Joey Bada$$ - ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ [2LP]

Joey Bada$$ trained his sharpest bars on America itself with ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$, the 2017 album that marked the Brooklyn rapper's turn from boom-bap prodigy to political firebrand, here as a 2LP set in a gatefold jacket.

Joey first broke through as a teenager with the mixtape titled 1999 and his Pro Era crew, celebrated for reviving the golden-age New York sound of the 1990s. His debut album B4.Da.$$ cemented that reputation, but this follow-up looked outward, tackling police violence, systemic racism and the mood of a divided country at the start of a turbulent era.

"Land of the Free" is the centrepiece, a smooth, soulful track carrying one of the most pointed messages of his career. "Devastated" turns hard-won perseverance into an anthem, "Rockabye Baby" brings ScHoolboy Q into the fold for a defiant team-up, and "Legendary" pairs Joey with J. Cole for a reflective look at legacy.

The production leans into lush, jazzy textures and soulful grooves, giving his anger a warmth that makes it land even harder.

Nearly a decade on, it still sounds urgent, and the double-vinyl layout gives each side room to breathe. It stands as an essential document of protest hip-hop from one of Brooklyn's most gifted and fearless voices.