Joey Bada$$ Opens Up About Departure from Power Spinoff, Power Book III: Raising Kanan

Joey Bada$$ recently shared insights into his departure from the hit show Power Book III: Raising Kanan, where he portrayed the character Unique. Despite enjoying strong support from fans for his role, the rapper-turned-actor revealed that the decision to leave was influenced by the challenges of balancing his dual careers.

TMZ caught up with Joey and his girlfriend Serayah in New York City, questioning him about his reaction upon learning about his character’s exit from the popular Power spinoff. Expressing initial frustration, the Pro Era MC explained, “I was very mad. I was upset. Unfortunately, I do have two careers that I’m balancing. So I had to go on tour, and we just kinda couldn’t make it work. So they had to take out Unique. Who knows, though. Maybe we can start a petition or somethin and tell 50 Cent to bring me back.”

While not delving into specifics about the tour, Joey did provide an update on his music career, stating, “New music is coming, definitely soon. This month, actually. This is my birthday month, so I’m definitely gon’ put something out in a couple of weeks,” as he approaches his 29th birthday on January 20.

Fans might have already caught a glimpse of his upcoming single, as Joey Bada$$ shared a video last month performing a song, seemingly dedicated to his girlfriend, in a desert setting. The lyrics hinted at a strong bond and dispelled recent rumors of a breakup.

Responding to a fan’s inquiry about the teased snippet, Joey confirmed on X (formerly Twitter), “If you talking bout the one in the sand I got you!!”

On December 31, Joey bid farewell to his role as Kadeem “Unique” Mathis with a video montage spanning the first three seasons of Raising Kanan. In an Instagram post, he captioned it with, “Unique Forever,” expressing gratitude to his Raising Kanan family: “Much love to my @raisingkananstarz family. It was an honor and pleasure.”

Reflecting on his three-season run, Joey Bada$$ shared in a recent PEOPLE interview, “This type of role was something that I held back on playing for a long time because I just didn’t want to get pigeonholed into being a drug dealer-type of actor because I was a rapper. I felt like that was so close to home. I wanted to show people — with things like [the short film] Two Distant Strangers and Mr. Robot — that I had range, but I felt like this role came at the right time, and it was perfect.”