North Carolina rapper DaBaby became one of the most popular musical acts in the world last year, dropping two highly-successful albums and showing off his personality through his hilarious videos. The rapper had been chipping away at the mainstream for years, and he’s finally considered a bonafide star. KIRK is truly what solidified him as one of the year’s breakout talents, following up Baby On Baby with more of an introduction to his character, telling tales about his family and relating to his audience. Originally, the album cover art was supposed to be very different from the version that was released, and DaBaby is showing the world what could have been on Instagram.

Updating his Instagram Story last night, the Charlotte native unveiled what he was going to run with as the cover artwork. Featuring tons of colors, DaBaby shares a loving embrace with his child, writing the project title on a chalkboard and placing a tribute to his father in the right-hand bottom corner. 

The artwork that Baby ended up choosing shows the rapper as an infant, sitting on his father’s lap. 

Check out the original selection below and let us know which one you prefer. Both have extreme sentimental value to DaBaby, so either one would have worked. Personally, I think the one he went with portrays the album’s vibe more accurately.

North Carolina rapper DaBaby emerged into the mainstream with a vengeance, taking the foundation he laid through a pre-fame mixtape run and expanding on it tenfold. Last year he came through with back to back albums in Baby On Baby and Kirk, the latter proving his versatility with songs like “Intro” and the Nicki Minaj-assisted “iPHONE.” And while some have criticized Baby’s seeming unwillingness to switch up the flow, the fact remains that he earned his title as a bonafide fan-favorite, one who continues to rack up numbers at an impressive rate.

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With Kirk being certified gold by the RIAA, it would appear that Baby has outdone himself, with Kirk allegedly moving one million album-equivalent units only six months removed from its initial release. Look for the RIAA to confirm the news shortly, once the statistics are assembled and tallied. If that wasn’t enough to confirm his upward trajectory, nullifying the skeptics crying ‘flash in the pan,’ I don’t know what is.

Even as the milestones keep coming, Baby is set on keeping his blade to the grindstone. Yesterday he took to Instagram to preview a melodic new banger, and yes — he did indeed switch the flow. All signs point to yet another release being on the way, though Baby himself has yet to offer up any details on his next studio endeavor. Either way, Kirk is clearly still going strong, so take a moment to revisit that one and show DaBaby some love in the comments below.

It’s alarming how little people tend to acknowledge Ludacris’ presence in hip-hop’s pantheon of greats. Modern-day discourse surrounding Luda’s overall contributions to the game is all but non-existent. Though it has been approximately five years since he dropped off his last studio project in Ludaversal, prior to that he was responsible for eight studio albums — many of which have gone multi-platinum. A case could even be made that projects like 2002’s Word Of Mouf and 2003’s Chicken-n-Beer are classics, with the latter going on to spawn a delicious Atlanta-based restaurant; speaking from first-hand experience, the titular dish is delicious.

Tempting though it may be to wax poetic about Luda’s artistic accomplishments, it would require a far deeper stroll down memory lane to do such a process justice. Instead the aim is to focus on the impact of his influence, most recently channeled by a recent breakout star: North Carolina’s own DaBaby, the charismatic and mischievous mind behind Baby On Baby and Kirk. During Baby’s seemingly overnight rise, it wasn’t uncommon to hear the rapper draw comparisons to Ludacris, which in itself was enough to pique an old head’s interest. For many, the comparison seemed to derive from a similar approach to music videos, in which comedy was given ample space to flourish. Yet if given a second glance, there are a few more stylistic parallels that go beyond that of visual aesthetic. 

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Hilarious though Ludacris may be, both through his unparalleled punchlines and his eye for cartoonishly grotesque visuals, his debut album Back For The First Time highlighted a more formidable side of his persona. That of a man prone to violence, ready and willing to throw his elbows if provoked. Songs like the threatening “Stick Em Up” found Luda flexing his menacing bravado, spitting bars like “it’s mighty strange how your peephole is my fuckin gauge, catch you in concert and then wipe you off the fuckin stage.” On his sophomore drop Word Of Mouf, “Get The Fuck Back” painted a picture of a man on the edge, one who enjoyed disturbing the peace through gunfire and a deftly-swung Louisville slugger. Never once was it forced, the idle talk of a funnyman. There was credibility there, much in the same way DaBaby’s similarly-issued threats have come to resonate. 

In Baby’s case, his actions have served as a megaphone for his words. Whether he’s defending himself from a gunman or administering knockout blows in a jewelry store, DaBaby has proven he’s willing to take it there if need be; some have even forewarned that his explosive temper might ultimately prove to be his undoing, if only from a legal standpoint. From a musical standpoint, his past has proven beneficial in injecting his more violent bars with gravitas; after all, one does not simply become “Suge” through paperwork alone. “You disrespect me and I’ll beat your ass up, all in front of your partner and children,” he warns, juxtaposed against the video’s playful aesthetic.

Like Ludacris, Baby found a way to inject genuine comedy into his music without making it the focal point of. That’s not to say they’re alone in that accomplishment — artists like Redman, DJ Quik, Busta Rhymes, and Eminem were but a few hilarious pre-millennium emcees– but Luda and DaBaby both managed the feat with their charisma maxed out at all times. Not to mention their shared ability to craft simple yet effective hip-hop hits. Unlike some of the more notable hitmakers of his era, Ludacris never quite dabbled in chasing crossover success. From “What’s Your Fantasy” to “Area Codes,” “Saturday” to “Stand Up,” Luda’s lyrically-heavy formula remained unchanged, his bars never falling by the wayside. Though he did switch the style up as the years progressed, Luda’s first four years found him winning fans without lowering his personal bar. Consider that a song like “Saturday,” arguably one of his defining singles, kept pace on the charts without the slightest whiff of a melodic structure. Even “Area Codes,” which featured a massive hook from the late great Nate Dogg, largely flourished through Luda’s lyricism and confident presence. 

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The same can be said of DaBaby’s own key singles like the aforementioned “Suge,” which managed to stand out as something wholly original. Why? Because he just rapped. No trap-drums or autotune, only personality-fueled bars. Though some have taken to criticizing his flow as repetitive, the fact that he made a name for himself off the strength of his bars should be commended. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Baby verse where he’s not commanding the same presence, whether it’s the Lil Baby-assisted “Baby,” the Chance The Rapper locker room anthem “Hot Shower,” or his dexterous duet with Offset “Baby Sitter.” If that wasn’t enough, DaBaby’s flow even earned him high praise from the “Rap God” himself, Eminem, who shouted him out on Crook’s Corner. “I never know where his rhymes are gonna land,” praised Em. “That shit is so interesting to me cause he does it so well.”

Though both men largely thrive while delivering exuberant and intense punchline-heavy raps, that’s not to say they don’t share a willingness to get personal. For DaBaby, Kirk’s “Intro” opened eyes to the man behind the moniker, earning him respect for switching up his style without selling out his sound. Though Ludacris has covered similar thematic ground on songs like “Cold Outside,” which elicited emotion without veering too far into autobiographical territory, he seldom spends too much time perusing his own life story. One quality the pair do share, however, is an insatiable appetite for lusty females. Had they both come out in the same era, you can all but guarantee the pair would have concocted a hedonistic smut banger. DaBaby might not be as dexterous with the double-time as Luda on “Freaky Thangs,” but he’s never been washed on a track thus far. Though the timing might be a few years too late, perhaps we’ll see such a union manifest on Luda’s upcoming tenth studio album. Think of the pandemonium that might ensue. 

His single “Bop” is still storming airwaves and his Billion Dollar Baby-Interscope No. 1 album KIRK is still a hit worldwide, but DaBaby believes it’s time to drop some new heat. The 28-year-old rapper’s 2019 was a year that catapulted his career into the stratosphere, and it’s assumed that he’s carefully mapping out how to maintain, and supersede, that success in 2020.

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On Tuesday (January 21), DaBaby hopped on Instagram to give fans a taste of what he’s been working on. The rapper shared a video of himself in a car as he played a new song while giving a sneak preview as to what he has in the vault. “I got my check up for real / I think I need a check up I’m here / Out in Beverly Hills Uncle Phil / Rockin’ Js with a fade b*tch I will / See that look on my face I’m for real / I like when my b*tch tell me I’m pretty,” he raps over a booming beat.

There were plenty of requests for DaBaby to drop the new track ASAP, but we’ll just have to wait and see what he has in store. He recently shared on Twitter than in 2020 he’d like to collaborate with Lizzo, NBA YoungBoy, Meek Mill, Drake, Young Thug, and Roddy Ricch. Check out a snippet of DaBaby’s track and let us know if you’re ready for him to release new music.

In one year, DaBaby went from being a rapper on his way up to one of the biggest entertainers in the world. The North Carolina rapper has climbed the ranks to take his place at the top, and with No. 1 album under his belt, DaBaby is enjoying all of the luxuries that his hard work can afford. “I like pushing the envelope and being creative,” he told The Guardian. “I’m a high-level performer – [it’s about] how I can take it to another level. I try not to be complacent in my music or with my performances. I gotta keep it fresh and rock out.”

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There are plenty of secrets to success if one subscribes to that school of thought, but DaBaby claims that being a student of “the greats” is what helped him craft his style. “I studied people like Future, Lil Wayne and Kanye, who came up and consistently progressed,” he said. “I’ve studied all the genius marketers throughout the rap game. I borrow from anybody with something to offer.”

However, he admits marketing, per se, wasn’t really his thing. “I’ve just always been a hustler. I didn’t even have a major decided at college,” DaBaby admitted. “I only went to school for my parents.” If there’s one industry where a hustler can make a living, it’s entertainment…and possibly politics. When asked where he sees himself in the future, it’s clear that DaBaby has big aspirations. “Fifty years, man? I better be damn near the president of the United States.”

It’s an unspoken rule that no one should run up on DaBaby. The North Carolina rapper had numerous incidents in 2019 that turned into physical altercations, whether it be with the man who attempted to heckle him at the Loius Vuitton store or fans who tried jumping on stage while he was performing. Many of these occurrences were caught on camera, and it was clear that the easy-going Kirk rapper had a limit to his friendly interaction.

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Aside from critical opinions about his music, there haven’t been many people who have come forward with bad things to say about DaBaby. The rapper’s protegé, Stunna 4 Vegas, recently sat down with Vlad TV and asked the host to name DaBaby’s flaws. “[DaBaby] is at the top right now. I think if a rapper can come out his mouth and say DaBaby...anything wrong about the n*gga, it’s just hate,” Stunna said. “Bruh, tell me one thing flaw about this n*gga.” Vlad answered that DaBaby has a short temper. “That ain’t no flaw, bro! You can’t say that,” Stunna responded. Vlad explained that he believes DaBaby is too rich to have such a short fuse.

Stunna agrees, but he added, “The people that can say that are people in your shoes… Can’t nobody else say [that]. Baby don’t start with nobody. So that’s… He don’t even promote ‘I’m on bullsh*t.’ If you come up on Baby on bullsh*t and he just teach you…” Vlad interrupted and said he made his comments respectfully because it only takes one incident to lose everything.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but watch this,” Stunna replied. “‘Cause they livin’ different from you. If I say you can’t find a flaw you can’t say short temper. Street n*gga gon’ say, ‘Short temper? You can’t play with that n*gga Baby.’ They gon’ tell you they love him because of that. He done spared n*ggas. A street n*gga gon’ get so happy off he way he act ’cause they love rappers who don’t cap.” He added that he doesn’t want to sound racist, but white people love that Baby will go off. Watch his clip in full below.