Class is Officially in Session with Professor Bada$$

Sporting an Air Jordan x Awake NY varsity jacket paired with the “university red” sneakers to match, Jo-Vaughn Scott, better known as Joey Bada$$, entered the halls of Columbia University’s Teachers College ready to impart the knowledge he’s gained over years of maturing within the creative arts industry. From acting to lyricism and music production, he’s unmistakably become one of the most active enthusiasts for diverse self expression. Now, he’s taken his passion a step further as he joins Professor Chris Edmin in launching their Artist in Residence Program intended to support aspiring artists with a mixture of Hip- Hop infused education and cultural empowerment.

A New York native himself, Joey instantly fell back into his city flow as he introduced himself to the panel.

“Call me Professor Bada$$,” he says, gaining a chuckle from the room. His warm and down-to-earth energy was infectious, making this seminar feel more like an intimate conversation between friends.

Joey opened the discussion by touching briefly on his childhood. With a mother from the island of St. Lucia and a father from Jamaica, preserving his Caribbean heritage was essential- from the way he spoke to the way he dressed and carried himself. Thankfully, growing up in Flatbush, Brooklyn allowed him to do just that. He described walking down Church Ave as “cruising through a melting pot of West Indies culture.” Cultural celebration continued within his own home, as the rapper claimed they were a musically diverse household- listening to an array of genres such as reggae, soul and rock and roll.

Every experience Joey embraced in his adolescence eventually shaped him into the industry icon he is now. To this day, his mother remains one of his biggest inspirations.

“My dad gets on me for not mentioning him whenever I speak about who’s influenced me. But she was just louder,” he tells Professor Emdin. “The ‘Bada$$’ name comes from her. She’s the original.”

Joey emphasizes how the name has often been misinterpreted. Being a “badass” was never intended to intimidate or communicate recklessness as the term typically suggests. In contrast, it was meant to express fearlessness, a declaration to the world that he could take anything on.

As he transitions into sharing about what his creative process looks like on a day to day basis, Joey explains that his faith has always played a large role in whatever he puts out into the world. He strongly emphasized his belief that art, like spirit, is a feeling.

The rapper pauses to reference a lyric from his track “Big Dusty” released in 2015, quoting “If it don’t hit my spirit, I don’t go near it.” He states that in order to engage in anything that is worth anything, music or not, you have to have an open heart and an open mind. It’s all about alignment with what feels right in your soul.

In addition to spirituality, another key factor Joey strives to implement in his art is the expression of his individuality. While speaking on his debut album, “1999,” he explains that he’d always been drawn to the 90’s as they were considered the golden age of Hip- Hop. The year 1999 in particular held an additional amount of significance, as many at the time anticipated it to be the end of the world. It’s important to note that this album was released in 2012, which was ironically another year marked for cataclysm. Joey confirmed that in no way was this simply coincidental. Rather than embracing the global panic, he took this opportunity to twist the meaning of “end”, reinstating that this was simply the end of an era and the beginning of a new world. His first big mark on the industry was a flaming symbol of his refusal to follow the pack.

“I’ve always been comfortable with being outside my comfort zone. My parents always encouraged me to set myself apart from the crowd. It naturally upsets my spirit to be like everyone else.”

When asked why the Impact Mentorship initiative was so important to him, Joey responds that it is “simply a necessity.” Having been inspired by close friend and renowned producer Sophia Chang, who recently launched her own mentorship program for women of color titled “Unlock Her Potential,” he realized how beneficial it would be to have a similar resource for men. For someone who’s made it from humble beginnings, his new mission has been to open doors and provide pathways for those in the same position.

Looking ahead, Joey remains intentional about his goals, choosing to keep some of them private while remaining open to change. He stresses the importance of being selective with who you let in, or else things tend to get muddled. But he doesn’t conclude without a final word of advice for the creatives in the room:

“I’m not sure if I’m a genius or if I just know how to tap into the ways I amplify my genius. You need to figure out what makes it easier for yourself to tap into it? You don’t want to be a passenger on your own plane instead of being the pilot. You don’t want someone else to navigate where you’re going.”

His art is a vessel for self-expression, and he hopes it serves as therapeutic for his listeners as well, offering them a space where they feel heard. His latest initiative, "Impact Mentorship," is an extension of his mission to open doors for others, especially those from humble beginnings like his own. He believes in the necessity of mentorship and surrounding oneself with people who push you further, those who love you up, not just agree with you.