It is tough for any artist to compare to Kendrick Lamar’s hype right now, but just before “good kid, m.A.A.d city” dropped, Brooklyn rapper, Joey Bada$$ was the one catching most of the attention in the hip-hop world.

Joey Bada$$ is a 17-year-old emcee who has wowed hip-hop fans with his first mixtape, “1999.”

Joey has counteracted the reemergence of the West Coast by paying a tribute to what he believes to be the roots of hip-hop. Even though he is young, Joey’s beat selection for his “1999” mixtape consisted of some of the best ’90s producers known to man like MF Doom, Lord Finesse, J. Dilla and Lewis Parker.

Mac Miller ran into some trouble when he used one of Lord Finesse’s beats for “Kool Aid and Frozen Pizza,” and it came with $10 million lawsuit from Lord Finesse after Finesse believed that Miller received money from the song.

Showbiz, Lord Finesse’s Diggin’ In The Crates (D.I.T.C.) crewmember, told HipHopDX that Joey Bada$$ can use any D.I.T.C. beats he wants because of what he is doing for the game.

That was just another example of the belief a lot of veteran artists have in Bada$$.

After the positive feedback Joey got from “1999,” he decided to satisfy the fans who were begging for more with the release of “Rejex.” The “Rejex” cover is a crumpled up picture of the “1999” cover, and the music consists of throwaway songs from his debut mixtape.

Fans awaiting Joey’s next project will be pleased to hear that the Pro Era, his crew, plans to drop their first mixtape on Dec. 21.

Pro Era’s members are a lot like Joey and just as talented. Capital Steez is my personal favorite aside from Joey in the Pro Era. Steez spits with a cause and an attitude that will help him emerge as one of the better emcees coming up.

Chuck Strangers is one of the Pro Era members who produces and raps. Chuck and CJ Fly gained the most popularity from the songs, “FromdaTomb$” and “Hardknock.”

The “Hardknock” music video is what really brought attention to Joey and the Pro Era.

Go download “1999” and let it serve as an introduction to what Joey and the rest of the Pro Era have in store for hip-hop fans who may still be stuck in the ’90s. These guys are young, hungry and have something to say.