Fans Accuse Joey Bada$$ Of Delaying His Album To Avoid Drake

The Brooklynite blames sampling issues for the postponement.

Before Thursday, supporters of NYC-based rapper Joey Bada$$ expected his third studio album to drop on June 17. The Pro Era frontman took to Twitter to announce the project tentatively titled 2000 has been pushed back.

“Man, I got some terrible news, my album won’t be coming out tonight due to sample clearance issues 🤬,” tweeted Joey Bada$$ yesterday morning at 11:38 ET.

The 27-year-old rapper/actor added, “Right now, it’s unclear how long I’ll have to postpone it but my hope is no more than 2 weeks. I wanted to have a new date before I told you guys but it’s out of my control 😞.”

Did Drake’s Surprise Announcement Cause Joey To Change His Release Date?

Some Twitter users began to speculate if there were other reasons why Joey Bada$$ decide to hold off dropping 2000. Later in the day, Drake revealed he was releasing his Honestly, Nevermind album on Friday which ignited more theories about Joey’s delayed project.

“Nah, Joey Bada$$ lying about not having a sample cleared because he found out Drake was dropping the same night as him is way too funny 😭😭,” tweeted the @wowthatshiphop Twitter account at 6:32 pm ET.

More than 30,000 users liked King Wow’s tweet about Joey Bada$$ and Drake. It also garnered more than 2,700 retweets. Other posts questioning Joey’s reasoning saw heavy engagement on the social media as well.

Earlier This Week, Joey Bada$$ Confessed To Misinforming His Followers

The fact that Joey Bada$$ recently admitted to misleading the public in the past strengthened some of the skepticism directed at him now. On June 14, the former Wu-Tang: An American Saga cast member tweeted about using “eye damage” as an “excuse” to remove himself from a tour with Maryland-bred rapper Logic.

As far as 2000 not dropping, Joey Bada$$ promised to keep his fans informed on its progress. He tweeted, “I’ll keep you guys updated obviously, I’m almost certain I’ll have a new date by Monday. On the bright side, me and Chance’s new song drops [tomorrow].”

Meanwhile, Joey Bada$$ will be part of the performance lineup for the 2022 BET Awards on June 26. Bada$$ also began promoting his upcoming summer tour. The North American outing will begin on July 1 in Boston.