Joey Bada$$ Shares Why He Canceled His Tour With Ab Soul and Rapsody, and It’s Deeper Than Sales

When Joey Bada$$ joined Rashad Bilal and Ian Dunlap on Blackout, the Brooklyn rapper brought his usual poise and introspection to the conversation. The appearance turned into a deep dive on growth, relationships, and shadow work before he broke down why his anticipated tour with Ab Soul and Rapsody was canceled. Throughout the conversation, Joey was steady and reflective, offering a glimpse into his mindset as both an artist and a man evolving past his twenties.

The Blackout hosts praised Joey for how he carries himself publicly, noting his example of balance and maturity in a culture that often celebrates chaos. “I’m all for the collective and I think that one of the main things that we need to be doing as a people is getting right with each other,” Joey said. “There’s a lot of healing that got to be done in that.” From there, the conversation moved naturally into family, legacy, and the discipline it takes to keep both intact.

Family, Intentional Love, and Leadership

Now 30, Joey spoke about his new chapter as a father and fiancé, reflecting on how family shaped him. “I think I’ve always been family oriented,” he said. “I was grateful enough to be born into a big family… people looking out for each other.” Still, he admitted that he didn’t grow up seeing many examples of affection or long lasting love. “I didn’t see relationships being developed and cultivated like that,” he said. “So that’s something I tried to create for myself and for the generation coming after me.”

That intention shows in how he and his fiancée approach their partnership. Joey shared that the two hold regular “meetings” with each other to discuss goals, a practice that keeps their relationship rooted in purpose. “We almost acknowledge the fact that part of being in this relationship… is you kind of got to approach it from a business minded standpoint,” he said. “We put the goals on the board and plan it out. What’s the long term? What’s the short term?”

Joey emphasized the importance of alignment and transparency in love. “Communication is key,” he said. “You got to speak up for yourself. You got to draw the line and be with a candidate that you feel like you going to do good business with.” His thoughtful tone showed he wasn’t speaking from idealism but from lived growth. “We could fall in love,” he said, “but at some point we going to have to ask each other real questions like, ‘What’s your money spending look like?’”

Shadow Work and the Process of Healing

The conversation took a more vulnerable turn when Joey discussed self work and emotional healing. When asked about learning affection after growing up without seeing it, he didn’t hesitate to go deep. “Now you going into the deep shadow work,” he said. “It’s the deepest, darkest things about yourself that you have to face.”

Joey described shadow work as the process of acknowledging the hidden parts of oneself. “It’s the things that you don’t want to hear, the things that you don’t want to see, the things that you don’t want to acknowledge,” he said. “And you coming face to face with it and being like, I see you. I hear you. And I’m willing to correct. I’m willing to heal.” His openness reflected an artist who has moved beyond the performance of toughness toward a real pursuit of peace.

As the group discussed healing and mental health, the hosts brought up Gucci Mane’s recent interviews where he opened up about living with schizophrenia and taking medication to manage it. Rashad pointed out how powerful Gucci’s transparency was, especially when the rapper admitted that his untreated mental illness had contributed to his repeated arrests. “That was a deep statement,” Rashad said, adding that most people sitting in prison are dealing with some form of mental illness. Joey agreed that the willingness to face those realities publicly was rare and necessary.

“We’ve all encountered trauma through our life,” he said. “Especially the community that we a part of. It’s almost a given. So that shadow work is important, especially when you ready to really level up.”

The Canceled Tour and What’s Next

Midway through the interview, Joey addressed one of the biggest headlines surrounding him: the sudden cancellation of his upcoming tour with Ab Soul and Rapsody. The announcement surprised fans who were expecting a lineup that celebrated lyricism and depth across hip hop’s conscious spectrum. On Blackout, Joey decided to speak directly about his reasons for pulling back from the road, framing it as a personal and spiritual decision.

“My honest truth of why I canceled the tour is that my mental health was just not aligned with it,” he said. “I did not feel mentally fit enough to embark on this journey. I got my five month old son. We trying to figure out vaccinations and all this stuff. It’s just such a critical time. My energy level was at an all time low.” The rapper said he knew fans were disappointed but needed to prioritize his well being. “I had to choose me,” he said. “I’m really sincerely sorry about all of my fans that I disappointed and let down who was excited to see me. I just did not have the bandwidth myself. My mental health is important to me.”

Joey explained that even with financial opportunities on the table, he knew it was the right call. “It’s not like there wasn’t money on the table that I was walking away from, but I had to choose me,” he said. “That’s the honest truth.” He also talked about the toll that touring can take, especially after more than a decade in the industry. “It’s mentally draining. It’s physically draining. It’s emotionally draining,” he said. “I value my mental health, my physical health, my emotional health, and well being way too high at this point in my life.”

Throughout the discussion, Joey remained grounded in gratitude for his supporters and collaborators. He clarified that the tour’s cancellation had nothing to do with Ab Soul or Rapsody and that the respect among them remains solid. “It wasn’t anything negative,” he explained. “We just couldn’t get everything right in time, and I wasn’t going to go out there and give a halfway experience to the people.” His honesty matched the tone of the rest of the conversation, showing a man unwilling to compromise his standards even for a major opportunity.

By the end of the Blackout segment, Joey had offered fans something more valuable than a performance, perspective. His calm confidence reflected an artist focused on sustainability, not spectacle. With his reflections on family, healing, and integrity, Joey Bada$$ left the impression of a man still hungry, still learning, and still intentional about the path ahead.