After years in the Louisiana underground, rapper JayDaYoungan began to make moves on the charts with late 2010s mixtapes
Forever 23,
Endless Pain, and
Misunderstood. In 2020, he kicked off the decade with his official studio debut,
Baby23. The set debuted just outside the Billboard 200 Top 40 and balanced his aggressive, street-centric lyrics and bass-heavy production with some thoughtful introspection and moments incorporating acoustic guitar samples. Guests include DeJ Loaf ("IDK"), Moneybagg Yo ("Do Your Dance"), and Kevin Gates ("Peer Pressure"). ~ Neil Z. Yeung