When Malia Obama posted a picture of herself wearing a Joey Bada$$ shirt last month, the nation exploded with a combination of "Who is Joey Bada$$?," "Wow, Malia actually has good taste" and — somewhere in the Fox News universe — "Is President Obama's daughter supporting Islamic militancy?"
The exposure brought Bada$$ (real name: Jo-Vaughn Scott) a whole new wave of fans, and he used a recent interview with Billboard to explain his backstory.
"I'm an only child," he said. "It's a very big part of why I make music. My mom, being a single mom, she had to work two jobs to support us. So at a very early age I learned how to do a lot of things by myself. Writing is how I used to occupy time. Being alone is a gift. You get to know who you are."
He's a responsible young gentleman, too.
"I make sure the kids are not corrupted by what I'm saying," he said. "I do hold that responsibility over my head. I know there's some kids who look at me and will listen to me before they'll listen to any of their teachers. That's important, and I accept that responsibility. This my mission. I would die for this."
But everything is not perfect in Joey's world after the Malia incident.
According to Bada$$, he believes the federal government is tapping his phone and watching home.
"When you got the leader of the free world's daughter wearing your shirt," he says, "I guess they start to investigate. They got my whole crib surrounded ... I don't sleep. I hear the clicks in my phone."
Fame has a price, people. Check out "Christ Conscious" below:
