Lonely At The Top
Lonely At The Top Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 Joey Bada$$ False narratives about the so-called decline or demise of New York rap have cropped up so often over the past two decades that, to one of the city’s hip-hop natives, it can feel downright conspiratorial. So it couldn’t have come as much of a surprise that someone like Joey Bada$$ would eventually step up to address the current iteration of this tiresome talking point. After all, the Pro Era figure made his name by both reveling in and refurbishing the hometown sounds of the golden age, building with his crew while seeing his own star rise. “This thing is a competitive art form,” he tells Apple Music. “For people who’s really passionate about this and passionate about moving that pen, we understand that.” His 2025 opening move “The Ruler’s Back” and its subsequent rap ripostes “Sorry Not Sorry” and “Pardon Me” made his position known and, on some level, put him at perceived odds with certain Los Angeles denizens. “I believe I’m at...
