were particularly responsive to some of Joey’s most popular songs, like ‘Waves’, ‘World Domination’, and ‘Unorthodox’.

There was always some hope, but also expectation, that Joey would not perform alone given the fact that so many songs from both albums are collaborations. Happily, this expectation was fulfilled when about four songs in Joey was joined on stage by fellow rapper and producer Kirk Knight. This added a great vibe to the show, as the two artists bounced off each other perfectly. On top of this, Statik Selektah was on the decks, which also meant the fans got more than they may have been anticipating. It was fairly clear how much thought had gone into the set, as it seemed well rehearsed though still vibrant and natural.

Joey Bada$$ thrived on the energy of the crowd, and took breaks between most songs to engage with the audience. The mic cut out once which seemed to be the only fault of the night. The young rapper ended on ‘Survival Tactics’, which was the perfect finale to a high standard performance. This was then followed by not one, but two encores which definitely showed how well received the artist was. At such a young age, Joey Bada$$ is already creating quite a stir on the Hip Hop scene, and performing like he was born for it. Certainly one to catch next time, for all those who missed him!