Joey Badass has been named the latest artist in residence at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, making him one of the youngest — 29 years old — ever to hold the position. On Tuesday (Sept. 24), the school revealed that the Brooklyn rapper, whose real name is Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, will be leading masterclasses and lectures on everything from creating music and songwriting to film and TV as a part of its current fall semester.
“I’m honored and humbled to be invited to be the artist-in-residence at Clive Davis Institute at NYU. I’m excited to share my experience and knowledge with the students and am certain that I will learn a lot from them as well,” Badass shared, per Variety. “I am committed to building community across sectors, and this is another beautiful step in that journey.”
Chair of the Clive Davis Institute, Nicholas Sansano, added, “We are thrilled to host Joey. In our opinion, the current economic model of the music industry does not fully allow for creatives to do one thing as a sole source of income and sustained relevance.”
He continued, “Joey, the multihyphenate performer, songwriter, actor, and social advocate, can convey this all-too-real message to our students with first-hand credibility. Of equal, or perhaps even greater importance, is his investment in the mentorship and holistic wellness of young developing professionals.”
Music-wise, Badass dropped “TELL ME” with Chlöe Bailey on Sept. 13. It served as the latest in a string of collaborative efforts he’s been a part of throughout the year, including IDK’s “DENiM,” “Vertino” with Conway the Machine, the KayCyy-assisted “Passports & Suitcases,” and Lyrical Lemonade’s posse cut “Fall Out.”
While he hasn’t released an album since 2022’s 2000, Badas$$ has been gracing fans with a few appearances on the small screen. The “DEVASTED” hitmaker played Unique in “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” though his character unfortunately died in season three. He’s also been working on ImpactMENtorship, a program supporting men of color across entertainment.