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For the Venom song, see Prime Evil (album).
Harder Than Ever
Studio album by
Lil Baby
ReleasedMay 18, 2018 (2018-05-18)
Genre
Length51:16
Label
Producer
Lil Baby chronology
Too Hard
(2017) 		Harder Than Ever
(2018) 		Drip Harder
(2018)
Singles from Harder Than Ever
  1. "Southside"
    Released: May 8, 2018
  2. "Yes Indeed"
    Released: May 15, 2018

Harder Than Ever is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil Baby. It was released on May 18, 2018 by 4 Pockets Full, Wolfpack Music Group, Quality Control Music, Motown and Capitol Records.[1] The album features guest appearances from Starlito, Drake, Moneybagg Yo, Gunna, Young Thug, Offset, Lil Uzi Vert, and Hoodrich Pablo Juan. It also features production from Southside, Wheezy, Tay Keith, Quay Global and Turbo, among others.[2]

Singles

The album's lead single, "Southside", was released for digital download on May 8, 2018, along with the music video.[3] The song was produced by Southside. The music video was directed by Edgar Esteves.[4]

The album's second single, "Yes Indeed" with Drake, was released on May 15, 2018.[5] The song was produced by Wheezy.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
HipHopDX3.7/5[7]
HotNewHipHop89%[8]
Pitchfork6.6/10[9]

Harder Than Ever was met with generally positive reviews. At Album of the Year, the album received an average score of 70 out of 100, based on two reviews.[10]

Evan Rytlewski at Pitchfork gave the album mixed a review giving it 6.6 out of 10. Although he ended describing Lil Baby's debut, "Technically impressive: polished, efficient, but also kind of nondescript". He also stated that "Baby’s rapping isn’t any flashier than his fashion sense. He rhymes in a tuneful, half-sung stream of thought, sort of like a more nuanced Rich Homie Quan. On a purely technical level, he’s impressive."[9]

Commercial performance

Harder Than Ever debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 71,000 album-equivalent units (including 6,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week.[11] This became Lil Baby's first US top ten debut on the chart.[11] In its second week, the album dropped to number seven on the chart, earning an additional 45,000 units.[12] In its third week, the album dropped to number nine on the chart, moving 37,000 more units.[13] In its fourth week, the album remained at number nine, earning 34,000 units, bringing its four-week total to 184,000 album-equivalent units.[14] As of December 2018, the album has earned 717,000 album-equivalent units in the US.[15] On February 28, 2020, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over a million units in the United States.[16]

Track listing

Harder Than Ever track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
Quay Global1:33
2."Spazz"
  • Southside
  • Bobby Raps[a]
1:48
3."I'm Straight"
  • Jones
  • Rosser
Quay Global3:12
4."Exotic" (featuring Starlito)
Tay Keith2:42
5."Yes Indeed" (with Drake)
2:22
6."Leaked"
  • Jones
  • Rosser
  • Sheldon Ferguson
Quay Global3:12
7."Bank" (featuring Moneybagg Yo)
3:06
8."Cash"
  • Jones
  • Rosser
Quay Global3:18
9."Southside"
  • Jones
  • Luellen
  • Southside
  • Max Lord[a]
2:53
10."Throwing Shade" (featuring Gunna)
Quay Global3:12
11."First Class"
  • Jones
  • Rosser
Quay Global3:21
12."Right Now" (featuring Young Thug)
London on da Track3:25
13."Life Goes On" (featuring Gunna and Lil Uzi Vert)
Quay Global4:07
14."Transporter" (featuring Offset)
DJ Durel3:33
15."Fit In"
  • Jones
  • Isaac Bynum
Earl the Pearll3:33
16."Boss Bitch" (featuring Hoodrich Pablo Juan)
  • Jones
  • Sterling Pennix
  • Rosser
Quay Global2:44
17."Never Needed No Help"
  • Jones
  • Bynum
Earl the Pearll3:15
Total length:51:16

Notes

Personnel

Technical

  • Quay Global – recording (tracks 1–4, 6, 8, 9, 13, 16)
  • Turbo – recording (track 7)
  • Tony Wilson – additional editing (all tracks)
  • Mattazik Muzik – recording (tracks 10–12, 14, 15, 17)
  • Michael "MikFly" Dottin – mixing (tracks 1–4, 6–17)
  • Noah "40" Shebib – mixing (track 5)
  • Colin Leonard – mastering (all tracks)

Charts

Certifications

Sales certifiations for Harder Than Ever
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[28] Gold 40,000‡
United States (RIAA)[29] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Harder Than Ever by Lil Baby". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  2. ^ Goddard, Kevin (May 17, 2018). "Lil Baby's "Harder Than Ever" To Feature Drake, Offset, Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert & More". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  3. ^ "Southside - Single by Lil Baby". iTunes Store (US). 8 May 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  4. ^ Berry, Peter A. (May 8, 2018). "Lil Baby Hits the Block in New "Southside" Video". XXL. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  5. ^ "Yes Indeed - Single by Lil Baby". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  6. ^ Goddard, Kevin (May 14, 2018). "Lil Baby & Drake Officially Release "Yes Indeed" On iTunes & Other Streaming Platforms". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  7. ^ Draughorne, Kenan (May 31, 2018). "Lil Baby Validates His Buzz With Debut "Harder Than Ever". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  8. ^ Chintaluri, Narsimha (May 23, 2018). "Lil Baby "Harder Than Ever" Review". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Evan Rytlewski (May 23, 2018). "Lil Baby: Harder Than Ever Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  10. ^ "Lil Baby – Harder Than Ever – Reviews". Album of the Year. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Lil Baby's 'Harder Than Ever' Debuts at No. 2 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart". Billboard.
  12. ^ "Shawn Mendes Scores Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard.
  13. ^ "Kanye West Earns Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Ye'". Billboard.
  14. ^ "Kids See Ghosts & Dierks Bentley Debut in Top 3 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard.
  15. ^ "HITS Daily Double : Rumor Mill - 2018 TOP 50 ALBUMS". HITS Daily Double.
  16. ^ "RIAA Certifications - Lil Baby". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  17. ^ "BMI | Repertoire Search". repertoire.bmi.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  18. ^ "Lil Baby Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lil Baby – Harder Than Ever" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  20. ^ "Lil Baby Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  21. ^ "Lil Baby Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  22. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  23. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  24. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  25. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  26. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  27. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  28. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Lil Baby – Harder Than Ever". Music Canada.
  29. ^ "American album certifications – Lil Baby – Harder Than Ever". Recording Industry Association of America.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harder_Than_Ever

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