DaBaby - KIRK [2019]

North Carolina has never been a traditional hot-bed for hip-hop. The biggest names from the state can be boiled down too Little Brother and J. Cole, both of whom operate in a sphere of what people would call conscious hip-hop, and most of the others who have a name from NC follow in their footsteps. DaBaby is one of the first, and undoubtedly the most popular at this point, trapper from North Carolina, Charlotte to be specific, and carrying this on his shoulders is something that he takes pride in in almost every song. For this fact alone I have respect for the man, but his unique delivery and skills on the microphone take the respect I have for DaBaby to the next level.

DaBaby turning in the bounty on 6ix9ine to the local sheriff (1872, colorized)

                DaBaby is one of the hottest emcees out right now, with albums placements on some of the highest profile releases this year from J. Cole, Post Malone, and Chance the Rapper. His own album, Baby on Baby, which contained his hit single Suge, did very well for a new mainstream arrival, and people were singing the praises of his flow, delivery, and cold-blooded lyrics. However, a lot of the same things people were giving him props for were also the same things they forsaw to be problems, in that he came with the same flows, deliveries, and lyrics consistently. Going into this new record, KIRK, and after the very personal INTRO he released as a lead single, people were expecting a new direction for DaBaby where he switches it up and shows his longevity in the genre. I think people who were expecting this will be disappointed, because INTRO is a standalone track in the listing here, while the other 12 tracks play very safely into DaBaby’s tried and true wheelhouse.

                DaBaby as a rapper is a one-trick pony; a burst-fire machine gun of a style that berates you with tight pockets of syllables one after the other with impeccably smooth flow. Obviously he’s punching in between most of said pockets, but it just rolls so well into the ear that it’s easy to overlook the logistics. There’s a ferocity behind his delivery, one that doesn’t go away whether he’s talking about blasting people at a gas-station or his daughter, which I think is the most detracting aspect of his rhyme-style and what screams “one dimensional” the loudest. On KIRK, I noticed a distinct level-up in his wordplay, coming up with some hilarious and cold-blooded metaphors and one-liners. Lyrics have never been his strong suit, as DaBaby is fairly repetitive, but there are at least standout moments on the album: as stated, INTRO has a good amount of personal content, and GOSPEL is a feel-good soul-keys-backed cut that reflects more on his Father and family, but beyond these two tracks, you’ll get your standard fare for DaBaby, with lots of sex and violence.

                The instrumentals are the biggest upgrade coming off Baby on Baby, with KIRK showcasing much more of a variety of styles and instruments, making the tracklist feel so much fuller and more fleshed out. BOP features a fantastic woodwind sample like DaBaby is a trap pied-piper, GOSPEL is positive vibe with it’s pianos and church influence, RAW SHIT is a drunk and woozy piano banger (a Migos feature was appropriate here given the instrumental is very much like one they would hop on), and TOES is nutty bird-whistling-backed banger that is the most inventive and interesting beat of the bunch. A couple of the tracks, iPHONE and POP STAR, play to a more mainstream lane of trap music, but I feel like DaBaby does well enough to overcome the laziness in production here. Despite my touting of instrumental growth, a few instrumentals feel stuck in DaBaby’s past, like OFF THE RIP which literally sounds like Suge, and the lifeless beat on XXL; I do love XXL, but I wish the beat matched the energy brought lyrically.

                Another clear level-up going from Baby on Baby to KIRK are the features, which really run a nice spread of old and new faces. Kevin Gates on POP STAR goes for the throat with his verse, which fits into the track well with it’s aggressive delivery. While I would have loved for his verse to be longer, Lil Baby plays into the weirdness of TOES’ beat fantastically, and Moneybagg Yo on the same track impressed the hell out of me. DaBaby was even able to get all three Migos, a rare accomplishment, for a decent performance, although Quavo’s verse was way too short and seemed like a throwaway. Chance and Gucci disappointed me on GOSPEL, because this instrumental is exactly the kind of sound I want Chance to stay away from so he doesn’t make a fool of himself (like he does here), and Gucci because it just felt unnecessary. The only bad feature on here in my point of view is Nicki Minaj on iPHONE, who tries to copy DaBaby’s flow to sound hard but it’s just so awkward and stunted.

                Overall, KIRK is a large step up from Baby on Baby, and, seeing as the album is gearing up to debut at #1 on the Billboard, he’s going to lean full tilt into whatever this album presents even harder going into the future. To me, this isn’t a bad thing, because what was present here impressed me, from the ever so slightly more diverse lyrical topics to the improved spread of beats across the project. I look forward to seeing where the man goes, and how many impressive placements and remixes he’ll pop up on, because I see some incredible potential.

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