Joey Aich
Image via Zane Osler
Joey Aich aka Joseph Holbert aka the Headband Assassin is a Columbus, OH-based rapper. Despite currently residing in the state of Ohio’s capital, Aich originally hails from Cleveland, OH, specifically Woodmere Village, a town that he vows to put on the map in his song, “WMV.” Joey Aich began rapping on the bus to and from middle school, but didn’t start taking rap seriously until his high school days. At the same time, he began writing poetry, which likely contributed to the evolution of his pen. He lists some of his biggest influences as A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, and The Pharcyde from the ‘90s, and Lupe Fiasco, Asher Roth, Curren$y, and Blu from the blog era. In his music, you can expect to hear references to other favorites like Ab-Soul, Meek Mill, and Mac Miller. Joey Aich is also heavily influenced by pop culture and sports. On many of his songs, you can hear references to athletes such as Clayton Kershaw, Bartolo Colón, and Derrick Rose.
Joey Aich released his debut album, If Money Grew on Trees in 2018. The project sees heights on “Lemonheads” featuring Billie Mitchell, “Fundraiser,” “GED 7249” featuring Nuke Franklin, and “Sanity / / Testimony,” which interpolates Kanye West’s “Touch The Sky.” Aich returned in 2020 with his next project, Open Treehouse. Standouts from this project include “Rossi on the Deck” featuring TARYN, “Inside,” and “Scarce Too” featuring Sarob & Trek Manifest. Joey remained active in 2021, releasing a 4-track EP, Out of My Own Way, with favorite track, “Pass Go.” In March of 2023, Joey released Open Treehouse (Deluxe) with an additional 10 tracks, most notably “Brown Liquor” and “Live On.”
The best way to experience Joey Aich’s music is live at a concert. Joey prides himself on the tremendous energy and crowd participation at shows, brought about both by the music and his stage presence, where he may even do a backflip on stage. Adding to the experience, Joey Aich began doing some of his performances accompanied by a live band, the Head Band (Drummer: Dae Alexander Norris, Bassist: Kevon Godfrey, and Keys: Lynashia Godfrey) in late 2022.
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