Joey Bada$$ has stopped by Australian radio station triple j to cover Mos Def‘s 1999 ‘Black On Both Sides’ cut ‘UMI Says’.
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The rapper, who has been touring the country, delivered a smooth, extended version of the Yasiin Bey single, taking the song out to almost eight minutes.
Joey’s rendition stays true to the original, with the rapper swapping out his usual fiery bars for sultry vocals, backed by licks of bass, soft drums and shimmering bar chimes. He was also joined by Zimbabwean-born, Melbourne-based R&B singer KYE for the performance. Check it out below:
“It’s one of my favourite songs of all time,” Joey said of the track in a post-performance interview. “As an artist, I can tell this is a song that wasn’t written – this is a song that was truly just felt… and I think that’s probably what I admire about it the most.”
In addition to the cover, Joey Bada$$ also performed his own original song ‘Show Me’, lifted from his latest album ‘2000’. Watch that below too:
Joey Bada$$’ third studio album ‘2000’ was originally due for release in June 2022, however, it was delayed due to “sample clearance issues”. It was eventually released the following month, previewed by singles ‘Where I Belong’, ‘Survivor’s Guilt’ and ‘THE REV3NGE’.
The rapper has just wrapped up his Australian tour, after playing shows in Fremantle, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. He brought special guest and good friend Denzel Curry onstage for his Brisbane appearance, where the two performed Curry’s 2015 single ‘Ultimate’.