Atlanta-based rapper Lil Baby has climbed to the mountaintop of music. Billboard states that he is the youngest of 12 artists to land 100 or more songs on the Billboard Hot 100. With nothing left to prove, his new album “It’s Only Me” signifies whether he will be able to hold onto his spot at the top or climb down. Unfortunately, with this project, it seems that his descent has slowly begun.

Lil Baby’s last album “My Turn” was his crowning moment as one of hip-hop’s superstars. According to Complex, the album was the most streamed in 2020. He continued his scorching run in 2021 with a few excellent features and singles. 

This year has been a bumpy road for the rapper. His first three single releases— “Frozen,”“Right On” and “In a Minute” only helped his claim as hip-hop’s best artist. The release of “Detox” and “Heyyy” had some fans questioning if Lil Baby lost his step, as both singles have a lackluster hook and the rapper’s speech is slurred. This had fans fearing that the new album would not stand up to his previous releases.

Production

With beat-making giants such as Murda Beatz, ATL Jacob and Wheezy having production credits on the album, listeners didn’t have to worry about the quality of the beats that Lil Baby would spit verses on. However, while quality was never in question, diversity was.

A majority of the beats seem to follow the same template: a catchy melody or sample coupled with a generic trap drum sequence. Songs like “Top Priority,” “Danger” and “Back and Forth” have instrumentals similar to beats the rapper has previously used, causing many songs to feel monotonous. 

Fans of the rapper know that he can rap on a multitude of different beats with his great features on non-trap songs like Drake’s “Girls Want Girls” and Kanye West’s “Hurricane.” With this new album, it seems he chose to not leave his comfort zone.

Nevertheless, there were a few beats that were diamonds in the rough. “Pop Out” had a beat switch that made it a mandatory addition to anyone’s gym playlist and “Forever” stands out as the only song on the album without a redundant trap drum pattern. 

Features

Lil Baby is known for creating magic when he collaborates with the right artist. On “My Turn,” the likes of 42 Dugg, Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna and Lil Wayne spit captivating verses on their featured songs. Alas, on this album,  Lil Baby’s featured artist’s performances were inconsistent compared to his previous album.

The first half of the album had terrific verses from Nardo Wick on “Pop Out” and Young Thug on ‘’Never Hating.” However, this can not be said for Future’s lackluster feature on “From Now On” and EST Gee’s terrible adlibs in his verse on “Back and Forth.”

The tracklist included two R&B artists — Fridayy and Jeremiah. Listeners of the album bore witness to the dichotomy between an enthralling hook and a dreadful one. Fridayy’s vocals on “Forever” were mesmerizing as he sang hypothetically to a former lover. Jeremiah’s hook on “Stop Playin” will have you wondering if they were playing around by putting this forgetful hook and song in the final cut.

Features are supposed to elevate an artist’s album and on “Its Only Me” most of the collaborations did the opposite.

Lil Baby’s Performance

The most popular criticism of Lil Baby’s music is that his flow and beat selection is repetitive. “It’s Only Me” validates these claims with an overall dull performance from the Atlanta rapper.

While Lil Baby’s redundant flows are present throughout the listen, the most surprising part of the album was his pitiful attempts at making catchy hooks. It is well known that Lil Baby can make classic hooks such as the hooks on his song “Grace” and  DJ Khaled’s “Every Chance I Get.” Sadly, “It’s Only Me” has multiple unpleasant hooks on songs like “Heyy” and “Back and Forth.” 

The most redeeming track on the album is “Forever.” The unique instrumental with Fridayy’s beautiful hook forces Lil Baby to maintain a high standard. In his verses, Lil Baby speaks of a failed relationship that lingers on his mind. Though he knows the relationship was toxic, her absence in his life has him reminiscing on what they had. He raps, “Haven’t seen you in three months, I miss you can I see you bae? / Every time I see one of yo pictures, that shit drives me crazy.”

The only word to describe this album is mediocre. “My Turn” showed the world how talented Lil Baby is but “It’s Only Me” makes it seem that he has become complacent. For the hype this album received, the final product was disappointing to fans that waited two years for a solo album from the Atlanta-based rapper.