DaBaby & Lil Wayne, Lonely | Track Review 

DaBaby showcases some vulnerable moments on “Lonely,” his collaborative single with Lil Wayne, but remains true to self, which is polarizing. 

“A

in’t no love at the top, just a lonely nigga.” Your mouth can get you into serious trouble.  That’s exactly what happened to Grammy-nominated rapper DaBaby, who hurt his wallet after, frankly, saying some “Dumb Shit” to quote Tyrese (featuring Snoop Dogg). Basically, he found himself cancelled – at least, for a time – due to insensitive remarks regarding AIDS and blatant homophobia.  His hurtful words, sadly, represent a larger problem within rap.  Focusing on the collaborative single at hand with Lil Wayne, “Lonely”, Does he atone for his sins, or at least, divert some attention from himself after being naughty? Well…

DaBaby could be considered prolific given the amount of music he releases – he stays ‘on the grind.’  The question is, does the quality match the quantity? No. “Lonely” has its moments, and certainly falls in line with what the rapper’s released throughout his career, but I’d characterize him as hit or miss.  You can always depend on that fast, energetic flow, sometimes throwing a few too many words together to impress.  You can also depend on a reference to sex:

“She pulled my dick out, hit her on the dresser
We fucked my aggression out
She like a pretzel how I fold her up and put it in her
She fuckin’ aa lonely nigga that’s a killer, nigga.”

Charming. His masculine tone is a win, though worth noting he does ‘soften’ a bit on lonely, reflecting on the suicide of brother (“As if I got a reason to act like I’m lonely, I saw my brother laid out with his brains blown out”). As for Lil Wayne, he’s true to self. Case in point: “Fuck her by myself, fuck her with the homies.”

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Final Thoughts

So, how does “Lonely” stack up? It’s okay, but nothing groundbreaking.  I feel for DaBaby given the tragedy that occurred with the death of his brother. Does “Lonely” change my perspective on him as a person or as a rapper? Not really, particularly with the empty sex references, which take away from the more personal bars surrounding the loss of his brother. 

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DaBaby & Lil Wayne • “Lonely” • Interscope • 9.9.21

[: Brent Faulkner, Interscope, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]

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