# No Hands (album)
**No Hands** (styled **NO HANDS**) is the second studio album by the American rap duo [Joey Valence & Brae](https://www.edgepedia.org/joey-valence-and-brae), self-released on June 7, 2024, through the duo's own JVB Records with distribution by TuneCore.[1](https://lyricsweb.com/album/joey-valence-brae/no-hands) The duo consists of Joseph Bertolino (Joey Valence) and Braedan Lugue (Brae), who met as freshmen at Penn State University and formed the act in 2021 in [State College, Pennsylvania](https://www.edgepedia.org/state-college-pennsylvania).[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joey-valence-brae-mn0004176187) The album followed their 2023 debut *Punk Tactics* and earned critical acclaim, drawing frequent comparisons to the [Beastie Boys](https://www.edgepedia.org/beastie-boys).[1](https://lyricsweb.com/album/joey-valence-brae/no-hands) • [3](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/08/joey-valence-brae-no-hands/) It is distinct from other recordings of the same name, such as Vast Aire's 2004 album *Look Mom... No Hands* and the Waka Flocka Flame single "No Hands" (2010).[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/look-mom-no-hands-mw0000331792) • [5](https://musicbrainz.org/release/be863c35-d8f3-49b6-b7ec-dc6b1e3247b4)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist / role in catalog | Second studio album by Joey Valence & Brae, after *Punk Tactics* (2023)[1](https://lyricsweb.com/album/joey-valence-brae/no-hands) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joey-valence-brae-mn0004176187) |
| Release | June 7, 2024; self-released on JVB Records, distributed by TuneCore[1](https://lyricsweb.com/album/joey-valence-brae/no-hands) |
| Length and track count | 12 tracks, 31:19 on the standard edition[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-hands-mw0004343587) |
| Guest features | Danny Brown ("PACKAPUNCH"), [Terror Reid](https://www.edgepedia.org/getter-dj) ("DOUGHBOY"), Z-Trip ("NO HANDS")[7](https://www.altpress.com/joey-valence-and-brae-no-hands-stream/) |
| Production | Primarily handled by Joey Valence; credited producers also include Lucas Banker and Patrick Nissley[1](https://lyricsweb.com/album/joey-valence-brae/no-hands) |
| Commercial note | Debuted in the Top 10 on Spotify's Top US Albums Chart[8](https://hmv.com/store/music/cd/no-hands) |
| Deluxe edition | September 13, 2024; added three new songs, a cover of Charli XCX's "365," and a remix of "The Baddest" featuring Ayesha Erotica[1](https://lyricsweb.com/album/joey-valence-brae/no-hands) |
## Background
Joey Valence & Brae scored a viral hit in 2021 with the retro-rap party track "Crank It Up," then released their full-length debut, *Punk Tactics*, in September 2023.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joey-valence-brae-mn0004176187) • [9](https://axis.wmg.com/h/sellsheets/ADA_121324_122024.pdf) That album's title track amassed over 130 million streams, and the release was met with critical acclaim.[9](https://axis.wmg.com/h/sellsheets/ADA_121324_122024.pdf) *No Hands* arrived as the duo's sophomore effort less than a year later.[1](https://lyricsweb.com/album/joey-valence-brae/no-hands)
The duo presented the album as a statement of independence. In an interview with Atwood Magazine, Brae said, "We boast all the time that we aren't on a label," noting that the pair write, record, and produce their work themselves.[10](https://atwoodmagazine.com/jvbnh-joey-valence-and-brae-no-hands-album-interview-music-feature/)
## Music and lyrics
The record is rooted in east coast hip hop with a throwback sensibility, while its production darts between styles: reviews identify drum and bass, house, rock, punk, dance, crunk, Miami bass, and 2000s Chicago rap sounds among its references.[7](https://www.altpress.com/joey-valence-and-brae-no-hands-stream/) • [3](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/08/joey-valence-brae-no-hands/) • [11](https://legendswillneverdie.com/2024/06/07/joey-valence-and-brae-no-hands-review/) Reviewers singled out mid-song beat switches as a strength; one described grungy, hyper-aggressive beats on "LIKE A PUNK" giving way to rave-mode later in the same song.[12](https://everythingisnoise.net/reviews/joey-valence-brae-no-hands/)
The lyrics are comedic and reference-heavy, naming [Ben 10](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-10), [John Cena](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-cena), Call of Duty, Roblox, and Pokémon cards.[3](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/08/joey-valence-brae-no-hands/) Critics read this as deliberate self-aware humor rather than affectation; the Sputnikmusic review wrote that faux-tough lines delivered alongside video game references ground the material "by leaning into unabashed corn."[13](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/88872/Joey-Valence-and-Brae-No-Hands/)
**Critical reception.** Grant Jones of RapReviews called the album "remarkably refined" for a self-produced record from two young artists and scored it 8 out of 10 for both music and lyrics, singling out "PACKAPUNCH" as a standout.[3](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/08/joey-valence-brae-no-hands/) Cult MTL gave it 8/10 and wrote that the guest spots from [Danny Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-brown) and Z-Trip "stamp their approval."[14](https://cultmtl.com/2024/07/joey-valence-brae-no-hands-review/) Sputnikmusic rated it 4.0 ("excellent"), calling it "the suburban rager of the year" while noting that nothing on it is groundbreaking and that a couple of filler cuts repeat their jokes.[13](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/88872/Joey-Valence-and-Brae-No-Hands/) No Frills Reviews praised the production as frequently excellent and argued the duo "don't simply emulate, but instead update" the Beastie Boys formula.[15](https://nofrillsreviews.com/2024/09/25/album-review-joey-valence-brae-no-hands/)
The Beastie Boys comparison ran through nearly every review. RapReviews framed the duo as the New York trio's style "forty years later, but instead of being raised on a diet of punk rock, they spent their weekends pulling all-nighters on their Xboxes," and noted the back-and-forth trading of verses recalls Run-DMC.[3](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/08/joey-valence-brae-no-hands/)
## Release and formats
The standard edition's twelve tracks run from the opener "BUSSIT" through the closer "OMNITRIX," with the title track third in sequence.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-hands-mw0004343587) Several songs had circulated earlier as singles: "DOUGHBOY" dates to June 2023, "JOHN CENA" to March 2024, and "THE BADDEST" to April 2024, with "WHERE U FROM" appearing in January 2024.[1](https://lyricsweb.com/album/joey-valence-brae/no-hands)
The album's vinyl launch was described by the label's sales sheet as overwhelmingly successful, and demand prompted a CD release, the duo's first music issued in that format.[9](https://axis.wmg.com/h/sellsheets/ADA_121324_122024.pdf) A deluxe edition followed on September 13, 2024, adding three new songs, a cover of [Charli XCX](https://www.edgepedia.org/charli-xcx)'s "365," and a remix of "The Baddest" featuring [Ayesha Erotica](https://www.edgepedia.org/ayesha-erotica).[1](https://lyricsweb.com/album/joey-valence-brae/no-hands) Joey Valence walked through the album's production in a YouTube livestream on August 24, 2024.[1](https://lyricsweb.com/album/joey-valence-brae/no-hands)
Commercially, the album debuted in the Top 10 on Spotify's Top US Albums Chart, and the duo supported it with sold-out tours across the globe in 2024, including a US headline tour and an ensuing European run.[8](https://hmv.com/store/music/cd/no-hands) • [3](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/08/joey-valence-brae-no-hands/) • [10](https://atwoodmagazine.com/jvbnh-joey-valence-and-brae-no-hands-album-interview-music-feature/)
## Other works with the same title
The phrase has been used for several unrelated recordings. Vast Aire, formerly of [Cannibal Ox](https://www.edgepedia.org/cannibal-ox), released his solo debut *Look Mom... No Hands* on Chocolate Industries on April 27, 2004, a 16-track underground rap album.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/look-mom-no-hands-mw0000331792) [Waka Flocka Flame](https://www.edgepedia.org/waka-flocka-flame)'s single "No Hands," featuring Roscoe Dash and Wale and produced by Drumma Boy, appeared on the 2010 album *Flockaveli* and placed at number 45 on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2011.[5](https://musicbrainz.org/release/be863c35-d8f3-49b6-b7ec-dc6b1e3247b4) [Kim Gordon](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-gordon)'s solo album *Play Me* (2025) includes a track titled "No Hands," which she described as representative of "this culture of convenience."[16](https://apnews.com/article/977b7d91b5c1a94f1a1f3cfb586b0321) Death Grips used "NoHands" as the name of a 2013 series of first-person-perspective videos filmed with face-mounted cameras around their SXSW 2013 performance.[17](https://pitchfork.com/news/50035-watch-death-grips-share-disorienting-lock-your-doors-video-explain-no-hands-series/)
## References
1. [NO HANDS by Joey Valence & Brae: Tracklist & Story Behind the Album, LyricsWeb](https://lyricsweb.com/album/joey-valence-brae/no-hands)
2. [Joey Valence & Brae: Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joey-valence-brae-mn0004176187)
3. [Joey Valence & Brae :: No Hands, RapReviews (Grant Jones, August 27, 2024)](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/08/joey-valence-brae-no-hands/)
4. [Look Mom... No Hands, Vast Aire, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/look-mom-no-hands-mw0000331792)
5. [No Hands, Waka Flocka feat. Roscoe Dash & Wale, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/be863c35-d8f3-49b6-b7ec-dc6b1e3247b4)
6. [No Hands, Joey Valence & Brae, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-hands-mw0004343587)
7. [Stream Joey Valence & Brae's new album NO HANDS, AltPress](https://www.altpress.com/joey-valence-and-brae-no-hands-stream/)
8. [No Hands, HMV Store](https://hmv.com/store/music/cd/no-hands)
9. [WMG/ADA sell sheet: NO HANDS CD release](https://axis.wmg.com/h/sellsheets/ADA_121324_122024.pdf)
10. [Joey Valence & Brae Coast With 'NO HANDS', Atwood Magazine](https://atwoodmagazine.com/jvbnh-joey-valence-and-brae-no-hands-album-interview-music-feature/)
11. [Joey Valence & Brae – "No Hands" review, Legends Will Never Die](https://legendswillneverdie.com/2024/06/07/joey-valence-and-brae-no-hands-review/)
12. [Joey Valence & Brae – "NO HANDS", Everything Is Noise](https://everythingisnoise.net/reviews/joey-valence-brae-no-hands/)
13. [Joey Valence and Brae - No Hands album review, Sputnikmusic](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/88872/Joey-Valence-and-Brae-No-Hands/)
14. [Joey Valence & Brae, NO HANDS: REVIEW, Cult MTL](https://cultmtl.com/2024/07/joey-valence-brae-no-hands-review/)
15. [Album Review: Joey Valence & Brae – NO HANDS, No Frills Reviews](https://nofrillsreviews.com/2024/09/25/album-review-joey-valence-brae-no-hands/)
16. [Kim Gordon returns with defiant new solo album, 'Play Me', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/977b7d91b5c1a94f1a1f3cfb586b0321)
17. [Death Grips Explain "No Hands" Series, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/news/50035-watch-death-grips-share-disorienting-lock-your-doors-video-explain-no-hands-series/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Hip hop albums › Experimental hip hop albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license