Joey Bada$$ References J. Cole In Fiery New Track, “Sorry Not Sorry”
Joey Bada$$ wants “all the smoke” on his new track, “Sorry Not Sorry.”
The video was released on MLK Day — which is also Joey’s birthday — with the artist simply posting a link to his X/Twitter account, a lá Kendrick Lamar. The fiery track, produced by Griselda producer Conductor Williams, follows Joey’s streak of combative boom-bap efforts, challenging his rap peers on the microphone.
It’s unclear whether or not the song is a direct response to Ray Vaughn’s “Crashout Heritage” or Mick Jenkins’ “Wars and Rumors of Wars,” but Josef Badmon did mention his idol, J. Cole. In mentioning Cole, Joey makes no mistake about his intentions, insisting that, unlike Cole, he will not apologize for his confrontational bars later on.
“Ni**as Wit Attitude mad I’m bigging up my city, that’s something I had to do/Do or die, home of the gully where we let lead fly/2025 on my bully, I know that men lie/Women lie but Joey don’t/Might Deletе Later, I know damn sure that Joey won’t/F**k it, I want all thе smoke, put my credit on the line/’Cause ni**as can’t f**k with me, we talkin’ ’bout it line for line/The audacity of this ni**a, he must be out his mind/Haunted by the ghost of Biggie and ‘Pac, I’m them combined/Spent many years minding mines, out of sight and out of mind/Now I’m front in line, all the signs saying this my time,” he rhymes on the two-part track.
Joey’s previous single, “The Ruler’s Back,” echoed similar sentiments, with the NYC emcee claiming that the city was his, making him the next one set for the throne. That track interpolated Jay-Z as he, the Pro Era boss, examined what he perceived to be “West Coast d*ck licking” as the culture celebrated Lamar for besting Drake.
Both tracks from the Badmon show that he has no intention of slowing down in 2025.
Listen to the tracks above.
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