Los Angeles, CA – Night 4. As the line between hip-hip and pop music continues to cross with the coming of each generation, Joey Bada$$ breathes life into the purists with a loyalty to the underground rap scene. A talented, recent high-school grad from Flatbush, Brooklyn with a mature ear and sensible style for sparking a conscious movement with his impressive wordplay, Joey has managed to curate a following reminiscent to early days of boom-bap hip-hop. Following the release of his debut recording B4.Da.$$ (Before Da Money) at the top of the year, the Pro Era MC has toured from coast to coast, headlined festival stops, and collaborated with everyone from Glass Animals and Freddie Gibbs to K-pop singer Tablo.

Bringing Brooklyn to LA as part of Red Bull Sound Select’s 30 Days in LA concert series, Joey Bada$$ performed at the Belasco Theater in downtown LA for a sold-out headlining show. As the crowd chanted “Joey, Joey, Joey,” he opened his set with a thank you and an encouraging rage for the crowd to scream “LOUDER,” before breaking into his fan-favorite track “Big Dusty.” Accompanied on stage by his solid team, DJ Statik Selektah, CJ Fly and the rest of the Pro Era collective, he brought it down with numbers from his earlier mixtapes including “World Domination,” “Hardknock,” “Alowha,” a mash-up to Tupac’s “I Get Around” and his latest collaboration “Lose Control” with Glass Animals. Feeding off the audience’s energy and conducting mosh-pits from left-to-right, Joey surprised fans with a cameo from Freddie Gibbs to perform their Statik Selektah produced single “Carry On.”

Shifting the vibe to speak on behalf of all the lost ones, Joey and the Pro Era crew commemorated Capital Steez and A$AP Yams with a moment of silence and dedicating “Curry Chicken” to his mother and support system. Thanking the audience for believing in his journey and standing-up for everyone who has followed their dreams, he shouted, “Los Angeles fucks with Joey,” before capping off the night with an encore performance and honorary crowd-surf lap around his fans.

It was an underground feel, with a major backing vision. “Pro Era Era, Pro Era Era.”