Joey Badass is back. Finally. After what felt like a decade of cryptic Instagram stories and label disputes that looked like they’d never end, the Brooklyn native actually dropped his fourth studio album, Lonely at the Top. It hit streaming platforms on August 29, 2025, but the road to get there was messy. Like, "firing at your own record label on Instagram Live" messy. If you've been following the Pro Era frontman since the 1999 days, you know he doesn't usually play the industry game.
This rollout proved it.
The Columbia Records Beef Explained
The Joey Badass new album wasn't even supposed to come out in late August. The original plan was August 1. Then, everything went quiet. No tracklist. No pre-save link. Just silence. Joey eventually hopped on a livestream and basically aired out Columbia Records for the world to see. He told fans the album had been "signed, sealed, and delivered" for over a month. No sample issues. No feature delays. Just corporate red tape.
It was a wild moment. He literally threatened to leak his own project on YouTube if they didn't "straighten up" by the following Monday. You don't see that every day from an artist of his stature. He called it the "Free Joey" campaign. Honestly, it worked. The pressure from the fans—whom he encouraged to spam the label’s board of directors—seemed to force their hand.
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We eventually got the record, but the tension is still there. You can hear it in the music. On "Dark Aura," he straight-up says he's not "f***ing with the majors" and touts an independent mindset despite the contract. It’s gritty. It's vintage Joey, but with the perspective of a man who’s seen how the sausage is made and hates the recipe.
What Does Lonely at the Top Sound Like?
If 2000 was a nostalgic trip back to his roots, Lonely at the Top is Joey looking at the present. It’s heavy on the Chuck Strangers production, which is always a win.
There’s a specific energy here. It’s competitive. Before the release, Joey was taking jabs at the West Coast, specifically Ray Vaughn and the TDE camp. He even dropped "The Ruler’s Back" as a shot across the bow, referencing Jay-Z and Slick Rick while claiming his spot as the top lyricist in the game. It’s not just "old head" boom-bap, though. He’s experimenting with different flows, but the bars are still the priority.
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Key Tracks and Features
- "ABK" (Anybody Killa): This was the first taste we got, debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. It’s a high-energy reminder that he can out-rap most of the people on the charts without breaking a sweat.
- "Dark Aura" (ft. Ab-Soul & Rapsody): This is the crown jewel of the project. Having Ab-Soul and Rapsody on the same track is a lyrical miracle. It’s dense, poetic, and arguably has the best verse of the year.
- "Sorry Not Sorry": A more introspective cut where he talks about fatherhood and the weight of being the breadwinner for his entire circle.
The album explores themes he’s touched on before, like social awareness and the struggle of maintaining integrity, but there's a new layer of romantic vulnerability. He mentioned in interviews that he wanted to channel a bit of that 808s & Heartbreak energy—not necessarily the auto-tune, but the emotional honesty. It’s a far cry from the teenage kid who dropped "Waves," but it feels like the natural evolution of Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott.
The Dark Aura Tour
You can't talk about the Joey Badass new album without mentioning the tour. He’s currently on the road with Ab-Soul and Rapsody. That is a lot of lyricism for one stage. The tour kicked off in Boston in mid-October and is wrapping up in Philadelphia. If you’re going, expect a mix of the new project and the classics. People are still losing their minds when the beat for "Christ Conscious" or "Survival Tactics" drops.
Is It His Best Work?
That’s the big debate. Some fans are always going to prefer the raw, lo-fi grit of 1999. It’s a classic for a reason. But Lonely at the Top shows a level of technical mastery and industry cynicism that he couldn't have written at 17.
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The production is cleaner. The features are more intentional. There's a sense that he’s no longer trying to prove he can rap—he knows he can. Now, he’s trying to prove that he can survive the machine without losing his soul.
What you should do next:
If you haven't listened yet, start with the "Dark Aura" music video. It captures the aesthetic of the whole era perfectly—luxury cars, New York streets, and verses that require a second and third listen to fully catch. Then, go back and listen to his 2024 singles like "My Town" to see how the sound evolved into the final project. If you're looking for tickets to the remaining tour dates, check his official site or the secondary markets quickly; the smaller venues like The Fillmore are selling out fast because of the Rapsody/Ab-Soul combo.