Joey Bada$$ Slams Columbia Records Hard – His Next Album May Be Self-Released
Originally, Lonely at the Top was scheduled to drop this Friday (August 1), but the label decided to halt the release.
Joey Bada$$, the acclaimed Brooklyn rapper and actor, is in an escalating conflict with Columbia Records over the delayed release of his forthcoming album Lonely at the Top.
According to a recent Instagram post, the label has created bureaucratic hurdles that are holding up the release. “My sht got pushed back because the label pushed my sht back,” he said, emphasizing that there were no external issues—such as sample clearances or feature conflicts—causing the delay.
Joey’s relationship with Columbia Records has reportedly been strained for some time, and his latest statements highlight growing frustration with how the label operates.
“I’m signed to Columbia Records, but for the longest time, I just ain’t been f.cking with them,” he stated, suggesting that his creative autonomy has been compromised by the label’s inefficiencies.
On Tuesday, Joey issued an ultimatum: if the situation isn’t resolved by the following Monday, he’ll release the album independently on YouTube. Columbia Records has yet to respond to the rapper’s accusations.
Joey has been consistent with releasing new music, often without building much anticipation beforehand. Instead, he’s relied on the strength of the production itself to drive promotion.
This was no different with his latest single ABK released a little over 2 weeks ago.