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In our current era of internet culture, it’s rare to find a public figure who’s able to maintain a level of mystique and charm quite like Joey Bada$$. The 28-year-old MC has spent the last decade keeping our ears attuned to his rhythmic flow, all while keeping most of his love life close to his chest. But with his new single “Show Me" being his most transparent composition yet, the Brooklyn rapper is pulling back the layers and giving us a peak into his mind on all things love, communication, and relationships.
During an intimate IG Live conversation for xoMan, Joey opens up about how his song, “Show Me,” was inspired by the lessons from a past relationship and was an intentional depiction of the importance of cultivating a safe space within his relationships. “I kinda put myself in that person’s shoes. I considered the circumstances, and I considered what I would do in that person’s position,” he tells xoNecole. “Once all things were considered, I felt like I was able to find a way to communicate that security and that safeness. I even had to overcommunicate myself. I had to be a little bit more transparent to show this person that it’s okay.”
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While he finds that vulnerability comes easily to him and that he’s naturally an open book, “especially with people who I share intimate spaces with,” Joey does share that in order for him to feel safe in a relationship, he has to feel seen and validated. “If I do decide to open up to somebody, what makes me feel safe is them acknowledging how I feel,” he says. “Because there are many ways that you can make somebody feel invalidated. By either not acknowledging or not taking accountability or just not being able to put yourself in someone else's shoes.”
“It’s really about communication. It’s about patience, giving me the time to communicate, and listening,” he continues. “The art of listening is something that people need to go back to school for. Because a lot of people engage in conversation, and they’re just waiting for their turn to speak.”
"It's about patience, giving me the time to communicate, and listening. The art of listening is something that people need to go back to school for. Because a lot of people engage in conversation, and they’re just waiting for their turn to speak.”
Courtesy of Joey Bada$$
For the Power Book III: Raising Kanan star, there’s an art to communication that involves a balance between active listening and emotional intelligence. “Truth is, a lot of us have an emotional immaturity because emotional intelligence was never anything that was prioritized when we were being raised,” he says. “I feel like for men, especially, it’s very easy for us to feel unheard or unseen.”
With his song “Show Me” being an honest display of his mindset around open communication, Joey reflects on his core values in any relationship he pursues. “Transparency has always been something that’s important to me, it’s something that I value,” he shares. “I value people who can tell the truth, no matter how much it may hurt.”
“Because ideally what that does is, you’re giving me an opportunity to allow me to trust you,” he continues. “And you’re communicating to me that I can trust you. I can trust you to tell me the truth, regardless of my feelings.”
As someone who’s experienced manipulation in his past dynamics, Joey is upfront about his ability to spot someone with the wrong intentions and honors those who walk in truth. “There’s a thin line between the truth-tellers and manipulators,” he says. “The people who lie are lying to preserve a reality for themselves. When I do spot out the people who are transparent, who are honest enough to tell the truth, I value that.”
"There’s a thin line between the truth-tellers and manipulators... When I do spot out the people who are transparent, who are honest enough to tell the truth, I value that.”
Courtesy of Joey Bada$$
Credit: Ellington
While the rapper-turned-actor confirms that he is in fact single, Joey is clear on what he’s looking for in his future lady and trusts that the universe will bring him to her in due time. “I’m staying ready so I ain't gotta get ready,” he says. “I don’t want to say it’s anything I’m looking for; I understand how the law of attraction works.”
But if you happen to cross paths with this 90s-fine heartthrob, make sure that you’re energy, and aura are beaming at their highest vibration. “The first thing I notice about a woman is her energy. I’m in a space where beautiful women are such a common thing to me' it’s not anything that’s rare.”
“Energy speaks the loudest for me because I am a sensitive person; I feel energy a lot. I can tell a lot just off of the air that comes with a person, so if that’s a gentle air and it’s feeling breezy and cool, I’m like, oh, what’s that over there?”
For more of Joey, follow him on Instagram @joeybadass. Watch our xoMan Live exclusive featuring Joey in full below.
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Featured image courtesy of Joey Bada$$
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