While we don’t have official word on the next Joey Badass project, the Brooklyn MC is continuing to keep fans well-fed with loose singles and collabs. His latest drop combines both of those worlds, bringing in R&B phenom Chloe for the luxurious “Tell Me.” Here’s everything you need to know about Joey Badass’ latest.
Retro production sets the pace here, a combination of flittering 2000s synth work and boom-bap-like drum work underneath. Though the two vocalists set up a relatively even split, with hard-hitting verses from Joey Badass and Chloe delivering the titular “Tell Me” vocals on an early chorus and repeated bridge later in the track, in the earliest moments her harmonies hit more like a sample. Chopped up and played underneath layers of reverb, it calls to mind some of the early-century hits that ruled the radio, clearly a guiding light for both collaborators on this song.
How Joey Badass’ “Tell Me” Elucidates Career Growth For The Brooklyn MC
“Tell Me” showcases a recently developed, true Joey Badass strength, capable of delivering silky smooth R&B that starkly contrasts his trademark gravelly cadence. Yet arguably more notable in this song is the distance between this Joey Badass-Chloe collab and the last one. Their previous output came amid the ChloexHalle project, and though there was certainly plenty of backing for that duo, there’s no denying that the Brooklyn MC brought a dose of mainstream hip-hop legitimacy to their track “Happy Without Me.”
Cut some six years later. While we’ll shelve a true star power debate for a later date, Chloe has unquestionably taken the mantle as the R&B feature de jour. It’s interesting to compare the two outputs, and despite the overall aesthetic remaining constant, note the growth of either artist into new lanes in the time since.
Catch “Tell Me” and all of the Joey Badass backlog wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in our coverage, Fred Again – Ten Days iterates on what’s made the electronic phenom so inescapable.
