Charlotte, North Carolina native DaBaby recently dropped the 13-track Kirk, his second studio album, following his May effort, Baby on Baby. Staying on a consistent path with his past efforts, Baby utilizes a simplistic, hard-hitting song structure with his signature braggadocios style in efforts to create high replay value on Kirk. He has succeeded by creating an album that has lived up to its expectations. Projected to sell 150k units the first week, DaBaby has rapidly stormed to the apex of the rap scene over the past few months.
There are moments on this album, mostly on these five tracks, that show DaBaby progressing as an artist, but a lot of the project offers sparse variation within each respective song, production-wise. Baby’s addictive flow and tone make up for any shortcomings on other fronts, enabling this album to justifiably shoot up the charts.
Here are our top 5 tracks off Kirk.
“INTRO”
This was the only single to drop before the release of Kirk and it produced one of the biggest album release buzzes of the year. This introspective track is an ode to his late father and grandmother and the first verse has Baby opening up more than we’ve seen from him previously. Contrasting the first verse, he spits a hard-hitting second verse, reminding people in his way that he’s going to keep going for what he wants. Two solid verses paired with a real catchy hook makes the opening track a definite highlight on this album.
“BOP”
DaBaby clearly “Needed some shit with some bop in it,” and he keeps that philosophy consistent throughout this effort. A dope flute sample paired with his signature 808 patterns gives this track a really dope bounce. He utilizes a verse-sounding chorus which keeps the track moving along quickly and keeps your head nodding. DaBaby and Jetson Made have a unique chemistry and I’m sure they’ll continue making hits one by one.
“POP STAR” feat. Kevin Gates
Baby says, “Had to dumb it down for them to bite, now it’s time to switch the groove.” CashMoneyAP and Baby do just that, making “POP STAR” a definite contender for the best song off of Kirk. Production is too clean, great arrangement and variation throughout this track. Kevin Gates’ flow on his feature is swaggy and aggressive making for a perfect guest appearance on this track. Both artists let listeners know that they’re staying active in the duality of rap and street life, ensuring that although “They prolly told you I went pop,” they’re still out there.
“TOES” feat. Lil Baby & Moneybagg Yo
On “TOES,” DaBaby brings along Kenny Beats, Lil Baby, and Moneybagg Yo together to create another worthy contender for the best track off of Kirk. Yet another rapped chorus creates that feeling of seamless continuation between all of the verses and the hook. Lil Baby throws out one of his best features to date, a nonchalant swagger-filled 15-line verse. Moneybagg also performs well, delivering a flex-heavy guest verse that stands out. A little more verse from each artist would’ve been nice as this Kenny beat is addictive, but it’s a dope track nonetheless.
“THERE HE GO”
This is another stellar song, utilizing a clean, repetitive string melody paired with quick hi-hats to keep the tempo chugging along. You’ll find DaBaby flexing his fame here and he does it impressively. Although the second verse sounds a bit harder, both verses feature quick and creative flows throughout. The call-and-response hook between Baby and a dope vocal sample is a highlight on the album and will most likely get any listener’s head to nod.
