While no one else seems to have really noticed it, I think Joey Bada$$ sounds a Hell of a lot like Wu-Tang Clan's long-deceased Mad Hatter of an expert swordsmen, Ol' Dirty Bastard aka Dirt McGirt aka Big Baby Jesus aka Dirt Dog (ODB). Honestly, that's the first thing I thought after I heard Bada$$ enter the stage immediately after Action Bronson at the XXL Freshmen 2013 Tour's Philly stop about 2 weeks ago. The 18-year-old rapper eventually ended by flanked by his Wu-Tang-sized Pro Era posse, which I'm sure includes it's own 90's Hip-Hop-obsessed, new age versions of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Redman, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, and the remaining "Shaolin" by way of Staten Island emcees.

Joey Bada$$ is currently prepping the release of his first widely-publicized mixtape since 1999, Summer Knights EP for a July 1st unveiling; Bada$$ did however release 2 smaller projects since breakthrough 1999 (2012), a collection of left-overs fittingly titled Rejex and a Killabeez-style group album with Pro Era, P.E.E.P: The aPROcalypse between Sept-Dec. 2012. Summer Knights has been preceded by 3 meticulously leaked singles: "Amethyst Rockstar," "95 til Infinity," and "Word Is Bond." Pitchfork reports that Summer Knights EP will feature production work from The Alchemist, Oddisee, Statik Selektah, Kirk Knight, DOOM, Lee Bannon, and Chuck Strangers. Self-directed by Joey Bada$$ himself, who's credited here as oG $wank, "95 til Infinity" essentially showcases a bunch of Pro Era-related hi-jinx, while walking around their collective stomping grounds of Brooklyn and Manhattan.