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On March 7, Joey Bada$$ made a post on his Instagram story that informed his followers of some big news. “2 months, 7 days, no weed smoke” read the first post, followed by a lengthier post shortly after, which described his reasons for doing so in further detail.
Considering how marijuana is so ubiquitous in today’s hip-hop landscape, Joey’s decision undoubtedly came as a shock to many of his fans. In his post, Joey claims to have been smoking every day since the age of 16, and added that he didn’t see himself smoking past the age of 21. At 23 years old, Badmon said he took the new year as an opportunity to put the herb down.
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@joeyBADASS explains to fans why he quit smoking weed. pic.twitter.com/Mzaman4JCX
— Michael $ap (@LordTreeSap) March 9, 2018
The first part of his longer post on Instagram said the following:
“So a few of yous been asking why I don’t smoke anymore and if it’s forever and has it made me better and blah blah blah. Truth is, I never seen myself smoking past 21. I been smoking everyday since 16, I am now 23 so I just took the new year as an opportunity to stop. I feel 1000x better focused and functional. Ain’t no time to chill it’s time to make mills type of time I’m on… I feel like smoking is for older people who have worked a long time and are looking to relax. Not for young people who have a lot more to accomplish and can’t afford anything slowing them down from getting to their destination. I get it though a lot of you think you need it to cope w the stress trust me I been there. BUT, meditation is much better.”
Although his decision to stop smoking weed was sudden, those who’ve kept an eye on the Pro Era leader throughout the years can probably see where he’s coming from with these thoughts. Joey Bada$$ has always expressed his hunger for progress through his music and character. That hunger is even reflected in his crew’s name, “the Progressive Era”.
His decision to turn to meditation for peace could have been expected, too. Bada$$ has often referenced spiritual themes in his music and openly discussed such themes in interviews. He attributes much of his spiritual growth to the knowledge imparted by the late MC Capital Steez, one of Joey’s childhood friends and fellow Pro Era member that committed suicide. In interviews, Bada$$ has talked about his spiritual pursuits and different books he has read on related topics.
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Here’s the rest of Joey’s Instagram post:
“Weed smoke has become like my new incense. I still like when the homies smoke around me but for now I’m good on hitting the blunt/spliff until I’m chilling in that multi million dollar villa that I live at in my dreams. Also the weed we smoking nowadays ain’t the same shit they was smoking in the 70s. It’s all GMO now. Genetically modifying your DNA and whatnot. Why you think it’s becoming legal everywhere? Not just cause it’s lucrative, but it’s now being used as a control tactic. Look it up and ‘STAY WOKE’”
Take what you want from his comments on marijuana legalization, but the end of his post illustrates a positive take on Joey’s indefinite break from smoking. Letting his fans know that he’s okay with his homies smoking around him sets an example for any young ones potentially looking to pass on the rotation.
