There is plenty of civil unrest right now, but where are the rappers? That is what Joey Bada$$ wants to know. The Brooklyn hip-hopper recently spoke to MTV UK about the lack of direction in America.
"Right now, we need leaders," he said. "We need someone to listen to."
What does that mean, though?
"I think that it's very important for artists to raise awareness in situations, especially worldwide situations," he said. "Because I feel like, in today's world, in today's society, we don't have as much civil rights leaders as we used to.
"Back in the day, a civil rights leader would come on television and he's well-known; everyone knows him, he's like the president. Now, today, it's like, we have very few — and the people of today who have that same stature are musicians. Now, it's rappers who have that stature," he said.
Many rap stars spoke out after Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson, Missouri, this summer, but Bada$$ feels like there is a void to fill.
"Me, as an artist, I'm always gonna try to do my part," he said. "The more and more I grow, the bigger voice I become — so, the more people I can actually speak for. So I'm gonna try to utilize that to do nothing but positive things."
JB will release his debut LP — B4.DA.$ — next year. He dropped "Christ Conscious" earlier this fall.
"That record to me is like, 'I'm here,'" he told MTV. "The whole idea of the song is, I'm building up, channeling my energy, getting stronger and stronger until one day I finally evolve. And that's what it is in the video: Me ascending to this next level."
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