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“Our parents serve as our first mentors in life,” says Joey Bada$$, the 29-year-old Brooklynite who debuted in the rap game 12 years ago and has since extended his brand from hip-hop to Hollywood to now helping others by way of mentorship. The statement comes from an extended conversation we recently had with Joey where he discussed ImpactMENtorship, a program he founded in an effort to provide free mentorship for men of color 18 years and older who live in the United States.
In addition to himself, men in positions of power like NBA champion Jaylen Brown, superproducer 9th Wonder, NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs and many other famous faces we know and love have all taken up his offer to be a mentor.
Source: ImpactMENtorship
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We were able to get a deeper understanding behind the program’s mission statement at their inaugural holiday celebration last week (Dec. 12) to commemorate one full year of ImpactMENtorship while also allowing the 2024 mentees to describe the experience in their own words. Drinks flowed endlessly by way of the event’s sponsor, Tres Generaciones, and the setting overall was even more of a treat for the foodies with hosting duties handled by hotspot eatery Tatiana by Chef Kwame Onwuachi, another mentor as well. Attendees included everyone from fellow emcees Cordae and Joey’s Pro Era contemporary CJ Fly to KidSuper designer Colm Dillane and womenswear expert LaQuan Smith.
Joey gave us his personal definition of what mentorship means, stating, “I think a slept-on quality that comes from mentorship is confidence. A lot of us — we don’t have that reassurance that we can obtain the thing that we’re going after or chasing. With my presence in a lot of these people’s lives, or simply making myself accessible, I think it gives them a newfound confidence of like, ‘Oh! My dreams are actually closer than I thought. Joey is right here; he’s everywhere! If Joey is right here next to me doing it, why can’t I?’”
Ironically enough, actually getting into the program isn’t as easy as it seems. The first year saw only 25 people accepted as mentees out of a whopping 3,800 applications. “You had a better chance at getting into Yale, NYU or any of the Ivy League schools [Laughs],” Joey says, yet making it clear why things run that way by adding, “The high competitiveness is expected though when you have mentors to choose from such as Jaylen Brown, Joey Bada$$, Chef Kwame Onwuachi and [production duo] Coodie & Chike. It’s just this unique opportunity to access wealth of information.”
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Overall though, he credits the exuberant Sophia Chang with being his ultimate muse. Billed as the first Asian woman in hip-hop, Chang gave Joey the inspo by way of her organization, Unlock Her Potential, which provides the same resources as ImpactMENtorship but for women.
“Unlock Her Potential is a program that provides mentorship for women of color,” Chang told us in between sips of Tres Generaciones, going on to add, “Joey has served as a mentor going on four years; he’s been such a stalwart supporter and inspiration to all of us. I think it’s really important to note that our programs are for all people of color — I didn’t create something only for Asian women!” The Baddest Bitch in the Room author also took pride in the program’s openness to diversity, which for her feels like the more mentees, the better. She broke that notion down further to us by explaining, “We’re very proud of the fact that there’s no ceiling to the age requirement because we believe people deserve mentors at all ages and stages of their careers. There’s no geographic barrier either because the program is virtual, and there’s no educational barrier because we believe you don’t have to be educated at any level to deserve a mentor. It’s really important that we recognize all of the different people that need mentorship in order to bring as many with us as we can.”
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At the core of it all, ImpactMENtorship comes at a time when men of color could really use a helping hand, a shoulder to lean on and most importantly someone willing to listen. “I think a lot of us in these communities of color tend to get discouraged when it comes to prestigious programs, but that’s why even outside of the mentorship we’re creating opportunities that are largely accessible to anyone,” Joey told us as one final thought, also stating, “In June, we had our first Impact Summit at the Gordon Institute of Columbia University; that will be annual moving forward and hosted at NYU next September. This whole program is something I hope to continue expanding on. I want to get our mentees from 25 to 50, maybe even 100.”
Take a scroll to see more pics of Joey Bada$$ and the inaugural ImpactMENtorship gala below, and learn more about the organization by clicking here:
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Emerald Knox / Cashmere Agency
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty