Joey Valence & Brae

Joseph Bertolino and Braedan Lugue met as college students at Pennsylvania State University, then made their public debut as the larger-than-life hip-hop duo Joey Valence & Brae with the release of their first single, "Crank It Up," in 2021. Heavily inspired by the Beastie Boys, the two MCs continued releasing singles that blended homemade beats and brash, booming production with references to '90s pop-culture institutions like Mortal Kombat and Nike Air. With Bertolino handling the group's production duties, Joey Valence & Brae released an EP, The Underground Sound, in 2022, along with a slew of singles whose highlights included "Ready Set," "Punk Tactics, "Hooligang," "Watch Yo Step," and the Logic collaboration "Tanaka 2." "Punk Tactics" resurfaced one year later as the title track from Joey Valence & Brae's first full-length album, Punk Tactics, whose 14 tracks earned the group a broader audience on TikTok and other social media platforms. One of the most viral tracks from the record was "Hooligang," which reached Number 1 on America's TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart in late 2023.

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