DaBaby, BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE) | Album Review 💿

With the deluxe version of BLAME IN ON BABY, which arrives four months after its initial release, DaBaby doesn’t move the needle.

So, in 2020, everybody is jumping on the deluxe edition train. There’s nothing wrong with releasing a deluxe edition if the original version of the album is worthwhile.  I don’t even necessarily take issue with releasing an expanded edition of a mediocre album IF the deluxe improves upon the original.  Personally, I found BLAME IT ON BABY, the third studio by Grammy-nominated rapper DaBaby to be so-so at its best.  Was it an album that needed an expanded version? Not in my opinion, and after listening to the deluxe, which adds 11 tracks, I’m still not convinced it was necessary 💯. 

“Billboard Baby” 

On “Billboard Baby,” the big takeaway from DaBaby is the fact that he’s releasing the deluxe – genius, right? Ugh.  As usual, this the often-too-confident rapper being cocky AF, dropping bars with very little significant.  To express how ridiculous the opener is, on the sole verse, Baby shares, “My favorite song on here is probably ‘PEEP HOLE’.” I don’t agree. Anyways, he follows “Billboard Baby” with “PRACTICE,” which features agile, masculine rhymes over minimalist trap production courtesy of Sean Da Firzt.   The end result on this brief number is that it’s okay but nothing game changing, groundbreaking, or show stopping.  I’ll give him credit for the lyric, “I always had a thing for ghetto bitches, where the Trinas? / I’m known to set it off like Queen Latifah.”

On to DaBaby’s favorite song, “PEEP HOLE.” “PEEP HOLE” has its pros. Quay Global stitches up a banging backdrop – the rhythmic beat and choral synths are pretty sweet.  As always, the agility by the rapper is impressive, and his energy is lofty – he’s clearly geeked here.  The melodic nature of his performance works, with the chorus being respectable.  Even with the pros, I still don’t leave “PEEP HOLE” feeling like I was wowed by the “Grammy-nominated hitmaker” though.

“BLIND” 

✓ “BLIND” is the first song from the deluxe version that feels like there’s hit potential.  Here, DaBaby gets the assist from Young Thug who always brings some intrigue and quirkiness to the track. “BLIND” doesn’t ‘go hard’ like the opening trio, opting for more of a pop, contemporary R&B vibe. Even so, we get more of the same for Baby – animated, in your face rhymes.  His best moment comes by way of the chorus, which is an instant hit:

“I just got the key, they let me in, no ID
Doors openin’ up for me and now I see
I’ve been blind for a while now
I’ve been blind for a while now.”

Young Thug gets in on this chorus as well, after he drops a colorful, honest second verse (“I’ve been quarantined, livin’ with my kiddies / Tryna teach me how to cha-cha, whoa”).

“NO DRIBBLE”

Next to “BLIND,” the other big triumph of the deluxe is ✓ “NO DRIBBLE” alongside Stunna 4 Vegas. As is the case with BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE), the wheel is not reinvented in the least. Transcendence can’t be found, nor should it be expected.  This is a banger and nothing more.  SVNDS and Retro Future give DaBaby bangin’ production for this banger.  He sets the tone with the tough chorus, filled with those acrobatic rhymes. His confidence is through the roof as always. After the chorus, we get a verse characterized by sex and drip.  As usual, he talks about his dick and how it will be serviced – “Make a TikTok on the dick, she official.” Stunna 4 Vegas devotes his energy to violence and sex mostly.  There’s nothing particularly charming about “We fill him with lead, he a pencil ✏.” That said, Stunna might have the best line of the whole song when he raps, “I swing that stick like Wayne Gretzky.” Of course, we’re not talking about a hockey stick 🏒, but rather the ‘D,” which he “put…on her then hit her bestie.”

“GO” 

“GO,” another brief number is quite busy.  While the bright production with its xylophone synths is appreciated, as is DaBaby’s energy, it’s just ‘a bit much.’  This is one of those instances where I’d like to hear the flow a bit slower, so we actually absorb everything being served up.  “TROUBLE” keeps things under three minutes, and opts for more of a melodic, pop-based approached.  Both the versatility and potential of the rapper actually show here – trap soul Baby! The chorus is one of the better ones, with the lyric, “Don’t know why I ever fucked without a rubber” shining in all its ‘refined’ glory, 😂. FINESSE.

If nothing else, on “CALL IT EVEN,” we get the memorable, if random lyrical gem, “My cougar thirty-six years old, when she ride around, she got the nina.” Good to know, I suppose. Following that random minute-and-a-half, we get the ‘superstar collaboration’ “TLC” with Gunna. Okay, I’m being sarcastic AF.  Here, DaBaby continues to have a penchant for lengthy choruses, something I feel like hurts the catchiness and memorability at times.  Anyways, “TLC” is a ‘love-driven’ joint.  It’s the second longest deluxe addition aside from the “ROCKSTAR [BLM REMIX]” that appears at the very end. “GO FIRST” appears as the 10^th deluxe cut, before the original album arrives. Here, he spits ‘fire’ with Rich Dunk and Stunna 4 Vegas over a minimalist trap beat by Hitmaka and Chrishan.  If nothing else, the energy is turned TF up, and that counts for something.

“Can’t Stop”

“Bitch, it ain’t no stoppin’ no nigga like me,” DaBaby boasts on ✓ “Can’t Stop,” familiar territory for the rapper.  As usual, his flow is electrifying, even if he lacks profundity.  On another bitchin’ line, Kirk informs us, “Bitch, you know I turn piss into lemonade.”  It’s outlandish and over the top, but ‘tried and true’ for the rapper.  Foreign Teck, JW Lucas, and Lostheproducer ‘stitch up’ the track.

“Can’t Stop” kept it short, and the next pair of cuts are even shorter. ✓ “Pick Up” is skinny, but the 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 Quavo.  Nothing brand-new comes of it, but it’s a banger. “Lightskin Shit” is also ‘lite’ in length and substance, but the Future and jetsonmade assisted joint is entertaining.  The big criticism is the lack of innovation.

“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” benefits from another banging backdrop (Wheezy and Nils), being chocked full of confidence, and that signature agile, ferocious flow. The chorus is quite catchy, and while Kirk’s cockiness is eye-roll worthy, it’s also part of his charm. While I wouldn’t necessarily characterize “Sad Shit” as being innovative, contextually, it does find DaBaby expanding his script incorporating more melodic moments (the chorus) alongside his straightforward, un-pitched rhymes (verses). 

On “Find My Way”, DaBaby continues showing off his flow, jam-packed with lyrics. Interestingly, he raps over a backdrop where ‘urban guitar’ leads the charge.  Perhaps a bit ‘un-DaBaby like,’ “Find My Way” is still anchored by a punchy, trunk rattling, southern rap beat. What’s not surprising is the fact that he raps about sex. While he does veer away from the universal three letter word temporarily, for the most part, ‘it’s goin’ down.’ He gets a decent chorus, 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.”

“Rockstar” 

DaBaby enlists Roddy Ricch on the dominant no. 1 hit ✓ “Rockstar.” This is another more melodic performance, adding 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,” like “Rockstar,” marks one of the better, more memorable moments. Assisted by YoungBoy Never Broke Again, it’s a straight-up banger that doesn’t seek to tweak the formula.  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 asserting at one point, “I provide with the mic off dancin’ (Like Mike) / I’m a star and I’m moonwalkin’.” Give him some credit for the “R.I.P. Kobe” line though.

“Drop”

Despite his “Voice [being] kinda fucked up for this one,” he soldiers on with “Drop,” featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie and London On Da Track. The results are merely so-so; this is a song I envision myself skipping more often than not. Where “Drop” is forgettable, ✓ “Blame it On Baby” is totally unforgettable. DaBaby is more creative here, delivering one of the true WTF moments.  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.

Even with the deluxe considered, ✓ “Nasty,” still might be the crowning achievement of BLAME IT ON BABY. It’s certainly the nastiest – pornographic nasty! “DaBaby is freaky AF here – X-rated. “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…” Perhaps ‘she’ does indeed benefit, but we don’t really know until Megan Thee Stallion puts her two cents in, equally filthy on the 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.”

There’s further filth from DaBaby, while the classiest part of the songs arrives courtesy of Ashanti, whose 2002 R&B hit, “Baby” is sampled.  “Amazing Grace” becomes the new penultimate cut on the deluxe, with Kirk’s spirituality definitely being questionable.  That said, who am I to judge?  As aforementioned “ROCKSTAR [BLM REMIX]” concludes, once more featuring Roddy Ricch.

Final Thoughts 

So, does adding 11 tracks change the trajectory of BLAME IT ON BABY? Not really. While some of the additional tracks are enjoyable (“BLIND” and “NO DRIBBLE” primarily), there’s nothing I couldn’t ultimately pass up. BLAME IT ON BABY certainly has enough entertaining and enjoyable moments but still lacks profundity.

✓ Gems: “BLIND,” “NO DRIBBLE,” “Can’t Stop,” “Pick Up,” “Talk About It,” “Rockstar,” “Jump,” “Blame it On Baby” & “Nasty”

DaBaby • Blame it on Baby • Interscope • Release: 8.7.20

Photo Credit: Interscope