On 'It's Only Me,' stardom makes Lil Baby more anonymous than ever

Lil Baby's transformation from a street cat who took rappers' money in dice games into a superstar making rapper money has been breathless, and his music leans into the velocity of his rise. He constantly notes the speed of his unlikely journey from Atlanta's impoverished West End to prison to music stardom, exalting the rewards of constant labor and forward motion. The titles of his early releases, which established his workhorse rep, invoke muscle building as much as toughness: Harder Than Hard, Too Hard, Harder Than Ever. In his tumbling verses, you can almost feel the exertion.

Lil Baby has always lagged behind his mentor and his tag-team partner , who both taught him to rap, but his rapid, his knees lock. The album is intended as a bigger and ballsier blockbuster sequel to 2020's platinum-selling , which was the most streamed album of 2020 and cemented him as a star. But it feels more like a business obligation than a refinement or mission statement. The album artwork depicting Lil Baby as the sole person on a rap Mt. Rushmore inadvertently captures the spirit of this drab and listless music. Baby, like his labelmates Migos, who have the same imagery, mistakes visibility for greatness, an outlook that lends itself to routine. Accordingly, he just shows up and toils, motor learning guiding his writing and performances.