Joey Bada$$ has postponed the release of his upcoming album Lonely at the Top, which was scheduled to drop Friday, August 1. The 30-year-old Brooklyn rapper addressed the delay during an Instagram Live session on July 29, placing the blame on his label, Columbia Records.
“I’ma just rip the Band-Aid off. The album is not dropping Aug. 1. I’m f—king sorry. I’m ashamed, I’m f—king disappointed,” he told fans in the video, which he also shared on his Instagram grid. “I wanted to take accountability and responsibility because I’m not ever gon’ leave y’all high and dry.”
Joey clarified that the delay is not due to sample issues, guest features, or release date conflicts. According to him, the project was turned in over a month ago, fully completed. “This is literally an Exhibit A of the label getting in the artist’s way… I’ve been moving on rogue time,” he said.
He didn’t hold back when discussing his ongoing frustrations with the label. “I’m signed to Columbia Records, but for the longest time I just ain’t been f—king with them. All they do is get in my way. They really don’t f–king contribute to nothing, especially this year,” he said. Joey also noted that most of his recent releases have gone straight to YouTube due to delays and lack of support from the label.
In what sounded like an ultimatum, Joey told Columbia they had until Monday to “straighten up” or he might release the album independently. He even mentioned the possibility of uploading Lonely at the Top directly to YouTube.
Joey Bada$$ last released an album in 2022 with 2000, which included features from Diddy, Westside Gunn, Larry June, and others. The rollout for Lonely at the Top began earlier in July with the single “ABK,” which he performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
