Joey Bada$$ has a big year ahead of him in 2017 while he gears up for the release of his sophomore album, AABA. Today, the Brooklyn MC takes a step back from work on his album to release a new track, “Victory,” in collaboration with Mtn Dew and the company’s NBA partnership The Courtside Project, which Billboard premieres below.
Produced by Kirk Knight and Adam Pallin, “Victory” sees the 22-year-old dropping confident lyrical gems over a head-knocking beat with a seemingly-effortless flow. As part of the collaboration with the soda brand, Joey will be down in New Orleans for NBA All-Star Weekend this upcoming weekend (Feb. 18-19) to perform the song for the first time, film a music video that will be released later in the NBA season and launching The Courtside Project, which, according to a press release, aims to showcase the cultural aspects surrounding the game of basketball.
“I’m excited to be a part of The Courtside Project,” Joey said in a statement to Billboard. “It’s the fusion of several different worlds — from basketball to music, style and art — that are not all separate streams anymore, they are interconnected. I always want to encourage the youth to be themselves and pursue their dreams, whether those are hoop dreams, Grammy dreams or PhD dreams.”
The Courtside Project is part of Mtn Dew’s larger initiative at NBA All-Star Weekend, which will also feature a three-on-three exhibition game with Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving serving as honorary general managers. It’s also not the first time Joey has worked with Mtn Dew; in January 2013, he linked with the brand to release the single “Unorthodox” with the legendary DJ Premier for Green Label Sound.
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“Our creative collaboration with Joey now spans several years, and we’re excited to bring him back into the forefront through The Courtside Project,” said Mtn Dew’s NBA lead Richie Cruz in a statement provided to Billboard. “Collaborating with Joey on ‘Victory’ is integral to this season’s celebration of the culture that makes the NBA truly awesome.”
“Victory” follows the release of Joey’s excellent single “Land of the Free,” released last month as a precursor to ABBA, which you can listen to right here. Check out the new song “Victory” above and a trailer for the Courtside Project campaign below.