Joey Bada$$ is back with a vengeance on his new single “The Ruler’s Back,” throwing competitive jabs at West Coast Hip Hop after it reclaimed the crown in 2024.
Over smooth yet grimy production from Conductor Williams and Mario Luciano, the Brooklyn rapper takes issue with fans and the media fawning over his rap peers from the Left Coast, bringing some of the combative energy from last year into 2025.
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“Too much West Coast dick lickin’ / I’m hearing n-ggas throwin’ rocks, really ain’t shit stickin’ / ‘Cause if we’re talking bar for bar, really it’s slim pickings / I rap like I draw pentagrams and kill chickens, n-gga / Fuck around with your soul like Ether, quick for a feature / This that black Air Force energy comin’ out your speaker,” he spits.
As for his own city, Joey boldly lays claim to King of New York crown which has previously belonged to greats like JAY-Z, Nas and The Notorious B.I.G.
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“I’m back by popular demand and world domination / I’m finna bomb on n-ggas’ plans, fresh off my vacation / I was sitting back, watching from an eagle eye / Trying not to react, just give me one reason, I swear I’m on full attack / East Coast n-gga ’til I die it’s / Clear who the heir apparent King of NY is, n-gga,” he raps.
“The Ruler’s Back” — the title of which, of course, nods to fellow New Yorkers JAY-Z and Slick Rick — has yet to be released on streaming services but its music video can be viewed below.
The track has already caused quite a stir on social media, with some interpreting Joey Bada$$’s bars as being aimed at West Coast kingpin Kendrick Lamar, who he is no stranger to taking shots at on wax.
However, other fans have argued that “The Ruler’s Back” is nothing more than good old fashioned Hip Hop competitiveness.
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“I’m kinda surprised ppl are looking at this Joey Badass and Conductor track as a Kendrick diss, the whole title is a homage to Jay-Z and Slick Rick, it just seems like he’s telling NY hip hop to step up,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another weighed in: “Joey Badass’ verse is something Kendrick Lamar would appreciate. Rather than going on an interview, GO TO THE BOOTH!! Hip-Hop is a Sport!”
The Pro Era star has been relatively quiet over the last 12 months, dropping just two singles in the form of “Tell Me” featuring Chloe Bailey and the KayCyy-assisted “Passports & Suitcases.”
He also made a number of guest appearances on songs from the likes of Cordae, Conway The Machine, IDK, Erick the Architect and Powers Pleasant.
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Joey’s last album, 2000, arrived in 2022 and he revealed last year that he was already “knee-deep” into a follow-up project.
The 29-year-old previously likened his next LP to Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak, saying: “I definitely can see myself visiting the [All-AmeriKKKan Bada$$] more conceptual and socially aware but a part of me wants to touch on love and my experience with romantic relationships a bit more.
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“Something like a boom BAP and heartbreak album. I know my fans will probably hate that but that’s a direction I’ve been wanting to take for a while now whether you motherfuckers like it or not.”
