Two albums in one year. One great, one really good. I guess that’s what it takes to make it in the rap game, “like crack cocaine in the ’80s,” DaBaby says on the intro to his second album, Kirk. Music is a clear consumable in this spotify era, and longevity isn’t even part of the master plan anymore.
DaBaby’s first album, Baby on Baby, was hilarious and tight–and still tough. But the emphasis was on humor. DaBaby’s huge smile graced the cover, and he rapped about fucking baby sitters and robbing joggers. And most of the tracks were just him. With his second album, the cover art is a father/son picture, domestic and humble. No swagger. And he’s got a lot more guest stars–big names like Nicki Minaj and Kevin Gates, Chance the Rapper and Gucci Mane, as well as some of the rapper’s friends from the first album like Stunna 4 Vegas. Now he’s rapping about being a millionaire, buying boats, flying in private planes, having a chauffeur (“’cause I don’t like to drive”) and running for president (seriously!). And, yeah, he’s still rapping about sex. Lots of rapping about sex. And it’s still funny.
He’s set his sights on higher targets now–which is understandable. His debut album was a monster hit. Now he’s a big name rapper. He basically took in 6 months the same street-raps-about-crime-to-being-a-multi-millionaire trajectory that took Jay-Z 20 years.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens next.
