On the latest episode of “Drink Champs,” Charlotte, North Carolina’s own DaBaby joined N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN for a chat.
The “ROCKSTAR” hitmaker has always had a knack for selling products. His lifetime of being a hustler informed his approach to his music career, which he started in the mid-2010s under the moniker Baby Jesus. He showed promise early, as the first song he ever recorded ended up making a local radio rotation in Charlotte. From there, he continued to climb the ladder.
DaBaby used a number of marketing tactics to establish himself as an artist to watch in the local club scene. He eventually signed with South Coast Music Group, and later Interscope Records. With a major label backing, he released the cultural staple and Top 10 hit “Suge,” which became the first step in a run that included eight Grammy nominations, one chart-topping song and multiple No. 1 and platinum-selling albums (Baby On Baby, KIRK and BLAME IT ON BABY) in just a year.
So far this decade, the Ohio-born rapper has continued to make his presence felt in the rap game. He has released a number of efforts and remained on the charts through collaborations with acts like YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Young Thug and Sexyy Red. Fresh off of his latest effort, HOW TF IS THIS A MIXTAPE?, DaBaby tapped in to discuss his riveting journey in the music industry this far. Check out these nine takeaways from the conversation below and watch the full episode here.
1. On HOW TF IS THIS A MIXTAPE?
Speaking about the intention behind his new 14-track effort, he explained, “I was really working on an album, which I'm still following right up with that muhf**ka… But the fact of me calling it a mixtape is more so because it's that raw s**t. I feel like I ain't put my heart in this s**t for so long, I kinda fell out of love with this s**t. So, I took some time and got back around. It's more of a reintroduction to me to the fans.” Expounding on his mindset, he added, “I'm coming like a n**ga trying to make it out still. That's my approach, so that's why I put the stamp on there with it being a mixtape.”
2. On falling back from the rap game
Over the last couple of years, DaBaby hasn’t been as active as he’s previously been in Hip Hop. Why? He chalked it up to the nature of the industry. “That was one of the things that made me really lose touch with the s**t and kind [of] begin [to think] I ain't really f**king with this s**t right now, like all the politics that come with it and all the business,” he said. Addressing his journey of coming back in a genuine way, he continued, “I appreciate each and every last one of the listeners for holding me accountable over the past four years and not letting me just put out some bulls**t or throwing out a song and playing the money game. I look at what a n**ga done been through career wise, I look at that s**t as a blessing now... I needed time to sit my a** down.”
3. On making it out of Charlotte, North Carolina
DaBaby went into detail about making it out of the most populated city in North Carolina. “Charlotte is the city where whoever got it going on, it's like f**k that n**ga. It's a crabs-in-a-barrel-type mentality for sure. And that's why ain't nobody really came up after me yet,” he said. “Aside from that, you can just look at me and kind of tell what we got going on. We got plenty [of] lingo, plenty [of] swag. We trendy as hell.”
4. On Megan Thee Stallion
The iHeartRadio Music Award-winner showed love to his “Cash Shit,” “Nasty” and “Cry Baby” collaborator. “Me and [Megan Thee Stallion] did some dope s**t together. And it's good to see her rise [amid] the obstacles,” he said. “I'm manifesting a song with [GloRilla] and Meg together and [Lil] Baby. I think that's the way me and Meg should pop back out. Because I feel like ain't none of these n**gas — and no disrespect — that y'all are making music with can really embody that [rawness].” Returning to his work with Megan a little later in the conversation, he added, “We make some s**t, we talk that s**t.”
5. On Kanye West’s Donda sessions
Kanye West’s Donda sessions united the creative community at large, according to DaBaby, who was invited to come work on the project at Ye’s warehouse in Los Angeles. Explaining the scene, he said, “These n**gas is in there making Balenciaga... He got a big a** clothes rack in the middle of the godd**n warehouse… All of the clothes on it are black… He got architects over there designing a school… He got a whole lil studio setup right here in the middle of this where he's playing the music. And then he got lil carts that [had] microphones on them, laptops on them. That's where I recorded the ‘Jail pt 2’ verse — on a f**king cart in the middle of the warehouse.”
DaBaby went on to reveal how Ye invited dozens of prominent figures from a multitude of industries up until it was time to present their creations to the world: “We in Chicago and this n**ga got a whole house on fire, out here in the middle of the baseball stadium. And got 2,000 people marching around in the same clothes I been seeing this n**ga design…. That n**ga is a mastermind at the end of the day.”
6. On how he connected with 50 Cent
The Blank Blank creator told the story of how XXL’s Editor in Chief Vanessa Satten connected him to 50 Cent. “She asked me would I ever be interested in venturing off into film, based on the way she sees my approach to music videos and s**t like that — me as a creative, period. And I told her, ‘Yeah, that's something I definitely want to get into… And Vanessa looked at me, like, ‘You met 50 yet?’ And I was like, ‘Nah, hell nah, but can't wait. I'd love to meet him.’ And she FaceTimed the n**ga right there on the spot.” In the following 48 hours, DaBaby flew out to meet his soon-to-be mentor, and the rest was history. He went on to praise the diamond-selling legend, adding, “That n**ga is different. That's 50 and he's hustling right now. He's out hustling every last one of us.”
7. On Lil Baby
DaBaby and Lil Baby once had plans to drop a joint project, though that idea has since faded. “We still did what we did and made a song that charted on Billboard and s**t. So as far as like, what we done did after that, we been doing so much other s**t that ain't really about nothing.” He then confirmed that they’ve been in the studio with another joint effort this year and that they have at least one track that they plan on using. “We got one, and we'll have more in due time. We ain't tripping,” he concluded.
8. On the origin of being a hustler
The Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment founder’s hustle has been instilled in him since he was in the second grade. “When it comes to my hustle, it's always been relentless since the f**king playground. I was in elementary school taking the pencil shavings out the muthaf**cking pencil sharpener, bagging it up, trying to sell it like it's weed. Selling candy. All that s**t,” he recalled. “About six to eight months later, I was standing in that same spot with something else for sale. I took that to where I couldn't take it nowhere else but going fed, and then I said, ‘What's up, get me with somebody that I can make some original music and do it.’ And then that's when I got started on this path right here.”
9. On the women in rap
When the subject of women in rap came up, DaBaby had nothing but positive things to say about how the community has thrived. “Shoutout to everybody female doing the muthaf**king thing, dominating. They standing on s**t,” he declared. “Nicki [Minaj], Meg, Glo, Latto — that new s**t she dropped [is] so hard. Ice Spice, Coi Leray. Cardi B. They out this b**ch, they ain't playing… Lakeyah, I like her. Flo Milli, JT, Yung Miami, Doechii, BIA, all of them… Sexyy muthaf**king Red. I shoulda said you first, Sexyy.”