DaBaby in 2 Years: "KIRK" Album Review

Jonathan Kirk, better known as DaBaby, is back with his second effort this year. It’s his first since becoming a common household name; and it's thanks to his standout project 'Baby on Baby', released earlier this year. DaBaby is riding high with the success of his last project, so there was little pressure with this one. All he had to do was deliver!

Going into this project, I had high hopes for DaBaby. Content-wise, I thought it was going to be completely different from 'Baby on Baby'. I believe this assumption came from the direction he chose to go with his first single, “Intro”. “Intro” was the first song where I felt I was able to truly see into the mind of DaBaby, and know what he was thinking and feeling. He let us into his world and told us how he dealt with the death of his father, all while trying to balance his sudden rise to fame. Even DaBaby himself promised a more personal album, but, I can’t help but feel like it’s everything except that. To be frank, the most personal song on the album is probably “Intro”.

To me, this album isn’t much of a far cry from 'Baby on Baby'. He has the same cadence, same flow, same producers, all while rapping about the same topics. By no means does this mean that the songs are necessarily “bad”, it just means there’s not been much growth. I think it would serve him well to get away from producers such as JetsonMade and try out a different sound. Although I feel this way, the album is still full of songs that I will keep on constant rotation. The bounce in “VIBEZ” is extremely contagious and you can’t help but dance when you hear Baby and frequent collaborator Stunna on the energetic, “REALLY”.

All in all, the album isn’t “bad”. I would say it’s just not progressive. I can see it dominating the radio, and in everyone’s playlist for months to come. But, does it REALLY show that DaBaby can still be around in the next 2 years? I don’t know about that yet. I am excited to see where DaBaby takes his career from here.