Joey Bada$$ labels himself #1 Independent Hip Hop Artist

Pro Era front man Joey Bada$$ took to twitter the other day to stress that he was the #1 independent hip hop artist in the world. This is a major statement for him to make and has stirred some feathers. Pro Era is an independent collective of artists that was formed in Brooklyn, New York. Due to their independent status they are able to retain a majority of the profits from album sales.

Joey posted a couple tweets regarding the issue. He began by stating “Reminder: Joey Bada$$ sold 57,000 + albums in his first week, INDEPENDENTLY…At 20 years old…$10/album…*5% of shares, do the math…”

He concluded with this tweet”That makes me the #1 independent Hip Hop artist/brand in the world….”

Joey’s album was released on the same day as stars Lupe Fiasco and Lil Wayne. Another up and coming independent artist Troy Ave claimed he had the rap album of the year and called Joey’s independent label fake. Troy’s album however only sold 7,708 copies in its first two weeks. The numbers speak for themselves.