SPECIAL DIGITAL COVER
Linking up on the pitch and in the studio, the U.S. national team member and the rapper/actor discover their shared drive — and engage in some friendly competition.
By dan rys
Photographed by malike sidibe
This story is part of Billboard’s Global World Cup Series, a collection of 11 cover stories which pairs top soccer stars across the world competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with highly-touted musicians in accompanying countries.
Joey Bada$$ and Miles Robinson may have met just hours ago, but the two are already locked into a heated conversation on an indoor soccer field in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, debating one particular point of pride: who would win in a footrace across the field.
“I’ve never lost a race in my life,” says Bada$$, 31, the Brooklyn-born rapper and actor who also happens to be one of Robinson’s favorite artists of all time. Robinson, the professional soccer player who plays with Major League Soccer’s FC Cincinnati, ups the ante further: “I’m deadass — I could beat you running backwards.”
The two dissolve into laughter. “If I beat you, you gotta sub me in in the World Cup!” Bada$$ says, to which Robinson retorts, “If you beat me in a race, you can have my spot!”
The two ultimately settle on a penalty shot contest, five shots each, with the loser tasked with 75 pushups; after a back and forth during which everyone loses track of the score, they drop down and match each other pushup for pushup, both easily reaching a mark that most normal people couldn’t approach.
But Bada$$ and Robinson are not leading what most would call normal lives: the former is a multiplatinum rapper with two top five Billboard 200 albums and 3.4 billion U.S. on-demand streams to date, according to Luminate, as well as high-profile roles on shows like Mr. Robot and Power Book III: Raising Kanan; the latter is a U.S. men’s national team player who, three days prior, was selected to represent his country at the forthcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first played on U.S. soil since 1994, before Joey or Robinson were born.
It’s a huge moment for Robinson — not just because he’ll represent his country at a home World Cup, which kicks off June 11, but because he narrowly missed out on the 2022 edition, rupturing his Achilles tendon just months before he was poised to be a key member of the team in Qatar. Now, one day before he’s officially revealed as part of the World Cup squad at a special event at Manhattan’s Pier 17 on May 26 (players were informed privately they had been selected on May 22; the news leaked the following day), he’s linked up with Joey Bada$$ for a special World Cup edition of Billboard’s Switching Stages series, meeting him in both a Brooklyn recording studio to learn the craft of rapping and on this soccer field to teach him the finer points of The Beautiful Game.
Bada$$ himself knows a thing or two about performing on the world stage. Since his debut mixtape, 1999, catapulted him to fame at the ripe age of 17 in 2012, when he was still a student at Edward R. Murrow High School in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, he’s spent the past 15 years touring the world. It was on one of those early outings, more than a decade ago, that the now-29 year old Robinson and a group of his friends took the train into Boston from their native Arlington, Mass., to see Joey perform with his Pro Era crew at the House of Blues on the city’s west side. Robinson, whose father, a jazz musician, named him after Miles Davis, readily, and gleefully, recounts the experience to the MC when they meet up.
“This is a crazy full-circle moment, because we were in the same place 12 years ago, and now we’re here,” Bada$$ says. “And that’s even an incredible testament to his journey, ‘cause he was just in the crowd, and now he’s a World Cup athlete. It’s wild.”
“It’s crazy,” Robinson adds. “But that’s exactly it. I’ve been grinding my whole life, honestly, for these next few weeks.”
Ahead of the tournament (as well as the fifth season of Raising Kanan due June 12), Joey Bada$$ and Miles Robinson sat down on the field just after the former’s soccer lesson to talk about their respective journeys, overcoming adversity along the way, the importance of giving back to their communities and what sports and music mean to them. “It’s an art form, it’s a form of expression,” Bada$$ says. “It’s the conduit of how we show our gifts to the world.” Robinson, who prefers to let his play do most of the talking, simply agrees: “Exactly that.”
Congratulations, Miles, for making the national team for the 2026 World Cup. What does that mean to you?
Miles Robinson: It’s obviously massive; I’ve been waiting almost my whole life for this moment, I’ve been training hard every day. So to be here, and it’s actually about to happen, I’m really excited.
What are some of your earliest memories of music being part of your life?
Joey Bada$$: For me, as long as I can remember music has just been part of the rhythm of my life, you know? I remember being two or three years old and getting excited when Biggie came on TV. Certain songs just activated me as a child; I just felt it.
Robinson: I was always an athlete, so just getting in that mode, you put your headphones on, you listen to the music that will really get you focused in that zone, because you obviously want to play at your best. Especially at this level, you want to be very intentional with what you’re listening to pre game. Music was always part of my life growing up; it was all through my house, listening to different types of music, whether it be jazz or reggae, that was all just ingrained in me growing up.
And what about some of your earliest memories of sports being important?
Bada$$: Just like music, there was a rhythm to sports as well. Seeing the way older people in my family would gravitate to it, or like when I got a ball in my hand for the first time, how it felt, how it sounded. I remember when LeBron [James] first came to the league and buying his sneakers. I was probably like seven, eight years old at the time, I just remember putting them on and running through my little apartment, feeling like I could be like LeBron. Feeling like the movie Like Mike: I got the LeBrons on, I can get the powers and everything. [Laughs.] So sports has always been connected in my life in that way, in a spiritual way.
Robinson: Yeah, definitely, same with me. I was always an athletic kid, always running around outside. Being from Boston, we had all our teams winning championships, so we had parades every year…
Bada$$: Must be nice…
Robinson: We had the Celtics, Red Sox, the Patriots of course —
Joey Bada$$ (left) and Miles Robinson
Bada$$: All right, don’t rub it in. [Both laugh.]
Robinson: They were winning. So I used to love watching those games, being part of the [victory] parade, celebrating their success like it was mine, and recognizing what it took to win.
How do you guys feel that sports and music fit together?
Bada$$: Sports is rhythmic.
Robinson: Yeah, it’s like an art.
Bada$$: There’s a rhythm and a beat to sports, and that’s why it’s always so easy to put music on top of sports montages. Because you see that excitement, almost like how you feel the excitement in a song.
“You can watch a game and almost create a symphony for that specific game based on the tensions and the ebbs and flows of the game.”
—Bada$$
Robinson: Yeah, that’s right — it’s fluid, it’s natural. When you’re in that zone and you have that rhythm, like you’re saying…
Bada$$: There’s peaks and valleys to it, there’s tension.
Robinson: Exactly. You can almost feel the music of the game itself. You can watch a game and almost create a symphony for that specific game based on the tensions and the ebbs and flows of the game.
As an artist and actor, and as an athlete, what do you each admire about the other?
Robinson: He’s good in front of a camera, that’s for sure. [Laughs.]
Bada$$: What I’ve always admired about athletes is, with their craft, they can continuously work at it daily to be better. And I think with my craft there’s a level of that as well, but like I was telling Miles when we were in the studio, I think with creativity there’s a part of it that can’t be, for lack of a better word, forced in the same way. Not even forced, but more so manipulated. Like, we can make sure we wake up at 5 a.m. every day and make sure we on this turf and our legs are getting stronger, our senses are staying sharp. But I think when you’re writing music, there’s a level of it where a part of the process is stepping away from it and going out and absorbing life and coming back to it and allowing for things to flow in a type of way. So I think what I admire about athletes is just that consistent determination and consistent drive to the thing. I always wish I could operate on a music level like an athlete. But the reality of it is that it doesn’t work like that.
Robinson: When I look at you guys, as artists, you guys take in the world and display it in a different type of lens that I wish I had. I think being an elite artist like yourself, you can take in different situations and create something from it. Whereas I can interpret a situation, I know how it makes me feel, but at this point I can’t really create something from that. And that’s what I admire from an artist, because they see the world they’re living in through a specific type of lens, or many different types of lenses, and they’re able to create something that not only makes it clear for me, but when I listen to a Joey track, I’m often like, “Oh, I feel the exact same way, I just never thought of it like that.” And that’s the stuff that excites me, because I’m like, “Oh my God, that bar was almost meant for me because I feel the exact same way.” That’s where I’m like, “I wish I came up with something like that.”
You guys were talking earlier about how process is so important to what you do. How have you developed those processes through the years, and how has that made you better at what you do?
Robinson: It’s just that consistency, that dedication, every day. It’s like Chop Wood Carry Water [the Joshua Medcalf book about chasing greatness that takes its name from a Zen Buddhist proverb].
Robinson: Great book, for sure. Every day you’re grinding to get better, that one percent, that small sliver that might be the difference five years from now. It’s just that constant me versus me mentality that is something that I strive for. I strive to be better every day.
Bada$$: My process creatively revolves around not forcing it. I feel like if it’s not coming naturally, step away and wait for the gates to be opened again. Sometimes it’s like a stream of consciousness, and it’s divine. And sometimes it takes you being in a certain place at a certain moment, or to hear a certain conversation or have been a part of said conversation or to meet a certain person where those gates open up. So for me, my process is like understanding when that happens, when those gates are open and making time to allow that flow to come through. Because let’s say it opens right now; by the time I get home in an hour it’s like, “Damn, I’m locked out of Narnia again.” [Both laugh.]
Robinson: That’s what I learned in the booth, too!
Bada$$: You know what I’m saying? It’s like, I gotta climb through that window real quick while it’s there. And sometimes you get little glimpses of it where you find that flow state.
Robinson: And I feel like it’s so exciting to find that.
Bada$$: Yeah. But there’s a lot of things that’s going on in your environment that you can’t disconnect from. So my process is more so connected to like, how can I be in the state of mind so when that reception is there I can act on it, and when it’s not I can peacefully just be like, “It’s not the time”?
You guys both became very successful at young ages. How did you deal with that?
Robinson: I was a little bit older, to be fair, and I think it’s different being an artist versus being an athlete. But one thing I missed, where I wish I was sometimes an artist, is I think they can kind of enjoy themselves in the spotlight differently than athletes. I think athletes are held on such a high pedestal, especially considering how the world is. It seems like sometimes athletes are put on a higher pedestal than politicians based on how we’re treated and how we’re viewed. So it’s very interesting for me personally to manage who I am and who I want to be as a public persona, or something like that.
Bada$$: I feel that. Because I feel like athletes have more of a collective responsibility. You’re playing for Cincinnati, or now you’re playing for the USA, so it’s like what you say is a representation of the country. If what you’re saying doesn’t align with the people or the country’s views, they want to attack you.
Bada$$: Whereas as artists, we get to have more of an individual perspective, like, “That’s his thoughts,” you know? That doesn’t align with the country’s sentiment or whatever, that’s what he thinks. I couldn’t even imagine how that would feel, to feel constricted in that type of way. ‘Cause my whole lane is about expressing myself in a way that’s authentic.
Robinson: And that’s why I think a lot of athletes love artists.
Bada$$: We speak for y’all!
Robinson: Exactly. Straight up. I be feeling Joey’s bars so much, and I’ve been a fan for a long time.
As the stages have gotten bigger for you both, how have you dealt with the pressures that come with that and still found ways to enjoy it?
Robinson: I just try to stay focused on the moment. I’m always continuing to try to grow in that aspect, whether it be through meditation or through all different types of ways to really train my mind how to focus, how to be my best self in this exact moment and try to push out outside noise, whether it’s criticism or anything like that.
Watching you guys playing soccer earlier, you both have a big competitive streak. How do you use that to get better at your own craft?
Robinson: That competitive aspect every day is something you can use to fuel you. Whether it be on the field or in the studio, it’s that type of competitive edge — it’s like iron sharpens iron, that type of thing. You want to be around great athletes, you [gestures to Joey] probably want to be around great musicians, to try to learn from what they do. You always want to continue to grow and learn.
Bada$$: It reminds me of the quote, “You are the sum of the five people you spend time with the most.” I feel like even when you’re stepping into a new arena, the person who you’re standing next to in that arena ultimately kind of informs your idea of how you show up for yourself. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve been on a soccer field — but being here today with Miles, it made me feel like, “Oh, s–t, I can do this, it’s possible!” And I feel like he got the same thing when we were in the studio, like, “Oh, s–t, it’s possible for real.”
Robinson: Yeah, it was a fun time for sure. I could see it. I need some more practice probably before I get into it… [Laughs.]
Bada$$: Same, bro! But you start to feel a little bit comfortable, and then I think it’s a matter of possibility. But that level, or that bar, is set by what you’re exposed to. So being exposed to each other today and our respective art forms definitely made us both feel like we could build on what we received today. I’m like, “Damn, I just did a penalty kick!” [Both laugh.]
Even as you guys are performing around the world or playing at the World Cup, you’re both engaged in charitable work back home — Miles through your Miles of Change Foundation and Joey through your Impact Mentorship program. What does it mean to you guys to be able to give back to the communities from which you came?
Robinson: That’s what really drives me at the end of the day. At some point you’ll recognize it’s not really about all this money or all this, it’s about how much change you can make, the difference you make. I’ve grown into recognizing that. But it’s also about putting smiles on other kids’ faces and maybe putting them on to some kind of wisdom or knowledge that I have. I’m continuing to grow — I want knowledge the same as these kids, and I’m looking for it at all times. But definitely to try to give back is something that I’m trying to do more often and trying to inspire and create positive change.
Bada$$: I think one of the greatest human acts is to inspire. All of us are probably standing here as a result of someone else who was doing the thing before us who inspired us. So I think that it’s important to keep that chain of inspiration going for the next generations. And also to understand that this is not just an individual win. Like, yeah, this is my journey, this is Miles’ journey, but we are affecting the lives and journeys of so many other people by just being us and by just showing up in what we do. So I think it’s important to be charitable — go out of your way to be charitable, but also to go out of your way to share with others.
“That competitive aspect every day is something you can use to fuel you. Whether it be on the field or in the studio … it’s like iron sharpens iron.”
—Robinson
How have you guys pushed through challenges in your careers?
Robinson: I think it’s just about staying present, staying in the moment, recognizing that you can always look into the future and be like, “What if?” But injuries happen, you have to continue to bounce back, you have to continue to focus. It’s just part of life at the end of the day. I think that’s really when you learn the most about yourself, is just through those tough moments in your life. It’s how you bounce back, it’s how you approach every negative situation, that’s how you really empower yourself authentically.
Bada$$: Miles said it best. And whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Adversity can be a great thing to happen to an individual, as long as that individual doesn’t allow it to break them. But once you build that resilience, it’s just like on the other side of that, 9.9 times out of 10, you’re a stronger person.
What does this World Cup — which is being played across North America — mean to you?
Robinson: It’s definitely special because it’s in the U.S. as well; that adds a different element to it. For the average American who maybe doesn’t watch soccer games that often, it allows them to become a fan and recognize that all these fan bases around the world are so passionate, and this is the most-watched sport out of all of them in the world, happening in the U.S. And it adds an opportunity for the world to come together and for the U.S. to come together and recognize that we’re all more alike than unalike, or we all love this sport so we should love each other. That type of mentality, I think, is powerful. That’s why sports in general are powerful as well.
What excites you the most about this World Cup coming up?
Bada$$: I think to Miles’ point, the fact that, for me, it’s so close to home. And now that I’m clique’d up with Miles, I’m gonna go. [Both laugh.] It’ll be my first World Cup!
Robinson: I’m gonna dap you up on the field!
Bada$$: Hey, come on, bro, don’t gas me up, ‘cause I’ll come down there and race you down there! [Both laugh.]
Robinson: Then I’ll be juiced up, I’ll definitely be ready for that one.
Bada$$: What you mean juiced up? [Both laugh.]
Robinson: Cut that! Cut that! [Laughs.] Jokes, man.
How do you see soccer continuing to grow in the United States?
Robinson: It’s just one of those sports that so many different cultures play and it’s their favorite sport. Every culture understands the beauty of soccer itself, so it’s about recognizing that we all love this game, let’s come together and watch the World Cup and be unified in the celebration of this game.
What continues to drive each of you after all this time?
Bada$$: For me right now, my biggest driver is taking care of my family and wanting to be the best man that I can be for my tribe.
Robinson: Yeah, that’s dope. Same here. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that there’s more and more people looking up to me, and they expect certain things from me, and that’s part of growing up. But I’ve recognized that I’ve really gotta show out for them and put on for them.
Joey Bada$$ (left) and Miles Robinson
Joey Bada$$ and Miles Robinson photographed on May 25, 2026 at Goat Studios and Socceroof Sunset Park in Brooklyn.
Joey Bada$$ Barbering by MarColm at True Cuts
Source: Billboard
