Joey Bada$$ Says He Doesn’t Have Beef With Troy Ave

Yesterday (July 7), Joey Bada$$ and the rest of his Pro Era crew threw the first annual Steez Day in honor of their fallen friend and collaborator, Capital STEEZ. On what would have been his 22nd birthday, his Pro Era cohorts teamed up with a slew of favorites in the New York underground at Central Park's Rumsey Playfield to give fans a memorable night. XXL's own Dan Rys was there to document the proceedings, from Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg hosting, to Flatbush Zombies, Phony PPL, The Underachievers, Ab-Soul, A$AP Ferg and more, all there to pay tribute to STEEZ. It was a compelling celebration of independent hip-hop. However, earlier in the day, Joey stopped by Hot 97 to discuss just what that title means, and to clear up what seemed to be a brewing controversy between himself and Troy Ave.

The latter's June album, Major Without a Deal, was the butt of jokes on radio and social media for what appeared to be lackluster sales. (In reality, several factors contributed to the disappointing early reports, including a preemptive shift to a Friday release date and some Bronx shops selling physical albums before their street date.) When he defended his financial bona fides on The Breakfast Club, Joey Bada$$ took to Twitter, running down some of his numbers and calling himself "the #1 Independent Hip Hop artist/brand in the world." Troy responded, saying, "NO single, NO party hosting's NO real endorsements Reminder: NObody cares + u WORK for Sony Red / Cinematic Records #FakeIndependent." But on radio yesterday, Joey quelled all the rumors, saying that his initial tweets could apply to many artists, not just Troy. He added that Troy "chose to get particularly insecure," and that he has respect for Troy as an independent artist. The rappers spoke through mutual friends, and the issue has apparently been resolved.