Joey Brick$ is Working Harder Than You

Ego and boldness are only mere shock-value if they cannot be backed up, and such a jarring byline can only be fulfilled by an everyman artist such as Joey Brick$. This article’s purpose is to validate such a brazen statement when there are endless amounts of contemporary rappers putting time, blood, sweat, tears and thousands of dollars into their work. Joey Brick$ — as a holistic artist, rapper and entrepreneur working towards his dreams — is the zeitgeist of hard work in the current Baltimore/DMV music scene.

Others’ trajectories and speed levels of growth are not completely accurate measurements of yours, and your growth should more so be measured by the past paradigm of yourself that you are trying to surpass daily in about every category possible. While humility and ego can cloud one’s measure of their own growth, honesty of one’s every strength and faults can make them more powerful than anyone around them. It is for these prime reasons coupled with his entire arsenal that Joey Brick$ however, relative to himself as others are to their individual selves, may indeed be working harder than you.

It costs to live your dreams. It costs to be a rapper. It costs even more to be a successful DIY (do-it-yourself) rapper even with the technological advantages as compared to what our Hip Hop forefathers possessed in their prime. The costs are more than financial, including physical, mental, spiritual and other charges to the game that only those who have lived it can accurately comment on. Navigating through Baltimore-DMV politics and the taxing parts of being a rapper, Joey Brick$ pushes himself in every avenue to be better. Being knowledgeable about the current scene, it’s hard to ignore his aura and presence both on and off line. I remember being in China for months and still hearing about this man performing every week somewhere. When I returned to the States in 2019, the momentum was not simply a seasonal thing. Brick$ would collaborate with all he could reach in public or online, write until he couldn’t write any longer, and put out multiple projects a year with an onstage presence that rivaled his contemporaries. “How hard is he working?” I asked myself after touring the scene, seeing the newest Kings and Queens and tracking the statistics for the past few years. “What does Brick$ represent in the new Renaissance?”

Joey Brick$, born Alpha “Joseph” Johnson, sat down to tell me his story, breaking down the alchemy of his success. He started by talking about critically acclaimed Baltimore-native producer Android №23, who is to Brick$ what 40 is to Drake. In the process of talking about singles, upcoming EPs, and the fans that have been so patient, Brick$ made it sound like legacy and smell like a vacation. “Oh shit, people are calling me Joseph,” he would say to himself in 2017, originally going by the name Alpha Real Name Alpha while in a collective called Peer Group. A lot of inspiration came from the energy of Waka Flocka in his musical/performing prime. If anyone listened to “O Lets Do It”, “Grove St. Party”, Round of Applause, any Brick Squad affiliated project/act, or attended a Waka Flocka show, then they can understand Joey Brick$ fixation with that encapsulating aura. However, with his own DMV spice in terms of lyricism and boundless energy, Joey Brick$ set out to be a standout act of his own.

I asked for a timeline of when things really began to get popping off, and like the greatest manga never written before, here incomes the great Qué (formerly known as Station North Sadboi), like the wise training sage and community man he is. Anybody who is anybody in the current Baltimore music scene — aka the Baltimore Renaissance — knows the power, curation and foresight of Qué in addition to his work with 808 and Sadbois showcases for the city’s finest up and coming talent.

The time is March 2019. Brick$ talked to me about a show beforehand that was lackluster and did not showcase his true talent, nor garner him the respect he feel he deserved. (We’ve all been there King.) There was a hunger in Brick$: the inner ego desiring what he knew he deserved. Qué would put Brick$ on a ticket for an 808 and Sadbois show.

“I feel like I had a vengeance from last show.”

According to the DMV Emcee, everybody came to this particular show and Joey Brick$, like every time he’s given a mic, performed like it was his last show ever. Like Naruto being re-welcomed as a hero in the Leaf Village after defeating Pein, so was the aura of the atmosphere at The Crown after Brick$ finished performing.

Android and others that night would message Brick$ after to give high praise. Another quintessential character in the Baltimore scene, Miss Kam, would give her genuine appraisals in the moment after his performance. She would yell at Brick$ to get his attention and tell him how much he ripped that shit, in Brick$ elated retelling. Chris Cassius, another rising powerful figure in the city, would too give his praise. “Keep those people close,” Qué prophetically would say in that moment to Brick$. From there, like a turning point from the years of hustle and grind, Joey Brick$’ axel of dominance in every stage he touched would never stop spinning. People from this area know the stark difference between the DMV and Baltimore, but Brick$ position became that of a non-biased bridge of the shallow politics here. Heeding the advice of Que and his own pure spirit, the genuine relationships Brick$ formed would be instrumental towards his ascent in prestige within Baltimore and beyond. His project later in that year Balpha Wuz Here would be released with impressive features garnered from Brick$’ exemplary networking skills, including Chris Cassius himself, who murked BOTH of his features on that project.

Brick$ would continue the momentum with Brick$fest in July of 2019. Sagaciously advised by Qué as to not compete with Pride Week’s events — as other show curators has made in the past did to their own detriment — Joey Brick$ spearheaded his own Brick$fest event, sold out to the point where people were not allowed in but Brick$ himself paid $100 for at least 20–30 additional people to get in. The event further helped cement Brick$ as one of the hardest working single entities in the city.

The crazy thing about mental health is that it acts contrary to the truth of who you are, even when you should feel on top of the world. Vulnerable at this point in our interview, Brick$ revealed to me that during this time it was: “One of the hardest times of my life…I felt like Superman stripped of his powers.” He was undergoing suicidal depression at time due to a multitude of issues that can make you feel like nothing even after high points. The roughest conditions make diamonds, with this trial for Brick$ molding into Here Goes Nothing, exemplifying the artistic beauty in triumphing over trauma, turning those traumas into nirvanas. The project included some of Brick$ favorites around the area for a spectacular performance once again, becoming my personal favorite project from him so far.

It was insane to see from the outside looking in and even from the inside (asking people who knew him) when seeing Brick$’ ludicrous momentum even after the drop of both projects. He would tweet in real time about how he would hit up Android and proposition yet ANOTHER project before the end of the year while at the same time being on a ticket for at least 2–3 shows for the weekend, modeling for a runway show and more.

All within the same gotdamn week.

The vitality was astounding. Even with the tumultuous turn of events this 2020 year, Brick$ has found other ways to put himself forward continuously in a way that indirectly embarasses others’ work ethic. One day this year, a friend named Yala Zaji called Joey “Mr.Brick$”, granting him inspiration for his next project. It was in March 2020 that he started the recording sessions for his Mr.Brick$ project, with a Dreamville Sessions vibe that Brick$ curated by buying food and drinks, having people work while they were there, and more of an ambience created uniquely by an artist of his caliber. “Mr.Brick$ is a man of the people,” he would say to me. The project was nothing short of some of Brick$ finest work to date, in terms of songwriting and being barred up.

“Greatness is not an action, it’s a lifestyle.”

The timeline of success for Brick$ for the last year was my main inquiry, now I needed to know the formula which made it possible. I asked him the 5 essential parts of himself he has chiseled away at like an Italian Renaissance painting to become who he is today.

The Physical Work:

“I just love high energy man!”

Again, seeing a Joey Brick$ show live is incredible, and I had to question the physical work that goes into his routine. Brick$ has always loved sports coming up, and works out from time to time, but credits a lot of the physical motivation from his father. According to Brick$, his dad doesn’t look his age and is truly the personification of “Black doesn’t crack.” Practicing and rehearsing in his room also helps Brick$ a lot.

The Mental Work:

In his projects, Brick$ extensively talks about his mental health and mental health issues in general. “We need to make it less taboo to talk about mental health.” Brick$ also talked about Black women and the need to prioritize their mental health as well due how much they contribute to society; an underrated truth.

The Financial Work:

I remember interviewing another nationally acclaimed artist, ASH., who stated, just like Brick$, that having a 9–5 while supporting your dreams isn’t bad at all. Because of his budgeting a chunk of those finances, Brick$ is able to pay for venues, vendors studio time and was even able to compensate Brick$fest artists.

The Spiritual Work:

Joey Brick$ spirituality is a big part of his success. We conversed about auras, and Brick$ revealed his Muslim background and how his participation in Ramadan empowered him. He then went on to wholesomely praise how his mother, father and Baltimore consistently feed the levels of spirit he needs throughout the year to conquer, like the spirit bomb concept. With them all behind his back, whenever he gets on stage, Brick$ says “We’re ALL performing right now.”

The Egoistical Work:

The Egotistical work is one hell of a battle as we discussed. Killing the arrogant ego is necessary for true mastery of self, but Brick$ brought about the point of how there’s a battle between knowing one’s full capabilities and being confident in that vs downplaying and undervaluing one’s brilliant shine. The work is never done with that. “I know my worth now…You a smart man if you put Brick$ on your show.”

You can stream Joey Brick$ on major streaming platforms as Joey Bricks , follow him on his social media accounts (joeybricks_ on IG and Twitter), and stream his most recent project here.

— M.Valentino