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Joey Badass has been engaged in one of the most viral hip-hop rap beefs for the year, targeting Ray Vaughn, his record label Top Dawg Entertainment, rapper Daylyt, and Compton icon Kendrick Lamar.
Joey recently sat down for an exclusive interview with UPROXX Magazine, where he reportedly confirmed that he is working on a new album. The New York City rapper's fresh LP would officially follow up on his third studio album, 2000, which was released to all streaming platforms on July 22, 2022.
NEW ALBUM
🚨COMING SOON 🚨
"The goal is to get the album out before August 30th."
— Joey Bada$$ (via Uproxx)
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Seemingly capitalizing on his virality, stemming from the ongoing East Coast vs West Coast rap beef, the rapper highlighted a new album could be dropping this summer.
When sitting down for an exclusive interview with UPROXX's Sound Check series, host Jeremy Hecht questioned the rapper on whether he intends to drop a new project, to which Joey responded:
"The goal is to get the album out before August 30"
Throughout the interview, Joey speaks on the various artists he looks up to, playing a game with Jeremy Hecht, who aimed to figure out Badass' music taste and what song the Brooklyn native considers his "life anthem".
A new album from Joey Badass is likely going to include multiple shots aimed at TDE, Ray Vaughn, and the East Coast hip-hop scene, given his affinity for claiming himself to be at the top of the rap game.
The 2025 Rap Beef kicked off after Joey seemingly declared war on the West Coast with The Ruler's Back, which dropped on January 1.
He appeared displeased with the rising popularity of the West Coast's hip-hop scene, likely stemming from Kendrick Lamar's victory lap following his iconic rap beef against Drake last year.
"Too much West Coast d**k lickin’ / I’m hearing n****s throwin’ rocks, really ain’t sh*t stickin’ / ‘Cause if we’re talking bar for bar, really it’s slim pickings / I rap like I draw pentagrams and kill chickens, n***a / F**k around with your soul like Ether, quick for a feature / This that black Air Force energy comin’ out your speaker," Joey raps on 'The Ruler's Back'.
In his most recent diss track, Crash Dummy, Joey once again called out Kendrick Lamar, hoping for a response from the Compton icon.
Kendrick is currently on his "Grand National Tour" run, alongside SZA, but will very likely respond to the East Coast rapper according to hip-hop veteran Glasses Malone, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to state:
"Joey know sure as sh*t bars are coming his way. When is the question."
Bar-for-Bar: Breaking down Joey Badass' latest diss track 'Crash Dummy'
Since Joey released The Ruler's Back, in January, hip-hop has been captivated by a monthslong rap battle between the East Coast and West Coast, involving 10 different rappers, with over a total of 30 diss tracks released.
Joey's Crash Dummy was released earlier this week, on Tuesday (May 20), acting as an official follow up to his previous diss tracks THE FINALS and MY TOWN (feat. Loaded Lux).
The record serves as a response to both Ray Vaughn, who recently dropped a diss track titled Golden Eye, and Daylyt's AYO record. Joey also takes further shots at Kendrick Lamar, claiming the Compton native is "scared" to engage in this rap beef.
Notable themes explored in Joey Badass' Crash Dummy have been provided below:
- Status
- Competition
- Rumors
- Relationships
- Success
- Wealth
- Luxury
(Verse 1)
"It's about time, n***a, goddamn (Take money), almost got sick of waitin' / Like a bad doctor, n***a, I ain't got a lot of patience / Y'all n****s back on the clock (Take money) / And anything past twenty-four hours is a shot clock violation"
Joey Badass kicks off his verse citing his excitement with the ongoing East Coast vs West Coast beef, using a interesting homophone to claim he's tired of waiting for a strong response and is losing "patience".
He calls out Ray Vaughn, who recently dropped his Golden Eye diss track. Similar to a basketball shot clock violation, which refers to when a team takes more than 24 seconds to execute a play, Joey states that any diss track that takes more than a day to drop is "late".
"What's the current situation? N****s just clickbaitin' / How predictable, this the angle I was anticipating / And thank you for making it clear to me that Dot scared, but yeah / I was at the party, but I also saw Top there / In fact, we was talkin' bout the same very plot here"
Joey Badass claims the diss tracks delivered by Ray Vaughn and Daylyt are "click baiting" for clout, alluding to them using exaggerated rumors in their disses. He also appears to take further shots at Kendrick Lamar, claiming the Compton icon is "scared" to enter the 2025 Rap Beef.
Joey then speaks on the claims of him being involved in Diddy's parties, claiming he attended those events alongside Top Dawg Entertainment CEO Anthony Tiffith, who signed Ray Vaughn in 2020.
"Y'all n****s goin' out sad 'cause I'm the one on top tier / He said, "Hey, Joey, I got this artist named Ray Vaughn" (Uh-huh) / "And I'd appreciate if you would really help me put him on" / I said, "Okay, Top, but you know it's gon' cost you""
Joey speaks on his relationship with Top Dawg, alluding to him having the same amount of influence and stature as the TDE CEO.
He appears to recount a conversation between them both, where Joey and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith seemingly met at a Diddy party and spoke about Ray Vaughn.
According to Joey Badass, Top Dawg wanted him to "help out" Ray Vaughn by putting him on the map.
"You know I really want the one who elevated your roster / I'm on these n****s' headtop, rise to the top like dreadlocks / Joey got the whole rap game in a headlock / I'm lettin' off headshots (Take money) / I seen this whole sh*t from afar, the way I red-dot"
With multiple double entendres, Joey Badass takes further shots at Kendrick Lamar, TDE, and the West Coast, claiming he's got the entire hip-hop game in a "headlock" with his back to back diss tracks.
"N****s can't walk on these shoes, though, they dead stock (Take money) / Lately been enjoying the perks, but I don't med pop / I pop out and show n****s how they ho n****s (Take money) / Simultaneously aiming at least four n****s / How many more n****s is it really gonna take to drop him? (Take money)"
Joey Badass continues by claiming he's better than a majority of the hip-hop game, citing he's been enjoying the perks of his luxurious lifestyle.
He takes more shots at Kendrick Lamar, using a line from the Compton icon's Grammy-winning diss track Not Like Us, to suggest why he's considered better than today's rap game, alluding to competitors like Ray Vaughn and Daylyt.
"They need 101 Dalmatians just to spot 'em and got 'em / My lyrical Drac' makin' 'em beat box / I won't hesitate, but these n****s still won't drop like Detox / Matter of fact, I think they forgot the last time I destroyed an average rapper who tried to take a cheap shot (Bloaw) / Now they reminiscing over you like Pete Rock"
Joey Badass seemingly references Dr. Dre's ill-fated scrapped 2007 album, Detox, when suggesting that his competition is afraid to drop more diss tracks against him.
He also calls back to his beef with Troy Ave when claiming he "destroyed an average rapper" for taking cheap shots at him in the diss tracks released in 2016.
"I ride through the city in that GL Smooth and Maybach / So you know I came to do what it do / 'Cause we rapping over yappin', n***a, joke's on you, ayy"
Joey Badass appears comfortable on the final lines of his first verse where he suggests his opposition are a joke for "yapping" over beats while drops serious diss tracks against them.
(Chorus)
"Scared money don't make no money / I could never go broke, steady take your money, ayy / I could Evidence you n****s, but ain't sh*t funny / You ain't a crash-out, n***a, you a crash dummy, ayy (x2)"
Joey Badass takes further shots at Ray Vaughn on the record's hook where he references Vaughn's recent interview where he commented on the growing West Coast vs East Coast beef.
Vaughn reportedly called himself the "TDE Crashout" during a recent interview with Chinatown Sound, uploaded to YouTube on April 29, 2025, which Joey Badass references on Crash Dummy's hook.
(Verse 2)
"Anywho, ask myself, “What would Kenny do?” / Any day of the week, I take on at least ten of you / You thought you got dirt on me because I buried you / Y’all n****s is hysterical (Haha)"
Joey Badass opens on the second verse once again calling out Kendrick Lamar, claiming to be able to take on multiple rappers in a single rap beef.
He alludes to Daylyt's disses on AYO, where the West Coast MC claimed to have gathered "dirt" on Joey, suggesting a friendly connection with Sean 'Diddy' Combs and the Pro Era CEO's attendance at the Freak Offs.
"Ain't no coming back from this, you need a miracle / Joey just spun again, how could it be? / It's like he knew it was comin’, the future, what he foresee? / Have you ever thought TDE was working for me?"
This bar is extremely interesting as Joey continues to take shots at Kendrick Lamar by flipping the Grammy-winning rapper's verse off his 2024 diss track, 6:16 in la, where K-Dot claimed Drake's OVO record label was working for him.
In this bar Joey claims Top Dawg Entertainment is working for him, claiming to have a stronger affiliation to TDE as compared to Ray Vaughn.
"How the f**k am I your OG? You older than me / This ain't a fair fight, it’s a f**king slaughter / Why you keep bringing up pregnant women, don't you got a daughter? / You really need to get your affairs in order / Last time I checked, your label exec’s was in hot water"
Joey Badass continues by suggesting he's dominating the hip-hop game, taking further shots at Davone 'Daylyt' Campbell.
The East Coast MC claims he's considered an "OG" in the hip-hop industry, even though, at the time of Crash Dummy's release, he's only 30 years old as compared to Daylyt who ten years older than him.
"The Diddy house angle is terrible, you makin’ it way too easy for me, we ain’t comparable / When I'm done with you, Top won't let you drop like Karrahbooo / Guaranteed this the last time we ever hear from you"
Joey ends his second verse by claiming he expected his opposition to use the "Diddy angle" to fuel their disses against him in the 2025 Rap Beef.
With another run of Crash Dummy's hook, Joey Badass returns for the third and final verse of his latest diss track.
(Verse 3)
"Time to show the world who I am, I’ve been a man / I'm loaded up, my clip on jam, might spin again / I'm taking all the shots, they say I opened up Pandora's Box / I'm breakin’ all the locks and all the gates they tryna key"
Joey Badass then introduces listeners to the third and final verse on Crash Dummy, claiming he's showing the world who he is with this rap beef, suggesting he's likely gearing up for another diss track.
"Barkin’ over, know I got faith in God that I had to reach / Keep thinkin’ sh*t sweet, when it come to beef, let my teeth sink / Kickin’ up dust because my n****s really street-street / N****s better rethink, I don't throw subs, I throw torpedoes that heat-seek"
Joey Badass continues by claiming he's been shaking up the rap game in 2025, engaging with West Coast rappers in a highly engaging hip-hop rap beef.
The Pro Era CEO suggests that his diss tracks are extremely targeted, with him citing he doesn't use subliminal shots in his records.
"Through your fleece when I speak my piece / I beat the beast strictly off instinct / All the speculation is lame, I tell it plain / I ain't gotta drop a n***a name just for him to feel the flame / Do this for the love of the game, you think it's for the fame / N****s swervin’ in my lane, I’ll take them on a scenic route"
Joey Badass targets the entire West Coast hip-hop rap scene, claiming his records act as a loaded firearm.
He alludes to calling out Kendrick Lamar in his diss tracks when suggesting he doesn't need to "name" the Compton icon to draw him into responding to these records.
Joey Badass ends the bar by claiming he engaged in the 2025 Rap Beef because of his love for hip-hop, as compared to Ray Vaughn and Daylyt's disses which suggested the East Coast MC was clout chasing.
"I'ma stand on every bar, I promise I won't bleep ‘em out (That's right) / It’s demons inside my soul, family who wanna bring ‘em out / Keep my wife’s name out your mouth ‘fore you get Chris Rock’d / We ain't duckin' smoke, that's out, b***h, this is hip-hop"
This bar appears highly directed at Daylyt, who reportedly took shots at Joey Badass' late friend and co-founder of Pro Era, Capital STEEZ, who passed away in 2012.
Joey also called out Ray Vaughn and Daylyt for seemingly name-dropping his partner Serayah McNeill in their diss tracks, drawing comparisons between his actions and Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
"All I need is a microphone and a disc jock, and I'ma make this sh*t pop / Let my d**k rock ’til my d**k pop, I do this sh*t for Big Pop and Pop Smoke / How many more New York n****s gotta die on y’all Coast? / And still we got mad love / If y'all n****s mad ‘cause I'm putting it on for my section, I should be mad"
Joey Badass appears to explain why he's engaged and started calling out the West Coast hip-hop scene in the 2025 Rap Beef, citing he's paying homage to late East Coast MC's The Notorious B.I.G. and Pop Smoke.
Both, Biggie and Pop Smoke were murdered in Los Angeles. Joey references their death when calling out rappers, explaining why he harbors a seemingly unjust disrespect for the West Coast.
"You n****s never ask yourself that question, pardon me for my question / I know that's a tough pill to swallow, I give you time just to digest it, uh / Just get back and I hope you know / Keep on rackin’ ‘em with the flow, now kick back and enjoy the show"
Joey Badass ends his final verse on Crash Dummy by claiming his statements are a "tough pill" for West Coast rappers to swallow, suggesting he's casually kicking back and watching the situation unfold.
In a recent cover story with XXL Magazine, published on May 23, 2025, Ray Vaughn claimed that he sent shots at Joey Badass because he saw it as his "responsibility" to defend Top Dawg Entertainment and the West Coast.
