Joey Bada$$ Blames Columbia for Latest Album Delay and Warns Indie Artists

Joey Bada$$ has confirmed that his upcoming album will not arrive on its originally planned release date, and he’s placing the blame on his label. In a video posted to Instagram, the Brooklyn rapper expressed his frustration, revealing that Columbia Records asked him on August 1—the scheduled release date—to announce that the album would no longer be dropping. “I’m like, are you guys smoking meth?” he said. “This is an example of the label getting in the artist’s way.”

The rapper explained that recent singles have been released independently through YouTube, allowing him to bypass label delays. He described the forthcoming album as “the album before the album,” and warned that if he doesn’t hear back from Columbia by Monday, he plans to move forward with releasing the project on his own. “It’s clear they don’t care about the fans or the artist,” Joey added.

Why Labels Hold Projects

While fans often blame artists for missed drop dates, delays like this are rarely that simple. Labels sometimes push a release to create more anticipation or avoid clashing with a bigger name on the schedule. But a less-discussed factor is budget—labels operate with finite resources, and sometimes they just don’t have the funds ready to market and support every project at once. It’s a balancing act across an entire roster, and not every delay comes with a clear explanation. In Joey’s case, Columbia has reportedly offered little insight into why his release was pulled, leaving both the artist and fans in the dark.