It's Only Me
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 14, 2022 (2022-10-14)
Length65:06
Label
Producer
Lil Baby chronology
The Voice of the Heroes
(2021)
It's Only Me
(2022)
Singles from It's Only Me
  1. "In a Minute"
    Released: April 8, 2022
  2. "Heyy"
    Released: October 10, 2022

It's Only Me is the third studio album by American rapper Lil Baby. It was released on October 14, 2022 through Quality Control Music, Motown, Wolfpack, and 4 Pockets Full. The album features guest appearances from Nardo Wick, Young Thug, Fridayy, Future, Rylo Rodriguez, Jeremih, EST Gee, and Pooh Shiesty. It was supported by two singles: "In a Minute" and "Heyy".[1][2][3]

Promotion and release

On April 8, 2022, Lil Baby released the lead single of the album "In a Minute".[4] The rapper first teased the album in August 2022 on his social media.[5] On September 2, 2022, he announced the title and release date of the album. The day also saw the release of the non-album single "Detox".[6] The cover art depicts different stages of Lil Baby's life as an allusion to Mount Rushmore. The visual serves as a response to protests over his inclusion on Mount Rushmore-murals which included him over other Atlanta rappers.[7] On October 10, 2022, he released the second single of the album, "Heyy", and revealed the tracklist.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Clash8/10[11]
NME[12]
Pitchfork5.5/10[13]
Rolling Stone[14]

It's Only Me received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 66, based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]

In a positive review, Clash wrote, "This album undoubtedly sees Lil Baby solidify his spot and reaffirm the greatness he’s presented the past few years," adding, "It captures the trials of his journey so far whilst celebrating his current success and the gross potential to do even more."[11] Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork was more mixed, writing, "Lil Baby is at his best when he's using [his] tricks to switch between moods, but there's just one on It's Only Me, and it’s indifference: not in the too-cool-to-care kind of way, but in the way when words have no weight behind them."[13]

In a review for AllMusic, it was claimed that, "Baby approaching nearly every track with repetitive flows and lyrics that feel disconnected and static. Ultimately It's Only Me sticks to the formula that's taken Lil Baby to the top, but somehow fails to communicate the personality and creative fire that was hard to miss on earlier albums."[10] Similarly, NME's Niall Smith declared that, "If the trimmings were removed from ‘It’s Only Me’, it might rival his previous releases – instead it’s a few notches shy of greatness."[12]

In a more positive review for Rolling Stone, Jayson Buford stated that, "Most of the time, Baby is in prime form here — technical enough to earn his hip-hop cred, and stylistic enough to keep the uncommon kids from feeling like he’s common. When he’s at his best, it’s best to let him gobble you whole."[14]

Commercial performance

It's Only Me debuted atop the US Billboard 200 dated October 29, 2022, earning 216,000 album-equivalent units (including 6,500 pure album sales) in its first week of availability in the United States. The album earned a total of 288.97 million official streams for its tracks, the third-highest figure for one-week streams for an album in 2022. It is Lil Baby's third US number-one album.[15]

Track listing

It's Only Me track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Real Spill"
3:18
2."Stand on It"
  • Jones
  • Joseph Nguyen
  • Matthew Robinson
  • Nico Scheidegger
  • Figurez Made It
  • Mattazik Muzik
  • Nicoonthekeys
2:46
3."Pop Out" (featuring Nardo Wick)
  • Trademark
  • ShortyyK
  • Eza
3:15
4."Heyy"
  • Jones
  • Ryan Hartlove
  • Henri Velasco
  • Leon Lightfoot III
  • Harto
  • Hoops
  • King LeeBoy
3:12
5."California Breeze"2:57
6."Perfect Timing"
  • Jones
  • Christopher Pearson
YC2:41
7."Never Hating" (with Young Thug)2:40
8."Forever" (featuring Fridayy)
  • Fridayy
  • Bizness Boi
  • Fortune
2:47
9."Not Finished"
  • DY
  • B. March
2:43
10."In a Minute"
  • Kaigoinkrazy
  • Haze
3:20
11."Waterfall Flow"
2:44
12."Everything"
2:20
13."From Now On" (featuring Future)
2:59
14."Double Down"
  • Jones
  • Lindstrom
  • Adrian Nielsen
  • Murda Beatz
  • Awavy
3:22
15."Cost to Be Alive" (with Rylo Rodriguez)
  • G1
  • Chosen 1
2:19
16."Top Priority"
  • Jones
  • Hampton Sallee III
  • Jacob Sclaver
  • DJ Champ
  • Juko
3:07
17."Danger"
  • Jones
  • Hartlove
  • Anton Gololobov
  • William Boyette
  • Harto
  • Anthony Palmer
2:31
18."Stop Playin" (featuring Jeremih)
2:37
19."FR"
  • Jones
  • Hasegawa
  • Hayes
  • Josh Coleman
  • Kaigoinkrazy
  • Haze
  • Coleman
2:55
20."Back and Forth" (with EST Gee)
Tay Keith2:01
21."Shiest Talk" (featuring Pooh Shiesty)
2:03
22."No Fly Zone"3:34
23."Russian Roulette"
  • Jones
  • Aaron Butler
  • Sajeethan Sakthivel
  • Flex on the Beat
  • Saj
2:55
Total length:65:06

Notes

  • "Stop Playin" interpolates "Flashing", performed by Smerz
  • ''Pop Out'', sometimes is labeled as by Lil Baby and Nardo Wick, but usually labeled as featuring.

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for It's Only Me
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Silver 60,000
United States (RIAA)[44] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Dionne, Zach (September 2, 2022). "Lil Baby Unleashes New Song and Video "Detox," Announces It's Only Me Album". Complex. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  2. ^ Williams, Aaron (October 10, 2022). "Everything To Know About Lil Baby's 'It's Only Me' Album". Uproxx. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Darville, Jordan (October 10, 2022). "Lil Baby Shares New Song "Heyy," reveals It's Only Me cover art and tracklist". The Fader. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  4. ^ Renshaw, David (April 8, 2022). "Lil Baby drops new songs "Right On" and "In A Minute"". The Fader. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  5. ^ A., Aron (August 17, 2022). "Lil Baby Shares Snippet Of First Single Off Of His Upcoming Album". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  6. ^ Dionne, Zach (September 2, 2022). "Lil Baby Unleashes New Song and Video "Detox," Announces It's Only Me Album". Complex. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  7. ^ Williams, Aaron (October 10, 2022). "Everything To Know About Lil Baby's 'It's Only Me' Album". Uproxx. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  8. ^ Darville, Jordan (October 10, 2022). "Lil Baby Shares New Song "Heyy," reveals It's Only Me cover art and tracklist". The Fader. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "It's Only Me by Lil Baby Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Lil Baby – It's Only Me Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Collier-McDermott, Shanté (October 16, 2022). "Lil Baby – It's Only Me". Clash. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Smith, Niall (October 17, 2022). "Lil Baby – 'It's Only Me' review: a few notches shy of greatness". NME. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Pierre, Alphonse (October 19, 2022). "Lil Baby: It's Only Me Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Buford, Jayson (October 18, 2022). "Lil Baby Is as Relentlessly Focused as Ever on 'It's Only Me'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
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  44. ^ "American album certifications – Lil Baby – It's Only Me". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 3, 2023.