Joey Bada$$ reflects on the inaugural year of his Impact MENtorship program for men of color, inviting its participants to New York City to celebrate the accomplishment.
With mentors, mentees, and loved ones in tow, the Brooklyn, New York, native toasted to a successful first year of his program. The celebratory dinner took place at Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s exclusive restaurant, Tatiana, in partnership with Tres Generaciones Tequila. In September, the iconic tequila brand also granted Joey an Impact Award At Billboard’s 2024 R&B / Hip-Hop Power Player Event.
Launched in October 2023, Impact MENtorship connects men of color to established professionals in their respective fields to obtain guidance and knowledge for future success. The rapper spearheaded the initiative after taking inspiration from Unlock Her Potential’s mentorship program for women. Now, Joey hopes to further the program’s reach among young men while exhibiting the power of mentorship.
Ahead of the festivities, Bada$$ spoke to BLACK ENTERPRISE about this remarkable year and what lies ahead for the trailblazing artist.
“It’s been an incredible inaugural year, to say the least,” shared Joey. “I mean, literally, like all of the right things have happened. Starting this program has opened up so many doors and even just pathways in my brain, you know what I mean? Like, I didn’t think I’d be doing this at 29 going into my 30s.”
Joey enlisted his expansive network of artists and respected professionals, from fellow rapper Cordae to NFL star Stefon Diggs, to join in on his mission. Of the collaboration, Joey expressed his gratitude to the game-changers in his life.
He added, “You know, starting this program, it was like, kind of the first time that I’ve ever reached out to my network of people who I’ve known over the years, people who I’ve built relationships with. And I think it was a very re
assuring thing to see how much trust my community and my network has in me… It’s been dope, to say the least, but for me, the best thing that we’re doing is the impact we’re making on the lives of various men of color.”According to Joey, the key to being a great mentor is being present and learning from another person’s experience. His mentee, an aspiring artist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was able to use Joey’s guidance and wisdom as he began his own career.
“I think just being present, you know. Just dedicating that time and energy to someone else and their journey of what they got going on,” expressed the rapper. “And I think the most rewarding part of the process is like, we’re planting the seeds for tomorrow. But I think every time I hop off one of these sessions, I feel equally as charged and excited as my mentee does. You know, I’m saying I think it fulfills me as much as it fulfills him.”
While elevating others, Joey continues to foster his legacy. The artist was recently announced as the newest Artist Scholar in Residence at Gordon Institute at Teachers College Columbia University. With new music on the way, Joey hopes his vision of building a network to uplift men of color expands to future generations.
”My vision is that in 2030, years from now, we can look back and see the future, some of the future leaders of tomorrow that have been directly impacted by this program, or to have directly came from this program, and to know that we bridged connections for these people,” shared Joey, who also completed an Artist in Residency at the Clive Davis Institute at Tisch NYU. I’m saying, like, we’ve helped the next generation level up in their lives, if not faster, more wiser, and more efficiently. So that’s really the goal, is to keep building and opening up pathways to create more space for people like us.”
At the dinner, BE caught up again with Joey Bada$$. The multifaceted artist shared his thoughts on advancing in the future of finance, specifically in cryptocurrency.
Participants also shared their stories as the specialty cocktails by Tres Generaciones flowed, praising one another for instilling wisdom and fellowship in each pairing. One mentee, Will, called it an opportunity like no other, where one can jumpstart their career through this unequivocal support.
He shared, “It’s where chances make champions.”
Impact MENtorship will continue next year, with its 2025 cohort underway.
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