Having been under the tutelage of trap king Young Thug for nearly a decade – with some help from certified hitmakers like Drake and Migos – Lil Baby’s gritty street anthems solidified him as one of trap biggest stars. His second album, 2020’s ‘My Turn’, saw the Atlanta rapper soar to new heights, providing a hustler’s guide to hitting the big time. Though, since the dismal performance of his last album ‘It’s Only Me’, along with a tour that underperformed, Baby has been at a crossroads – and it seems like he’s taken the wrong path on his fourth album, ‘WHAM’ (short for ‘Who Hard As Me’).
‘WHAM’ certainly starts strong. The soaring strings on opener ‘Listen Up’ conjure up the cinematic grandeur of a hero’s welcome – unfortunately, this anthemic vibe soon fades. Take ‘Dum, Dumb and Dumber’ for example, where Baby teams up with Future and Thug to boast about being “hustleholics” with the flashiest cars, shiniest jewellery and fattest racks of cash: Thugger’s hungry (this is his first verse since being released from prison) and Future is as commanding as ever. Baby’s verse, however, is subpar, like a shell of the go-getter he once was.
Remnants of that hustler mentality do appear throughout the record, especially on motivating mood-boosters ‘F U 2X’, ‘Due 4A Win’ and ‘Free Promo’. ‘Say Twin’ is a fun tune to hype you and your ride-or-die up before any blockbuster-worthy mission, and ‘Drugs Talkin’ is one of the rare spots where Baby balances a poignant tale about his struggles with vices and an infectious flow, making it an earworm.
Most of the features are great, too. The best one is the Travis Scott-assisted ‘Stuff’: it hits all three M’s of trap – moody, melodic and menacing – with a hint of nostalgic spaced-out synths, throwing it all the way back to 2015. In addition, ‘Redbone’ with GloRilla is a witty anthem for situationships, and 21 Savage remains ominous – even throws in a cryptic line on the whole Drake-Kendrick beef – on ‘Outfit’: “Brought Drac’ with me and it know kung fu.”
But, for the most part, the grit that once defined Baby is gone. On ‘So Sorry’, Baby yearns for a love he can’t fully commit to but can’t let us forget he’s “with some known killers”. It’s hard to buy into his introspection when he’s tethered to his hardened image. The closest song to Baby’s old ways is the closing track, ‘Streets Colder’. Despite the story of him making it out “the trap” feels stale, Baby’s emotional weight shines through – giving a detailed look into his psyche as “a product of poverty” who made it big.
There was plenty of potential for ‘WHAM’ to be a trap masterpiece – but potential alone can’t create a legacy. The production (by Wheezy, ATLJacob and others) laid a solid foundation for Baby to make a few hits, but the record is nothing to write home about. Musically, it’s on the level of ‘My Turn’ – perhaps with a little more finesse – but fame pulls him further from the relentless drive that once propelled him to stardom.
