Joey Valence & Brae
American hip-hop duo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joey Valence & Brae are an American hip-hop duo from State College, Pennsylvania, consisting of rappers Joseph Bertolino (Joey Valence) and Braedan Lugue (Brae). The duo started making music together in 2021 and released a series of singles. Their breakout single, "Punk Tactics" has been certified RIAA Gold.[1] They have since released three studio albums: Punk Tactics, No Hands, and Hyperyouth.
Joey Valence & Brae | |
|---|---|
Joey Valence (right) & Brae (left) performing in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | JVB |
| Origin | State College, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Label | RCA |
| Members |
|
| Website | www |
History
Bertolino and Lugue met during their freshman year at Pennsylvania State University, where they became friends and started creating music together.[1] Their first single "Crank It Up" was released in 2021. They quickly went from college kids to DIY sensations, thanks to viral hit "Double Jump," which they parlayed into an EP, 2022’s The Underground Sound.
Their seventh single "Punk Tactics" was released in 2022. The song was compared to the music of the Beastie Boys (Bertolino calling them their "number #1 influence and inspiration")[2] and older alternative hip-hop songs, with frequent references to video games, recent pop culture and internet memes. The track was RIAA Gold certified in 2025 and was showcased in the background of the trailer of the 2026 movie Street Fighter.[3] The music video for the song was entirely filmed on a Nintendo DSi.[4]
In February 2022, the duo was featured as special guests on The Ellen DeGeneres Show,[5] and later appeared at the So What Music Festival in May,[6] and Aftershock Festival in October.[7] Their debut album, Punk Tactics, was released on September 8, 2023.
They opened alongside the Interrupters on Sum 41's final tour, Tour of the Setting Sum.[8] Their second album No Hands was released on June 7, 2024 and featured contributions from Z-Trip, Terror Reid and Danny Brown. In 2024, the duo was featured on Pendulum's song "Napalm".[9] Later that year they would release the deluxe version of No Hands, including three new songs, a remix of "The Baddest" featuring Ayesha Erotica and a cover of the Charli XCX song "365".[10]
In 2025, the duo released the single "Clover" in collaboration with fellow American rapper IDK.[11] On June 13, 2025, they released a collaborative single with American rapper JPEGMafia titled "Wassup".[12] Their third studio album, Hyperyouth, released on August 15, 2025.[13] It is their first release through RCA.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK R&B [14] | ||
| Punk Tactics |
|
— |
| No Hands |
|
18 |
| Hyperyouth |
| |
EPs
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Underground Sound |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Crank It Up" | 2021 | The Underground Sound EP | |
| "Underground Sound" | |||
| "Like What" | |||
| "I'm Fresh" | |||
| "Double Jump" | |||
| "Punk Tactics" | 2022 | Punk Tactics | |
| "Tanaka" | |||
| "Can't Stop Now" | 2023 | No Hands | |
| "The Baddest" | 2024 | ||
| "The Baddest (Badder)" (featuring Ayesha Erotica) | No Hands (Deluxe Edition) | ||
| "Wassup" (featuring JPEGMafia)[16] |
2025 | Hyperyouth | |
| "Hyperyouth" / "Live Right"[17] | |||
| "See U Dance" (featuring Rebecca Black)[18] |
|||
Features
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Tactix" (Eptic featuring Joey Valence & Brae) |
2023 | Non-album single |
| "Fracture" (Apashe featuring Flux Pavillion and Joey Valence & Brae) |
Antagonist | |
| "Heard It Like This" (ACRAZE featuring Joey Valence & Brae) |
Non-album single | |
| "Napalm" (Pendulum featuring Joey Valence & Brae) |
2024 | Inertia |
| "Raw" (6ix featuring Joey Valence & Brae, Felix!, Buddy, Kyle, and Blu) |
2025 | Homebody |
| "Clover" (IDK featuring Joey Valence & Brae) |
Non-album single |