North Carolina rapper
DaBaby jumped into rapping with no prior experience and never looked back. Deciding on a whim to take up music in late 2014, his first mixtape surfaced a month later and the next several years saw him building a vast catalog with his immediate and fun flows and lighthearted energy. His talents took shape as his regional fame grew, with frequently delivered new mixtapes and singles offering a space for
DaBaby to try new approaches.
Baby on Baby is his first studio album following signing a deal with Interscope, and the 13 lean songs present the best examples of
DaBaby's progress. A likeable and energetic persona narrates the songs, moving through flexing lyrics and catchy hooks, getting to the point immediately with songs that rarely stick around for more than three minutes. This economical approach makes the album clip along at an amped-up pace, with tracks blurring into each other. Feel-good bounces like "Suge" and "Walker, Texas Ranger" are light and infectious, but when
DaBaby shoots off nonstop flows on "Baby Sitter" he begins showcasing his technical abilities as well. He keeps this energy up over the next several tracks, trading verses with worthy peers like
Offset and
Rich the Kid, as well as going back and forth with
Stunna4Vegas on the especially charged "Joggers." Dropping lyrics like "I'm like the
Tupac of the new shit" is bold, but
DaBaby's charm lies in how he's not even taking his irreverent cockiness too seriously, much less asking his audience to bow down to his greatness. Springy, uncluttered, and unable to contain its own grinning excitement,
Baby on Baby zooms by in a captivating rush. With dozens of songs leading up to it, the album feels less like a breakout debut and more like a neatly manicured specimen of
DaBaby's prime attributes. Trimming away any unnecessary elements makes for the clearest view of the overflowing personality and hungry rhyme skills that make
DaBaby stand out. ~ Fred Thomas