Joey Bada$ pushes Lonely At The Top release and Dark Aura Tour

Joey Bada$ is pressing ahead with a busy fall schedule anchored by a major-label release and a high-profile tour, even as he continues to push back against what he calls interference from his record company. The Brooklyn rapper’s forthcoming fourth studio album, Lonely At The Top, now set to arrive on August 29, will be supported by the Dark Aura Tour, a North American trek launching October 16 in Boston with Ab-Soul and Rapsody as special guests. The year’s rollout follows an extended delay to the album and a new single that highlights the artist’s defiant stance.

Lonely At The Top was originally slated for release on August 1 before Columbia Records pushed the date back. The public exchange around the delay underscored a lasting tension between the artist and his label. He stated clearly that the hold-up wasn’t about sample clearances or collaborations, but rather a broader experience of what he described as the label getting in the artist’s way. “My album is signed, sealed, and delivered over a month ago. This ain't cause of no sample clearances, this ain't cause of no features, this ain't cause of no clashing with another artist on the date,” he said, adding that the...