Blame It On Baby - DaBaby: Review
DaBaby
Review By Lavender:
If you'll refer to my last review you may remember that DaBaby was an artist I was pulling for initially. He's from my home town and gave Charlotte a chance to get on the map for hip hop and some of his biggest singles are not bad songs, particularly the excellent Intro from his last record and his marquee feature on Camila Cabello's My Oh My. But DaBaby's short time in the spotlight has shown off two things very quickly. Firstly he is quite the problematic character as he is constantly embroiled in new controversy just about everywhere he goes, and secondly and much more importantly for our purposes here he has proven to be a pretty one note artist and Blame It On Baby shows that even further.
The record had two singles that didn't have me very confident in Baby's versatility or the quality of the record. Rockstar has proven to be kind of a big track and I guess I can understand why. The track is a lifeless generic trap blur with no sharp edges and absolutely nothing unique about it. Roddy Rich features on the song and does a Young Thug rip-off even more obvious than his usual and the track is one I'm more than comfortable never hearing again. The second single was better but still left me wondering what to think about it. Find My Way is definitely an admirable attempt at switching up his sound with a much more personal take over an acoustic guitar infused instrumental but the song has some big holes in its lyrics and it's rough singing. DaBaby's singing voice pops up a few times on this record and while I think this single is the best of the bunch in that regard it is still difficult to tolerate at times.
Let's go ahead and get the bad out of the way first, pretty much every song that features Baby singing is a lost cause. Sad Shit, Can't Stop and Amazing Grace aren't necessarily sound alike tracks but they all find ways to fall short in the vocal department on top of being either generic trap affairs or underwritten genre forays.
Pick Up is a track that you can forget while it is still going on as DaBaby and Quavo do their thing over a super basic beat. These two have probably the most saturated sounds in the entire music industry at this point and this track is a great example of why taking a break for a bit wouldn't kill either of them. I never thought I would say this but I think I would actually rather listen to the Nav song Champion than the DaBaby song Champion they are both terribly boring experiences but at least the Nav track has a tolerable Travis Scott feature. Finally Drop is another big letdown despite its slick London beat. DaBaby is incredibly uninspired and the flow on this track sounds like nobody was trying. Even the brief A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie feature turned out to be a let down which is the final nail in the coffin for this track.
Occasionally when DaBaby puts in the effort to pen a decent banger the results can be solid. Lightskin Shit sounds like a 2017 trap song with some good energy and a catchy hook. Future also shows up and drops a pretty solid feature on the song which makes it the only real highlight of the beginning of the record for me. Talk About It is even better and features a hard-hitting Wheezy beat and some fiery energetic bars. It is clearly the DaBaby formula but this is it being executed well. Jump is a track I didn't expect to like as much as I did but the track has an undeniable energy that I can't look away from. The track has a creative beat and Baby teams up with NBA Youngboy for an explosive pairing as they trade off short verses and remind me why I ever enjoyed either of their music in the first place.
The title track Blame It On Baby is a track split into two halves and both are good, in fact I wish they had been stretched out to full songs but they turn out fine here ultimately. While I wish the transition was less awkward between the first and second halves I do find myself remembering this track more fondly than most of the album. The best song on the album is obviously Nasty. The track is absolutely filthy in the best way and I love it. DaBaby and Megan Thee Stallion trade off some very dirty bars that will make you blush as much as they make you want to dance and Ashanti of all people handles the sensual hook and a sexy bridge if her own. The pairing is perfect next to Megan and Baby's raunchy sexuality and the song is the most obvious glaring highlight.
It has never been clearer than on Blame It On Baby that DaBaby is coasting. He is clearly riding the sound that made him famous without much effort going into the songwriting and the results suffer as a result. While I didn't particularly enjoy either of the album he put out last year this one may be even more derivative and if not for the record stumbling into a handful of highlights I might already be finished with my interest in DaBaby's sound. 4/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
Composition is classic and the placement of the advisory is cool. But like what the hell is this styling? 4/10
For more trap music check out my review of Don Toliver's Heaven Or Hell here
Or check out more DaBaby with my review of KIRK here
