DaBaby's "BLAME IT ON BABY" is an Experiment That Ultimately Comes Up Short
Coming off a year where he took the Hip-Hop world by storm, DaBaby is back with his first release in 2020 looking to continue growing his fanbase with his impressive music. After releasing two projects in 2019, titled “Baby on Baby” and “KIRK,” two things have become clear about Hip-Hop’s newest star. The first consensus is DaBaby can clearly rap and make good music however, the second consensus is his unfortunate one-dimensional discography, seemingly using the same flow and same type of beat. His fast-paced flow paired with bass dominate beats in some respects has become the sound of 2019, however, such repetitiveness can hinder the growth of a breakout new artist. However, with his new project “BLAME IT ON BABY,” it appears that DaBaby may have heard the critics, and in hopes to appease the critics as well as show his talents go far beyond his signature flow. DaBaby has a notably new tone at least according to his lone single for the project titled “FIND MY WAY.” However, will the trend of DaBaby’s experimentation continue throughout his latest release? We’ll find out on the thirteen track, 34-minute project featuring Quavo, Future, jetsonmade, Roddy Ricch, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, London On Da Track, Ashanti and Megan Thee Stallion.
Categories
The songs on this album divided into three lanes that are prevalent throughout the project and scored on a 1.5 scale. (0 = trash, .5 = not for me, 1 = good, 1.5 = a standout)
Baby Being Baby
DaBaby displays his signature flow over bass dominated beats.
• “CAN’T STOP” (.5)
• “PICK UP” ft. Quavo (.5)
• “JUMP” ft. YoungBoy Never Broke Again (.5)
Baby Scientist
DaBaby experiments with new flows over slow bass dominated beats.
• “LIGHTSKIN SH*T” ft. Future & jetsonmade (.5)
• “TALK ABOUT IT” (.5)
• “CHAMPION” (.5)
• “BLAME IT ON BABY” (1)
• “NASTY” ft. Ashanti & Megan Thee Stallion (1)
• “AMAZING GRACE” (1)
Learning How To Cadence
DaBaby experiments with his cadence over slow bass dominated beats.
• “SAD SH*T” (0)
• “FIND MY WAY” (1)
• “ROCKSTAR” ft. Roddy Ricch (1)
• “DROP” ft. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie & London on da Track (.5)
The Standouts
The songs that would give the best overview of the album as a whole. Songs that stand out for reasons to be described in the pending descriptions of the songs.
“ROCKSTAR” ft. Roddy Ricch
Produced by SethInTheKitchen, the seventh song on DaBaby’s “BLAME IT ON BABY” starts with a gentle guitar that serves as the base of the beat before the bass and high-hat mix come in to complete the beat. This is the best mix of DaBaby’s experimentation with his cadence while still staying true to his fast rapping roots. The second verse belongs to Roddy Ricch who does his thing over this calm melody.
Final Review
DaBaby’s “BLAME IT ON BABY” is a disappointing attempt at artistic growth. Overall, the project felt rushed, not much thought put into song structures or into beat selection. On songs like “SAD SH*T,” it was clear that DaBaby’s intention was to experiment however, the hook didn’t feel like a song. This is partially because of the lack of music behind the DaBaby vocals on the hook in conjunction with DaBaby’s attempt in tuning his voice. Other songs like “JUMP” and “CHAMPION” simply failed because of beat selection. The beats had too many distinct sounds, leaving no subtlety within each beat leaving the rappers to compete for attention with a few distinct and at times annoying sounds. Another notable song with potential was “DROP” featuring London on da Track, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. I personally think that “DROP” would have been better without A Boogie on it because DaBaby has a catchy tempo established before it is ruined by A Boogie’s crooning and flow. The last notable song with potential is the song after “DROP” titled “BLAME IT ON BABY.” On this song, DaBaby starts off with his signature flow over a minimal beat before the beat completely switches. Throughout the song, I count about six-beat switches throughout the whole song, with none of the beats seamlessly fitting together to make an awkward instrumental for the duration of the song. Overall, while the attempts for versatility should be applauded, “BLAME IT ON BABY,” is simply the culmination of good concepts that were poorly executed.
Scoring
Raw Score: The number of good songs on a project versus the overall amount. Songs must have a 1 or above to be counted.
Quality Score: The total amount of points accumulated over the total amount of songs.
Playback value: The resonance an album is perceived to have if played again in full. Scale out of 5.
Raw Score: 5/13
Quality Score: 8.5/13
Playback Value: 0/5
Go out and listen to DaBaby’s “BLAME IT ON BABY” wherever you listen to your music. Also, don’t forget to check out OldMilk’s Instagram page and Twitter (@Oldmilk_co) for more Hip-Hop Album Reviews, The DJ 500K Playlist, The OldMilk Radar and more! Don’t Know it? OldMilk Does!
