BLAME IT ON BABY / DaBaby / April 17, 2020
- Joshua Yoo
- Apr 28, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 13, 2020
DaBaby is known for being a consistent artist, using the same style of rap delivery, production, and songwriting on each album in his discography up to this point. And while “BLAME IT ON BABY” sees him attempting to go somewhat beyond his comfort zone sonically, there’s a lot more that doesn’t work than does. There are a few moments where DaBaby’s singing and different flows work to his advantage, with solid melodies in the chorus that add a lot to his usual fast-paced flow (“FIND MY WAY”). However, most of these creative risks end up sounding awkward and unpleasant, where either his singing (“SAD SH*T”) or choice of instrumentation (“BLAME IT ON BABY”) are way beyond his capability of pulling off well. It’s also apparent that while there is a fair amount of risk-taking involved on the album, it still largely reverts to DaBaby’s usual musical tendencies, and even in this aspect it fails to live up to his previous music. Many of the instrumentals are more hollow, minimal, and lifeless (“DROP”) than those found on previous albums, and the majority of his vocal delivery is still triplet-flow. The brightest spot on this album is the feature list, as nearly every feature fits perfectly with the tone of their respective song and adds a necessary change in style. This album is a good indicator of an open and creative mindset that should benefit DaBaby for the future, but it also shows it’ll take time for him to figure new styles out, as this mixed bag of experiments didn’t really pan out.
Best Track(s): ROCKSTAR, LIGHTSKIN SH*T, FIND MY WAY
Lowlight(s): CHAMPION, SAD SH*T, BLAME IT ON BABY
SCORE: 4/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83xBPCw5hh4
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