Joey Bada$$ - Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London 24/11/14

27 November 2014, 14:15 | Written by Amelia Maher

(Live)

(Joey Bada$$)

It feels as though something is about to erupt at Shepherd's Bush Empire. The venue is completely packed out and a genuine feeling of excitement lingers in the air, strengthened by the DJ who plays every hip-hop classic you can think of that whips the crowd into a frenzy again and again. When Joey Bada$$ finally takes to the stage - clad in an incredible red leopard print puffa jacket and looking every bit the rapper sensation - the mood is positively explosive. There's an almighty surge towards the stage and every person up on the balcony is on their feet in a scurry of excitement to try and get a proper glimpse of the young rapper. Phones are raised, pictures are snapped at all angles, and Joey seems to be absolutely loving every minute of it.

Joey Bada$$ may only be 19 years old, but he has already built himself an impressively large fan base that's stretches far from his Brooklyn home. After the success of his 1999 mixtape back in 2012, Bada$$ has gone from strength to strength, and is now looking towards releasing his debut album, B4dA$$ on his 20th birthday in January 2015. The fact that he hasn't even had an album out yet, but has embarked on a world, tour stands as a testament to his talent. Fortunately, it's one of those rare occasions where the hype is founded upon a genuinely exciting proposition.

Tonight's performance is a demonstration of his might and maturity as a performer as when he cracks into tracks from his back catalogue, “World Domination” from his 1999 mixtape, or even his latest single “Christ Conscious”, every word is belted back at him in powerful succession. His self-belief and confidence in his words take on a new power in the live environment and even Bada$$ is aware of the energy present.

Stage presence is a term that gets tossed around a lot, but Bada$$ has it in abundance – there’s no taking your eyes off of him. He has a boundless amount of energy that’s exhausting to watch. He strides across the stage, freestyles and frequently runs straight into the crowd to reach out to their desperate hands. After “Funky Ho”, he takes a moment to acknowledge the hectic scenes he has induced in the crowd and simply states that “the whole of America has been nothing up to this UK tour. This has been off the scale!”.

The mood is only brought to a pause when Joey has the lights on stage brought down completely and encourages everyone to get their lighters out or raise their phones in a moment of respect of Michael Brown and for the people of Ferguson. There was always going to be a point in which the Brown case was going to raised, after Joey had posted a number of tweets highlighting his views the previous night, but he carries the moment off with such an insightful and touching respect that brings the whole crowd together.

One of the many highlights of the evening comes when Maverick Sabre is brought onto the stage for “My Yout’” and the place is once again brought to a staggering high of energy. Joey Bada$$ is a performer with a tremendous amount of potential to evolve even more. He seems to know there are bigger things to come and that this will be one of the last times you will see him in a venue of this size, and he laps up the intimate experience in any way he can. His pre-album tour was meant to be a gift to the fans who have stuck with him since his early mixtapes, as he seems aware that it’s because of them he’s been given a platform – one he could well use to evolve into one of the most enigmatic rappers to emerge in recent years.