DaBaby, Blame it On Baby | Album Review

Continuing to ride the wave, DaBaby returns with his third studio album, Blame it on Baby, which has some notable moments.

When there is a wave to ride, you ride it! That seems to be the philosophy of “SUGE” hitmaker DaBaby (Jonathan Kirk) who has shown no signs of slowing down.  In 2019, he released two hit albums – his debut, Baby on Baby and his sophomore album, KIRK.  Before the abrupt release of his third studio album, Blame it on Baby in 2020, he farted on us with “SHUT UP” (which didn’t make the album), and the brief “Find My Way”, which ends up on the 34 minute project. While Blame it on Baby isn’t a game changing LP in the least, it has some notable, truly entertaining moments.

“Can’t Stop”

“Bitch, it ain’t no stoppin’ no nigga like me,” DaBaby boasts on opener ✓ “Can’t Stop,” which is pretty familiar territory for the rapper.  As usual, his flow is electrifying, even if he utters nothing the least bit profound.  On another bitchin’ line, excerpted from the cocky and confident first verse, Kirk informs us, “Bitch, you know I turn piss into lemonade.”  It’s outlandish and over the top mind you, but it’s a respectable if ‘tried and true’ start for the rapper.  Foreign Teck, JW Lucas, and Lostheproducer ‘stitch up’ the track.

“Can’t Stop” not only lacked profundity, but also failed to reach three minutes in duration.  The next pair of cuts are even shorter, failing to reach the two-minute mark! While ✓ “Pick Up” is particularly skinny, its energy is undeniable.  DJ Kid provides potent trap production, set in a minor key, with a knocking beat.  It’s a perfect complement to the dizzying flow of DaBaby, as well as featured guest, Quavo.  Nothing brand-new comes of it, but hey, we get a certified banger albeit brief.  “Lightskin Shit” is also ‘lite’ in length and substance, but the Future and jetsonmade assisted joint is entertaining enough.  The big criticism? Kirk’s lack of innovation.  Honestly, you could say the same of a collaborator like Future, who seems past the more innovative phase of his career at this point.

“Talk About It”

“My uncles taught a nigga how to hustle / My mama taught me how to use a rubber / I was six years old tryna sell a nigga candy / All I knew was how to get the money…” Wow! ✓ “Talk About It” keeps things south of three minutes, which is pro – again, who believes DaBaby is a profound songwriter? Regardless, “Talk About It” benefits from another banging backdrop (Wheezy and Nils), being chocked full of confidence, and dropping an agile, ferocious flow. The chorus is quite catchy, and while Kirk’s cockiness is eye-roll worthy, it’s also part of his charm.

The lengthiest song of Blame it on Baby ends up being “Sad Shit,” and yet, it maintains brevity, just running past three-and-a-half minutes.  While I wouldn’t necessarily characterize “Sad Shit” being innovative per se, contextually, it does find DaBaby expanding his script slightly.  Noticeably, he incorporates more melodic moments (the chorus) alongside his straightforward, unpitched rhymes (verses).

“Find My Way”

On advance single “Find My Way”, DaBaby continues to show off his agile flow, jam-packed with lyrics.  If he were to rap slower with fewer words, I think we’d all be shocked.  Interestingly, he raps over a backdrop where ‘urban guitar’ leads the charge.  Again, like the more melodic moments that grace “Sad Shit,” this is a bit, un-DaBaby like… No worries, “Find My Way” is still anchored by a punchy, trunk rattling, southern rap beat, if against gentler production work overall.

What isn’t surprising is the fact that he raps about sex, asserting on the second verse, “Ooh, I let her ride again / She spread her legs and open up, I end up slidin’ in…” While he does veer away from the universal three letter word temporarily, for the most part, ‘it’s goin’ down.’ “Find My Way” is okay in the big scheme of things, but certainly won’t change your life. He gets a decent chorus, I suppose, if you’re not totally annoyed or offended by his selfishness and objectification: “I fuck with her to ease my mind, ‘cause I been in my feelings” or “And I’m sittin’ here with the car in park while she ride dick to my song.”

DaBaby enlists “The Box” hitmaker Roddy Ricch on “Rockstar,” another rare cut that extends beyond three minutes.  This is another more melodic performance, adding some pop and R&B sensibilities.  No worries, as SethInTheKitchen ensures the production is anchored by trunk rattling drums.  Even with a sense of melody under his belt, Kirk isn’t soft – he’s riskier and more reckless if possible:

“Let’s go
Brand new Lamborghini, fuck a cop car
With the pistol on my hip like I’m a cop
Have you ever met a real nigga rock star?
This ain’t no guitar, bitch, this a Glock.”

“Jump”

✓ “Jump” marks the second of three songs from Blame it On Baby that runs at least three-and-a-half minutes.  It’s worth the extra seconds, arriving as one of the better moments from the album.  Assisted by YoungBoy Never Broke Again, “Jump” is a straight-up banger that doesn’t seek to tweak the formula.  One of my favorite lines: “I make it jump like I’m Giannis (just honest).” He takes a victory lap on “Champion,” which is anchored by massive drums courtesy of DJ Kid and Tom French. All of the production is quite lovely, with Kirk feeling himself during its entirety, asserting at one point, “I provide with the emic off dancin’ (Like Mike) / I’m a star and I’m moonwalkin’.” Give him some credit for the “R.I.P. Kobe” line though.  #Black Mamba.

Despite the fact that his “Voice kinda fucked up for this one,” DaBaby soldiers on with “Drop,” featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie and London On Da Track.  Naturally, with Boogie as a collaborator, it’s not surprising that “Drop” ends up being melodic.  The results are merely so-so by my estimations – this is a song I envision myself skipping more often than not.

“Blame it on Baby”

Where “Drop” is forgettable, ✓ “Blame it On Baby” is totally unforgettable, regardless whether you like the song or not.  Why? DaBaby is more creative here, delivering one of the true WTF moments of Blame it on Baby.  What makes “Blame it on Baby” so interesting is the fact that the beat switches and he, likewise, switches up flows.  Maybe this two-minute-plus joint works and maybe it doesn’t in the big scheme of things, but this represents one of the moments where I appreciate Kirk thinking forward. 

The best moment of Blame it On Baby, hands down, is also the nastiest – like pornographic nasty! ✓ “Nasty,” the penultimate cut, certainly lives up to its name. DaBaby is freaky AF here – quite X-rated in his sexual endeavors. “She know I’m nasty / She like it when I pull it out and I put it all over her ass cheeks,” he raps on the first verse, later adding, “I take both her legs and I put ‘em behind her head like she a pretzel / Then I pick her up and slam her down on her head like I’m a wrestler…” Woah, Nelly! Perhaps ‘she’ does indeed benefit, but we don’t really know until Megan Thee Stallion puts her two cents in about the level of pleasure on the equally filthy second verse:

“Quit talking that shit, when I drop that pin, come drop that dick
He deep in them covers, this pussy like butter, he put it in damn near nutted
…I put one leg on the headboard and leave the other leg on the mattress
Look down at him while he smackin’ get them headshots like a actress.”

Smackin’ – OMG! There’s more filth from DaBaby, who segues into a third verse, which includes exercise: “I’m doing my push-ups in that pussy.” Yes, absolutely TF “Nasty.”  The classiest part of the songs arrives courtesy of Ashanti, whose 2002 R&B hit, “Baby” is sampled.  The album closes out with “Amazing Grace” and Kirk’s spirituality is questionable.  That said, who am I to judge? “A nigga barely read the scripture, but I’m spiritual (Let’s go) / Seven-figure nigga, thank you, God, it’s a miracle (Okay).”

Final Thoughts 

So, what does one make of Blame it on Baby? All in all, DaBaby serves up his fair share of entertaining and enjoyable moments.  Is this an album that’s incredibly profound or life changing by any means? No, but I don’t even get the impression that that’s Kirk’s intent. It’s definitely flawed and imperfect, but I’d argue there’s enough here at least to give a temporary buzz, while the song “Nasty” is an absolutely filthy gem. 

✓ Gems: “Can’t Stop,” “Pick Up,” “Talk About It,” “Jump,” “Blame it On Baby” & “Nasty”

DaBaby • Blame it on Baby • Interscope • Release: 4.17.20

Photo Credit: Interscope