MY TURN BY LIL BABY: WAS IT WORTH BEST SELLING ALBUM?
In the past couple of years, Lil Baby has been on the rise to superstardom. From his previous projects like Street Gossip to his single “The Bigger Picture“, which went platinum early this year. He has proven himself to be a great lyricist. In 2018, he did a pitch for the annual XXL freshman list but was ultimately denied. Although most of the rappers on the 2018 list are now irrelevant, Lil Baby spot in rap has been solidified. Yesterday, in collaboration with Lil Durk, they released their project “Voice of Heroes“, but before diving into this project, I would like to look at Baby’s previous work. This is a review of Lil Baby’s “My Turn“.
With the deluxe released on May 1st, 2020, I am going into this project hearing a solid amount of this project. This includes We Paid, Emotionally Scarred, and Humble. In respect of this project, I will also be including the deluxe version, as that would also count towards the project’s overall feel.
WHAT I LISTEN FOR IN PROJECTS
When listening to music, I listen for the vibe, lyrics, and production of the song, and as a listener, I expect artists to get out of their comfort zones and experiment. I will be discussing lyrics, production, features, sales, and I will give this project a rating, but, as with all art reviews, my review of My Turn is based on personal opinion.
MY TURN LYRICS
To begin, with the inclusion of the deluxe, this album has a whopping 26 tracks, which is very overwhelming to me. From my perspective, I would think an album would have an overall theme/ topics, but the artist does not need 26 tracks to impact their audience. Daytona by Pusha T is a great example. Daytona was only 7 tracks, and he was able to get his message across to his audience. If Push utilizes that same strategy for the rest of his career, it would take 3 albums to be equivalent to this album+ deluxe.
I like that Lil Baby is almost a mix of mumble rap with the ability to be able to rap. I think his voice has a very strong southern accent, so at times, it sounds as if he is mumbling his words, but the lyrical value is exceptional for his style. This is very unique. He also has a good flow. One of his best, but worst features his autotune. I feel like it is a battle between the longevity of the album and his overall sound. Some of his heavy-hitting lyrics include
“Don’t get ’em started, if you ask me, I’m the hardest
Ain’t come to play with these boys, I ain’t Carti“- Forget That
“I got ’em jockin’, watchin’, pockets always sloppy
Be with papi, play, he pop your noggin, better play with caution
I’m the same one who used to sell the weed then went to Washington
Who you know that went to prison, came back home and straight pocketed “- Gang signs
“Shout out Swishers Sweet, they keep me rollin’
But if we catch the opp, we gotta smoke him” – Heatin up
9/10
FAVORITE SONGS
- Humble
- Gang Signs
- Emotionally Scarred
LEAST FAVORITE SONGS
- Commercial
- Low Down
- Catch the Sun
MY TURN PRODUCTON
This album was produced by some of the best producers within the rap industry. This includes Murda Beatz, Wheezy, Tay Keith, and many more. The production on this album is very trap-oriented, but there is a mix of mellow hits included. I like this mix because it brings more sounds than just trap instrumentals. With the inclusion of heavy 808’s, snares, etc. this sound really helps the overall sound of Lil Baby.
I really liked how diverse the productions were on this album. Songs like Live off My Closet show the skills in which Baby brings to many of these tracks, but Same Thing and How shows how Lil Baby can rap on more mellow instrumentals. I like the samples used on the album. Presented by Who sampled, we received very few samples on this album from Lori Perri, East Side Boyz and Tear Da Club Up Thugs
10/10
MY TURN FEATURES
This project features the likes of Gunna, Lil Wayne, Young Thug, and many more. I think these artists really reflect the hardships of Lil Baby. Being able to receive a collaboration with the likes of Lil Wayne must mean that Lil Baby is in the right direction as an artist. I liked how Future gave a faster delivery on the intense instrumental like Live Off My Closet. The collaboration on No Sucker with Moneybagg Yo was exceptional. I’m not a fan of 42 Dugg vocals on Grace. It sounds like he was dragging his vocals as if he was bored. To conclude, the features of this project were good.
9/10
SALES RATINGS AND OVERALL REVIEW
According to Uproxx, this album sold 2.632 million units, beating Taylor Swift’s album Folklore. This album took the number one spot for the best-selling album of 2020. The impact that this album had on his audience is important and it helped him grow to bigger heights. When comparing someone like Lil Baby to Taylor Swift, one can see that Swift had more time to build an audience. To outsell someone with a more stabilized audience shows the shift in music genres as a whole.
Overall, this album is something that I would vibe to. This album was played at events like car meets, family cookouts, basketball games, commercials, etc. I feel like the listener can not only hear the struggle but utilize their imagination with Baby’s lyrics. I appreciate Young Thug, paying Lil baby to escape the hardships of the streets, so he could rap. This was significant to me because many people of wealth are selfish. This project was significantly long, and Baby’s autotune does get annoying after a while. I think this project made many (including myself), pay more attention to Lil Baby. Hopefully, “Voice of the Heroes” will continue this momentum, as Lil Baby is a very autotune, street-oriented rapper, while Lil Durk has a more harmonious, street sound. This album is similar to other albums like 21 Savage “Savage Mode 2” and Polo G’s “The Goat“.
9/10
How do you feel about this project? Click here to listen.
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