Joey Bada$$’s “Lonely At The Top” had a lot of hype going into it.
Fans were excited for his return, especially after his back-and-forth with several West Coast rappers. Many people felt like Joey came out on top in that battle, even though he didn’t have much backup besides a few from Pro Era like CJ Fly. West Coast rappers like Ray Vaughn, Daylyt, and AZ Chike all sent shots at him, but Joey held his own and impressed a lot of listeners.
With all that momentum, most expected his new project to do well. But when the numbers came in, Lonely At The Top didn’t even make the Billboard 200 chart. According to Hip Hop All Day, it sold under 9,000 units, making it the first time in Joey’s career that he didn’t debut on the chart.
That doesn’t mean the album is bad though. It actually got mostly positive feedback on sites like Album of the Year. Some fans really enjoyed the bars and vibe, but others felt it was a bit too safe. Joey even said himself that he made the project in under six months and treated it more like a mixtape. He wanted to keep it simple and feed his core fans.
The album features strong guest appearances from A$AP Ferg, Westside Gunn, Ty Dolla $ign, and CJ Fly. It’s only 11 songs long, which made it an easy listen, but maybe not one that stuck with everyone. In the end, Lonely At The Top had some great moments, but between label issues and a more low-key approach, it just didn’t connect commercially the way many thought it would.
