Joey Bada$$ Excludes Drake From "The Holy Trinity"

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J. Cole attends the Netflix Limited Series Colin In Black And White Special Screening at The Whitby Hotel on October 26, 2021 in New York City. Joey Bada$$ attends the 2022 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Kendrick Lamar poses backstage as Spotify hosts an evening of music with star-studded performances with DJ Pee .Wee aka Anderson .Paak and Kendrick Lamar, during Cannes Lions 2022, at Spotify Beach on June 20, 2022 in Cannes, France.

Joey Bada$$ considers himself, J. Cole & Kendrick Lamar "the Holy Trinity."

After many delays, Joey Bada$$ finally returned this morning with the release of his latest body of work, 2000. Serving as his first album in five years, Joey had much to get off of his chest over the course of the 14-song project. Off the rip, the rapper addresses his position in hip-hop right now, especially when it comes to the top lyricists.

Arturo Holmes/Getty Images 

Most might consider the Holy Trinity to be J. Cole, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar but Joey Bada$$ clearly feels like he deserves to be named among this generation's greats. On the intro track, "The Baddest" ft Diddy, Joey puts his name alongside Cole and Kendrick to make up this generation's Holy Trinity.

"N***s know who greater, fuck your favorite, I'm the greatest
They never could degrade us and I did it with no major
I made a lane for n****s by going my own way
I paved the way for a lot of these rappers you see today
So act like you know, bitch, I've been had the flow, penetrating souls
Who the best emcees? Kenny, Joey, and Cole
The holy trinity, it's that nine-fives in affinity
Energy knowing when I'm gone and forever remember me"

Of course, the bar is a call back to Jay-Z's "Where I'm From" where he listed himself, Nas, and Biggie as the three best rappers. 

Joey's new project, 2000 includes appearances from Westside Gunn, Chris Brown, Larry June, JID, and Capella Grey. Check out the project here. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.