FC Cincy's Miles Robinson graces Billboard cover with famous rapper
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off Thursday and is set to feature one of FC Cincinnati's star players.
Ahead of the tournament, Billboard launched its Global World Cup Series, a collection of 11 cover stories pairing the top soccer stars from across the globe competing in the World Cup with notable musicians in accompanying countries.
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The first cover, released June 8, featured none other than FC Cincinnati's star center back Miles Robinson and rapper Joey Bada$$. The two held a conversation at an indoor soccer field in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, talking about their "respective journeys, overcoming adversity along the way, (and) the importance of giving back to their communities."
Billboard wrote that although the two had just met, they were already debating who would win a footrace across the field, with Bada$$ proudly proclaiming he's "never lost a race in my life." The two laughed, with the rapper saying that if he wins, Robinson has to sub him in at the World Cup.
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Miles Robinson and Joey Bada$$ team up for World Cup interview
Both Bada$$ and Robinson have been on the world stage before.
The former is a multiplatinum rapper with two top-five Billboard 200 albums. He also starred in high-profile roles on shows such as "Mr. Robot and Power" and "Book III: Raising Kanan." Meanwhile, Robinson is part of the United States Men's National Soccer Team, competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, June 11-July 19 (the first played on U.S. soil since 1994, before the two were born).
In their sitdown with Billboard, it was revealed the two go back more than a decade when Robinson, an Arlington, Massachusetts, native, and a group of his friends took the train into Boston to see Bada$$ perform with his Pro Era crew at the House of Blues.
"This is a crazy full-circle moment, because we were in the same place 12 years ago, and now we’re here," Bada$$ said in their Billboard interview. "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 added. "But that's exactly it. I've been grinding my whole life, honestly, for these next few weeks."
The 2026 World Cup will mark the 29-year-old's return to the world stage after heartbreak in 2022.
Robinson made six starts in World Cup qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup but was unable to participate in the Qatar World Cup after rupturing his left Achilles tendon May 7, 2022, while playing for Atlanta United.
Robinson and Bada$$ saw success at a young age. How they handled it
Bada$$ and Robinson are no strangers to success at an early age. When Bada$$ was just 17, his debut mixtape "1999" launched him to fame in 2012.
As for Robinson, he told Billboard his success didn't come until he was "a little bit older."
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"I think it's different being an artist versus being an athlete," Robinson said. "But one thing I missed, where I wish I was sometimes an artist, is I think they can kind of enjoy themselves in the spotlight differently than athletes. I think athletes are held on such a high pedestal, especially considering how the world is. It seems like sometimes athletes are put on a higher pedestal than politicians based on how we're treated and how we’re viewed. So it's very interesting for me personally to manage who I am and who I want to be as a public persona, or something like that."
Bada$$ agreed, saying, "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."
How the two have developed important processes over the years
The two shared with Billboard that having a process is crucial to what they do, despite having different crafts.
Robinson said for him, his process is having consistency and 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 told Billboard.
"Every day you're grinding to get better, that 1%, 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$$ said Medcalf's book is "great," sharing that his creative process revolves around "not forcing it."
"I feel like if it's not coming naturally, step away and wait for the gates to be opened again. Sometimes it's like a stream of consciousness, and it's divine. And sometimes it takes you being in a certain place at a certain moment, or to hear a certain conversation, or have been a part of said conversation, or to meet a certain person where those gates open up," he said.
"So for me, my process is like understanding when that happens, when those gates are open and making time to allow that flow to come through. Because let's say it opens right now; by the time I get home in an hour, it's like, 'Damn, I'm locked out of Narnia again."
To read the full interview between Robinson and Bada$$, visit billboard.com.
When does the 2026 World Cup start?
The 2026 World Cup is from June 11 to July 19, with the United States, Mexico and Canada serving as co-hosts.
This will be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams, a major jump from 32 in the past tournament.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: USMNT's Miles Robinson, Joey Bada$$ grace Billboard cover