Rap’s most exciting new prospect, Lil Baby, continues his momentum with ‘My Turn’, which arrives as he transitions from any old rapper and into a Grammy-nominated, 12-times Platinum artist. You can’t deny Lil Baby’s star power as he constantly puts out well-received bangers such as ‘Woah’, his third number one single on the Billboard Hot 100.
His second studio album, ‘My Turn’, is a 20-track stream-athon. Things start off a little slow and dreary: Lil Baby’s known for an auto-tuned baritone that cruises over trap beats, but the Atlantan sounds washed out on the first couple of songs. He pulls it back, though, with Future collaboration ‘Live Off My Closet’. It was only a matter of time that the two stars recorded a song together, and as Baby finally picks up the pace he shows off his ability to flow on beat; he’s not being the musical sloth the first few songs here suggested.
But Future isn’t the only feature he has up his sleeve: Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug and Lil Wayne all pop up. On ‘Forever’, Lil Wayne reminds us why his drowsy, sloppy mumbling is rapidly going out of style; Lil Baby, on the other hand, storms through to save the song. Tapping into stereotypical trap braggadocio, he raps about the affluent lifestyle, but reaffirms his roots and his mob ties: “I don’t know if they think I’m sweet because I’m rappin‘ / But fuck ‘em, we get active”.
There are plenty of club-ready tracks on ‘My Turn’, too. ‘Gang Signs’ sees lil Baby adopt the energetic sound of New Orleans bounce, all ready for Magic City. But the track ‘No Sucker’ – featuring Megan Thee Stallion’s ex, Moneybagg Yo – takes a knockabout tone before Baby points out a serious matter in the rap community. “How you get it ‘fore it even come out? (Cash)”. He has been burned before by leaks (the disappointing ‘Forever’ made its way online in January), so he knows how much it hurts.
Only two years after his debut, Lil Baby is still the talk of the town – if not the world. And despite being a record of two halves, ‘My Turn’ is an enjoyable collection of tracks for his loyal fans. He would do well, though, to stay away from the whiny sounds and rap with a little bit more clarity.
