FoCus Lyrics Review – Joey Bada$$ – WAVES

This song’s instrumental played for cooling, chilling and relaxing, helping to think of anything else than the usual, happens to be a great source of inspiration for any young MC for a freestyle.

Plus, its title ‘Waves’ happens to inspire to the good memories surfing on the waves of nostalgic thoughts of ours.

Much more than this, it inspires to reach new things, being guided by the waves of the unknown.

It inspires to go overseas and feel as free as waves; imagine.

This must be the message of the music video, starting off with a golden fish stuck in his aquarium, potentially the metaphor for the young kid stuck in his hood.

Metaphor emphasized with the voice of the brat bragging about the same old things he used to do and be proud of in his hood twice as old.

Listening to how his everyday routine is been narrated,

It’s obvious the song’s author is as fed up with his poor condition as the landlord’s fed up with his and mommy’s lies.

It’s obvious that, unlike the sadly conditioned other teenagers, he strives for growing up, and finding his own way, not knowing yet who’s best to trust (“the Gods, The Jahs, and the Allahs”).

“Yeah that’s why that’s why I’m trynna go global

Yeah that’s why I’m trynna be a mogul.”

Making rhyme “local” with “global” and “mogul”

Filming himself at the top of a building, skycrapper in the background

Is the best visual and auditive way to show he’s definitely growing despite his young age, and most definitely getting superior to any other, being the best practicing his “passion”.

The transition with the Tupac’s record saying “I’ma grow up with my music” is what comes to confirm what has been said.

From then, the more Joey Bada$$ keeps imagining his future, seeing beyond his mad hood, gets more and more hopeful as his delivery goes faster and faster.

For such a conscious freestyle, Joey deserves his ‘badass’ nickname reminding us that the best hip hop remains the conscious one with its art of story-telling.

Finally, to quote Janelle Monàe: “While some are selling dope, we keep on selling hope.

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