North Carolina rapper
DaBaby rocketed from up-and-comer status directly into the pop culture mainstream somewhere around the release of his 2019 major-label debut,
Baby on Baby. A combination of irreverent charm, charismatic swagger, and raw talent for energetic flows gelled on singles like "Suge," and took
DaBaby to viral success. In just over a year since
Baby on Baby brought
DaBaby legions of new listeners, he moved at a staggering pace, releasing second studio album
Kirk six months later, appearing in countless features on other artists' tracks, and then issuing third album
Blame It on Baby roughly seven months after the appearance of
Kirk. Over the course of
Blame It on Baby's 13 tracks,
DaBaby falls back on his formula approach for the most part, but he also tries some new styles. Pushy trap beats and high-energy flows full of confidence, lighthearted bragging, and humor are what
DaBaby is known best for, and those elements make up tracks like "Jump," "Pick Up," and "Can't Stop."
Ashanti and
Megan Thee Stallion show up for top-notch X-rated sex rhymes and a slick vocal hook on the appropriately titled "Nasty." All of this is business as usual, but
DaBaby switches from rapping to singing on more emotionally driven songs like "Rockstar" and "Drop." The standout production of "Find My Way" makes for an interesting instrumental, and this track's hybrid of singing and rapping allows a new perspective on
DaBaby's charismatic lyricism. ~ Fred Thomas