I had high expectations for DaBaby’s newest album because his single “FIND MY WAY,” which was released a couple of weeks before the album, was an instant hit. “BLAME IT ON BABY” exceeded my expectations, but it seemed very similar to his previous album “KIRK.”

When I first listened to “BLAME IT ON BABY,” immediately “ROCKSTAR” stood out to me. He used his confident, deep rapping mixed with melodies in the background starting in the hook to enhance his sound. Also, Roddy Ricch is featured in the second verse and adds to the lyrics with his distinctive voice. In general, it has a unique and catchy feel, but DaBaby could have added a more effective hook to attract more listeners.

“BLAME IT ON BABY” told more of the story of DaBaby’s rise to fame, unlike his last album “KIRK,” which talked more about his lifestyle and his father. As he grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, he was involved in the church which is covered in “AMAZING GRACE.” Although he changed his name from Baby Jesus to DaBaby in 2017 to reduce distractions, he still affiliates himself with the church. 

In his song “FIND MY WAY,” DaBaby is talking about trying to discover who he is. However, his records lack the emotion to give meaning to his message. Despite lacking depth, he sticks to his strengths — heavy rapping and strong beats. In “SAD SH*T,” he tries to sing in a higher range, but it does not fit with the rest of the song. For DaBaby to be a successful artist, he needs to discover a different side of himself because it sounds like he’s producing identical tracks. His classic swagger, great lyrics, and commenting in the background are starting to sound repetitive.

I enjoyed “BLAME IT ON BABY” because it offered new melodies similar to his old albums and brought more of DaBaby’s confident and collected sound. However, for DaBaby to reach more people, he has to find another angle to add to his classic style. In this album, he attempted to do so, but was unsuccessful.

“BLAME IT ON BABY:” ★★★★☆