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"Baby"
Single by Quality Control, Lil Baby and DaBaby
from the album Control the Streets, Volume 2
ReleasedJuly 17, 2019 (2019-07-17)
Recorded2019
GenreTrap[1]
Length2:22
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Wheezy
Quality Control Music singles chronology
"Fuck Dat Nigga"
(2018) 		"Baby"
(2019) 		"Intro"
(2019)
Lil Baby singles chronology
"Out the Mud"
(2019) 		"Baby"
(2019) 		"Mac 10"
(2019)
DaBaby singles chronology
"Duck Sauce"
(2019) 		"Baby"
(2019) 		"Gucci Bag Latina"
(2019)
Music video
"Baby" on YouTube

"Baby" is a song released by American record label Quality Control, performed by American rappers Lil Baby and DaBaby. The song was released through Quality Control Music, Motown, and Universal Music Group (UMG). It was produced by Wheezy and released on July 17, 2019 as a single off of QC's second studio album, Control the Streets, Volume 2 (2019).[2] The song received acclaim from critics, with particular praise for DaBaby's verse. The song's official video features Lil Baby and DaBaby portraying characters from the movie Scarface.

Lyrics

In the song, Lil Baby references fellow Atlanta rapper, Bankroll Fresh, who was murdered in 2016. He claims that though he has become a millionaire he still spends time in the "projects".[3] He raps his rags-to-riches come-up from a third-person perspective with an "infectious hook". The word "baby" is said a total of 37 times throughout the 2 and a half-minute track.[4]

Critical reception

"Baby" received acclaim from music critics. HipHopDX called the collaboration "a match made in heaven",[5] and in their album review, commended Wheezy's production as "magical stepping stones for Lil Baby to lay his verse as he boasts about still hanging out in the projects and DaBaby smashes on the beat equally, while both maintain their own unique way of rhyming".[6] Robert Blair of HotNewHipHop ranked DaBaby's verse on the song as his fifth best of 2019, noting how Lil Baby "handles the more melodic facets of the track" while DaBaby "comes through with a gripping verse that makes audacious claims of 'Baby gettin' jiggy, on stage with the Glizzy/Baby CEO, he shake the game like he Diddy'".[7] SPIN magazine's Israel Daramola described the track as "a quaint record that delivers on its promise of showcasing all the two Babys have to offer us",[8] while Christoper R. Weingarten, in review of the song's parent album, recommended it as a go-to-track, from "two of the most important rappers of 2019" and labelled it as "something that may portend rap's near future".[9]

Music video

The music video was released on August 13, 2019, three days before the release of the album. It shows Lil Baby & DaBaby in scenes from the movie Scarface.[10] As February 2021 the video has over 100 million views.

Commercial performance

The song debuted at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, and eventually rose to number 21 off of the release of the album and the music video.

Live performances

Lil Baby and DaBaby performed the song at the 2019 BET Hip-Hop Awards, where DaBaby also won the award for Best New Artist.[11]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (July 17, 2019). "Lil Baby & DaBaby – "Baby"". Stereogum. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  2. ^ Daramola, Israel (July 17, 2019). "Lil Baby & DaBaby – "Baby"". Spin. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  3. ^ Saponara, Michael (July 17, 2019). "Lil Baby & DaBaby Connect for 'Baby': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  4. ^ Saponara, Michael (March 28, 2020). "Lil Baby's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  5. ^ "Lil Baby & DaBaby - "Baby"". HipHopDX. July 22, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  6. ^ Johnson, Cherise (September 18, 2019). "Review: Quality Control's "Control The Streets Volume 2" Showcases Their Strengths". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  7. ^ Blair, Robert (November 22, 2019). "DaBaby's Top 10 Best Features Of 2019". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  8. ^ Daramola, Israel (July 17, 2019). "Lil Baby & DaBaby -"Baby"". Spin. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  9. ^ Weingarten, Christopher R. (August 21, 2019). "Quality Control's New Album is the Sound of Now, For Bad or Good". Spin. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  10. ^ "I'm Tired of Writing About Babies". Rolling Stone. 13 August 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  11. ^ Marie, Erika (October 8, 2019). "DaBaby Performs With Offset & Lil Baby At BET Hip Hop Awards". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  12. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  13. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  14. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  15. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  16. ^ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. July 19, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  17. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  18. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  19. ^ "Top 100 Songs of 2019". Rolling Stone. January 10, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  20. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  21. ^ "British single certifications – Quality Control/Baby/Dababy – Baby". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_(Quality_Control,_Lil_Baby_and_DaBaby_song)

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