Review: "Baby on Baby" Album by DaBaby
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I’ll admit, I feel a bit late to the DaBaby train, which is made even more sad by the fact that he hails from my hometown (Charlotte, North Carolina). However, now that I’ve listened to his music, I’ve jumped right on board. DaBaby signed to Interscope Records back in January, and now he has released his debut album, “Baby on Baby”.
I became an instant fan of DaBaby after two listens to this 30-minute project. The album is short which makes it easily digestible and an easy way to introduce yourself to him.
DaBaby does something that is very unique. While he raps over the same style of trap beats that a lot of artists do, he is actually surprisingly lyrical. A lot of “mumble rappers” simply lack the ability to rap (which is extremely ironic). If you rap well, fans are more willing to accept other aspects of your music such as the type of beat and the subject matter. At times I consider myself a Hip-Hop snob as I’m pretty tough on a lot of today’s artists. With that being said, DaBaby showed me that rapping well is possible within the trap genre.
DaBaby has a unique voice that is captivating. In this album, he strays away from the basic choppy flow that is common in trap music and adds some intricacy with his rhyme schemes and cadences. He certainly doesn’t mumble as he spits clearly and confidently.
I greatly appreciate the features he chose to use for the album. Offset has become a trap rapper who actually displays his rapping ability. Rich The Kid meshes well with DaBaby as he adds a fun but hype flow to the track “Best Friend”. Hearing from Rich Homie Quan was a nice surprise on “Celebrate”. DaBaby chose solid features and went with quality of quantity instead of leading it was 10 plus.
One of my favorite tracks is “Best Friend” featuring Rich The Kid. “I just got a DM from your best friend, and your mad I know yeah your mad I know yeah,” sings DaBaby on the hook. It’s so catchy that after just one listen, the song was stuck in my head for an hour. Another is the song “Tupac” where DaBaby refers to himself as “The Tupac of the new school”.
DaBaby utilizes diverse sounding production throughout the album which keeps the listener from being lulled to sleep with the same sounding beat over and over. His rap in honestly entertaining. I found myself audibly laughing multiple times while listening.
The album was an excellent introduction to DaBaby. After just a few listens, I already consider myself a fan of his and I plan on voting for him to become a XXL Freshman. I’m excited to follow his career and to see how his music progresses.