Lil Baby | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Dominique Armani Jones |
Born | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | December 3, 1994
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Rapper |
Discography | Lil Baby discography |
Years active | 2015–present |
Labels |
|
Children | 2 |
Website | iamlilbaby |
Dominique Armani Jones [3] (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes Harder than Hard and Too Hard, the former of which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with its lead single, "My Dawg." [4] He signed with Quality Control Music, an imprint of Motown and Capitol Records to release his debut studio album Harder Than Ever (2018), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Yes Indeed" (with Drake). He released two additional retail projects that same year: The collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with fellow Georgia-based rapper Gunna—which saw continued success with its singles "Drip Too Hard" and "Close Friends"—and his commercial mixtape Street Gossip , which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.
Lil Baby's second album, My Turn (2020) was his first to debut atop the Billboard 200, received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and became the best-selling album of that year. [5] It spawned the hit song "We Paid" (with 42 Dugg), as well as the George Floyd protest-inspired single "The Bigger Picture"; both of which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, while the latter received two nominations—Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance—at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. [6] The following year, his collaborative album with Chicago rapper Lil Durk, The Voice of the Heroes (2021) became his second to peak the Billboard 200, while he won the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance for his guest appearance on Kanye West and the Weeknd's 2021 single "Hurricane". Lil Baby's third album, It's Only Me (2022) was met with continued success and peaked the chart once more.
In addition to a Grammy Award, Lil Baby has won an MTV Video Music Award, two BET Awards, and was named the all-genre Artist of the Year at the 2020 Apple Music Awards. As an imprint of Motown and Capitol, he founded the record label Glass Window Entertainment (known previously as 4PF) in 2023, through which he has signed frequent collaborators 42 Dugg and Rylo Rodriguez. [7] [8]
Jones was born and raised in the Oakland City neighborhood in southwestern Atlanta, Georgia. [9] He was two years old when his father left the family. His mother raised him and his two sisters. He dropped out of Booker T. Washington High School in ninth grade and committed to drug dealing. [10]
In early 2012, he was charged for possession with intent to sell, among other charges. In 2013, was charged with possession of marijuana of less than an ounce. In 2014, he was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to sell, and was incarcerated for two years. [4] [11]
At age seventeen, Lil Baby was a regular presence in the studio of Atlanta-based Quality Control Records as a drug dealer. Label founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee encouraged him to become a rapper, as he felt Baby had "the swag... the lingo, [and] respect around the city". [10] Fellow rappers Young Thug and Gunna served as Baby's mentors in developing his style. [12] [13] He released his first mixtape, Perfect Timing, in April 2017 with appearances from Young Thug and Lil Yachty.
Another mixtape, Harder Than Hard, followed three months later. In October, he released his third mixtape in six months, 2 The Hard Way, a collaboration with friend and fellow Atlanta rapper Marlo. A fourth mixtape, Too Hard, was released in December, led by his hit single "Freestyle" and accompanying music video. It was certified gold by the RIAA in February 2020.
With his career gaining momentum, Baby released his debut studio album, Harder Than Ever , in May 2018. It debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200. [14] The album was supported by the singles "Southside" and "Yes Indeed" (with Drake), the latter peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. "Life Goes On" featuring Gunna and Lil Uzi Vert charted at 74 on the Billboard Hot 100. [15]
Lil Baby formed his own label, 4 Pockets Full (initialized 4PF) in 2017. [16] [17] Rappers 42 Dugg and Rylo Rodriguez are signed to the label. In 2023, the label was renamed to Glass Window Entertainment.
After Lil Baby released Harder Than Ever, he released the collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with Gunna on October 5, 2018. The lead single, "Drip Too Hard" went on to become certified Diamond by the RIAA [18] and 4× Platinum by Music Canada. [19] The song peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The mixtape was released under the labels Quality Control, YSL Records and Motown/Capitol.
In September 2018, Baby appeared on the Adult Swim television series FishCenter Live . [20] In November 2018, he released his mixtape Street Gossip . [21] In December 2018, Baby collaborated with Yung Gravy on the latter's single, "Alley Oop". [22]
He starred in the 2019 film How High 2 , a sequel to the 2001 stoner film How High , which premiered in April 2019, on MTV. [23] In June 2019, Baby and Future released a single titled "Out the Mud". [24] In July 2019, Lil Baby appeared alongside DaBaby on the single "Baby", released on Quality Control's second studio album, Control the Streets, Volume 2 . The song peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. [25]
In November 2019, Baby released his single "Woah" as the lead single for his second studio album My Turn . [26] The song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Baby was featured on YouTuber KSI's track "Down Like That" with Rick Ross and British producer S-X, and performed it for KSI's boxing match against Logan Paul.[ citation needed ] In November 2019, Baby released a song from the film Queen & Slim titled "Catch the Sun", which subsequently appeared on My Turn.
In January 2020, Lil Baby released the second single, "Sum 2 Prove", for his album, and it reached number 16 on the Hot 100. The album, My Turn, was released in February 2020, and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. [27] It features guest appearances from Gunna, 42 Dugg, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Moneybagg Yo, Young Thug and Rylo Rodriguez. My Turn produced 12 songs that appeared the Billboard Hot 100 chart, giving him a career total of 47 songs on the chart, tying him with Prince and Paul McCartney. [28]
Following the release of the album's deluxe version on May 1, My Turn returned to the top spot on the Billboard 200. In June 2020, Lil Baby released the political track "The Bigger Picture", amid the George Floyd protests. The song debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Lil Baby's highest-charting song as a lead artist. [29]
On June 26, Lil Baby was featured on American rapper Lil Mosey's song "Back at It". "Back at It" is the lead single of Lil Mosey's deluxe edition of Certified Hitmaker .
His song "We Paid" featuring 42 Dugg from the My Turn deluxe peaked in the top 10 of the Hot 100. In July 2020, Lil Baby was featured on Pop Smoke's "For the Night", from his posthumous debut album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon . The track reached number six on the Hot 100. In September 2020, My Turn became the first album of the year to be certified double platinum by the RIAA. "The Bigger Picture" received two nominations at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards: Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. [30]
In March 2021, Lil Baby performed "The Bigger Picture" at the Grammy Awards in 2021 to mostly positive reviews. [31] [32] [33] [34] The following day, another collaboration with Drake, "Wants and Needs", debuted at number two on the Hot 100. Passing a previous peak and debut with "The Bigger Picture" for Jones, becoming his highest-charting song overall. [6]
In June 2021, Lil Baby released his collaborative studio album with Lil Durk, The Voice of the Heroes . [35] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
In September 2021, Lil Baby was featured on the song "Girls Want Girls" from Drake's sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy . The song debuted and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, tying their previous collaboration "Wants and Needs" as Baby's highest-charting song overall.[ citation needed ]
In December 2021, Lil Baby was featured on the album, Live Life Fast, by Roddy Ricch on the album, Lil Baby appears on the thirteenth track titled, "Moved to Miami".
In February 2022, "Do We Have a Problem?" – a collaboration with Nicki Minaj– was released, along with a music video starring the two. [36] In March 2022, Lil Baby was announced as one of the headliners for J. Cole's Dreamville 2022 Music Festival. [37]
Lil Baby is the subject of the documentary film Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby , directed by Karam Gill, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2022 and was released on Amazon Prime Video in August 2022. [38]
In April 2022, Lil Baby released the singles "In A Minute", and "Right On", which peaked at number 14 and 13 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. [39] In September, he released the promotional single "Detox". [40] In October, he released the single "Heyy" as the second single to his forthcoming album It's Only Me . [41] The album released four days later and became his third consecutive number one album. [42]
Jones has a son from a relationship with former girlfriend Ayesha. He later dated model and entrepreneur Jayda Cheaves. [43] [44] She appeared in the music video for his song "Close Friends". [45] [46] On February 18, 2019, Cheaves gave birth to their son.[ citation needed ]
In May 2021, Jones visited the White House along with the family of George Floyd on the anniversary of Floyd's murder. [47] [48]
On July 7, 2021, after attending Paris Fashion Week events with basketball player James Harden, Jones was arrested on a drug charge by police in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. Harden was stopped but not detained, and both men were soon released. [49] [50] [51] [52]
Award | Year [upper-alpha 1] | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Music Awards | 2020 | Himself | New Artist of the Year | Nominated | [53] |
"My Turn" | Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album | Nominated | |||
2021 | Himself | Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist | Nominated | [54] | |
ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards | 2021 | Songwriter of the year | Himself | Won | [55] |
Winning Rap Songs | Baby | Won | |||
The Bigger Picture | Won | ||||
Emotionally Scarred | Won | ||||
For The Night | Won | ||||
Leave Em Alone | Won | ||||
Sum 2 Prove | Won | ||||
We Paid | Won | ||||
WOAH | Won | ||||
2022 | Songwriter of the year | Himself | Won | [56] | |
Winning Rap Songs | Every Chance I Get | Won | |||
Girls Want Girls | Won | ||||
On Me | Won | ||||
Rags2Riches 2 | Won | ||||
Wants And Needs | Won | ||||
BET Awards | 2019 | Himself | Best New Artist | Won | [57] |
Himself & Gunna | Best Group | Nominated | |||
2021 | Himself | Best Male Hip Hop Artist | Won | [58] | |
"For the Night" (Pop Smoke featuring Lil Baby and DaBaby) | Best Collaboration | Nominated | |||
"The Bigger Picture" | Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award | Nominated | |||
2022 | Himself | Best Male Hip Hop Artist | Nominated | [59] | |
Lil Baby & Lil Durk | Best Group | Nominated | |||
"Every Chance I Get" (with Lil Durk & DJ Khaled) | Best Collaboration | Nominated | |||
"We Win" (with Kirk Franklin) | Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award | Won | |||
2023 | Himself | Best Male Hip Hop Artist | Nominated | [60] | |
BET Hip Hop Awards | 2019 | "Drip Too Hard" (with Gunna) | Best Collab, Duo or Group | Nominated | [61] |
2020 | "The Bigger Picture" | Best Hip Hop Video | Nominated | [62] | |
Impact Track | Won | ||||
Himself | Hip-Hop Artist of the Year | Nominated | |||
"My Turn" | Hip-Hop Album of the Year | Nominated | |||
2021 | Himself | Hip-Hop Artist of the Year | Won | [63] | |
"Every Chance I Get" (with Lil Durk) | Best Collaboration | Nominated | |||
Lil Baby & Lil Durk | Best Duo or Group | Won | |||
Himself | Lyricist of the year | Nominated | |||
Himself | Hustler of the year | Nominated | |||
"We Win" (with Kirk Franklin) | Impact Track | Nominated | |||
2022 | Girls Want Girls | Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse | Nominated | [64] | |
Billboard Music Awards | 2019 | Himself | Top New Artist | Nominated | [65] |
2021 | Himself | Top Male Artist | Nominated | [66] | |
Top Streaming Songs Artist | Nominated | ||||
Top Rap Artist | Nominated | ||||
Top Rap Male Artist | Nominated | ||||
"My Turn" | Top Billboard 200 Album | Nominated | |||
Top Rap Album | Nominated | ||||
2022 | Himself | Top Rap Artist | Nominated | [67] | |
The Back Outside Tour | Top Rap Tour | Nominated | |||
Grammy Awards | 2020 | "Drip Too Hard" (with Gunna) | Best Rap/Sung Performance | Nominated | [68] |
2021 | "The Bigger Picture" | Best Rap Performance | Nominated | [30] | |
Best Rap Song | Nominated | ||||
2022 | Back of My Mind (as featured artist and songwriter) | Album of the Year | Nominated | [69] | |
Donda (as featured artist and songwriter) | Nominated | ||||
"We Win" (with Kirk Franklin) | Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song | Nominated | |||
"Hurricane" (with Kanye West and The Weeknd) | Best Melodic Rap Performance | Won | |||
"Pride Is The Devil" (with J. Cole) | Nominated | ||||
IHeartRadio Music Awards | 2021 | Himself | Hip-Hop Artist of the Year | Nominated | [70] |
"My Turn" | Hip-Hop Album of the Year | Won | |||
MTV Video Music Awards | 2020 | "The Bigger Picture" | Best Video with a Social Message | Nominated | [71] |
"We Paid" (Feat 42 Dugg) | Song of Summer | Nominated | |||
2021 | "On Me" (Feat Megan Thee Stallion) | Best Hip Hop | Nominated | [72] | |
2022 | "Do We Have a Problem?" | Best Hip Hop | Won | [73] | |
XXL Awards | 2022 | Himself | Male Rapper Of The Year | Nominated | [74] |
Lyricist Of The Year | Nominated | ||||
Performer Of The Year | Nominated | ||||
The People's Champ | Nominated | ||||
"Every Chance I Get" (with Lil Durk) | Song of the Year | Won | |||
Nayvadius DeMun Cash, known professionally as Future, is an American rapper and singer. Known for his mumble-styled vocals and prolific output, Future is considered a pioneer of the use of Auto-Tuned melodies in trap music. Due to the sustained popularity of this musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.
Marquis Amonte King, better known by the stage name Shy Glizzy, is an American rapper from Southeast, Washington, D.C. He is best known for his guest feature alongside Brent Faiyaz on GoldLink's 2016 single "Crew", which peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance.
Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He first garnered a regional following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), which led to his signing of a recording contract from Def Jam Recordings. The label released his debut studio album, Remember My Name (2015) and its follow up, Lil Durk 2X (2016) to moderate commercial reception before parting ways with the artist in 2018.
Sergio Giavanni Kitchens, known professionally as Gunna, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He signed with Young Thug's YSL Records, an imprint of 300 Entertainment in 2016, and rose to fame with his third mixtape, Drip Season 3 (2018). It moderately entered the Billboard 200, while his collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with fellow Georgia rapper Lil Baby, peaked at number four on the chart. Its lead single, "Drip Too Hard" reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100, received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
The discography of American rapper Lil Baby consists of three studio albums, one collaborative album, six mixtapes, and 88 singles.
The discography of American rapper Gunna consists of four studio albums, one compilation album, four mixtapes, one extended play, and 141 singles.
"Drip Too Hard" is a song by American rappers Lil Baby and Gunna, released by YSL Records, Quality Control Music, Motown and Capitol Records on September 12, 2018 as the lead single from their collaborative album Drip Harder (2018). It peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the highest-charting song for Gunna and the third highest-charting song for Lil Baby. The song was nominated for a Grammy at the 2020 Grammy Awards for Best Rap/Sung Performance. On September 12, 2022, the song was certified RIAA Diamond selling over 10 million copies, giving them both their first Diamond certification.
Drip Harder is a collaborative mixtape by American rappers Lil Baby and Gunna. It was released on October 5, 2018, by YSL Records, Quality Control Music, Motown and Capitol Records. The mixtape features guest appearances from Lil Durk, Nav, Young Thug, and Drake. It includes production from Turbo, Wheezy, and Tay Keith, among others. The name Drip Harder is taken from Gunna's Drip Season series of mixtapes and from Lil Baby's Harder series of mixtapes.
Semaja Render, known professionally as Lil Gotit, is an American rapper and singer.
Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr., known professionally as Roddy Ricch, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter from Compton, California. He rose to fame in 2018 following the release of his single "Die Young," which marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Moore's first two mixtapes, Feed Tha Streets (2017) and Feed Tha Streets II (2018) received widespread acclaim. Moore guest featured alongside Hit-Boy on Nipsey Hussle's 2019 single "Racks in the Middle"—which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance—and on Mustard's single "Ballin'" that same year—which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a nomination for the same award.
YSL Records is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 2016 by the Atlanta-based rapper Young Thug. The company is a label imprint of 300 Entertainment. Its artists include Gunna, Lil Keed and more. Several contemporary artists, including Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Lil Baby, Lil Gotit, NAV, Travis Scott, and Slimelife Shawty have expressed allegiance to YSL, but are not contractually signed.
Raqhid Jevon Render, known professionally as Lil Keed, was an American rapper. He was signed to Young Thug's record label YSL Records, as well as 300 Entertainment. His song "Nameless" reached number 42 on the Billboard Hip Hop/R&B Songs Airplay chart.
Chandler A. Great, professionally known as Turbo, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his production with Young Thug, Travis Scott, Gunna, Nav, and Lil Baby.
My Turn is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Baby. It was released on February 28, 2020, by Capitol Records, Motown Records, Wolfpack Music Group, and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Gunna, 42 Dugg, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Moneybagg Yo, Young Thug, and Rylo Rodriguez. It also features production from record producers such as Tay Keith, Quay Global, Section 8, Twysted Genius, Hit-Boy, DJ Paul, Murda Beatz, and Wheezy, among others. The album was supported by five singles: "Woah", "Sum 2 Prove", "Emotionally Scarred", "All In", and "The Bigger Picture". The latter song received two Grammy nominations at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr., known professionally as DDG, is an American YouTuber and rapper. He started making videos in 2014, expanding his content with YouTube vlogs after graduating high school in 2015 and briefly attended Central Michigan University. He dropped out of college within a year to focus on his YouTube career.
Dion Marquise Hayes, known professionally as 42 Dugg, is an American rapper and singer from Detroit, Michigan. He signed to Yo Gotti and Lil Baby's respective labels, Collective Music Group (CMG) and Glass Window Entertainment through a joint venture with Interscope Records in 2019. He is best known for his collaborations with the latter, with whom he has released the hit songs "We Paid" and "Grace"; the former peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second mixtape, Young & Turnt 2 (2020) was met with critical acclaim and marked his debut on the Billboard 200. His 2021 singles, "4 Da Gang" and "Maybach" both received gold certifications and preceded his fourth mixtape Free Dem Boyz (2021), which peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200.
Ryan Preston Adams, known professionally as Rylo Rodriguez, is an American rapper from Mobile, Alabama. He signed with Lil Baby's record label, Glass Window Entertainment in a joint venture with Virgin Records in February 2020. He first gained recognition for his collaborations with the rapper, and released his debut studio album, G.I.H.F. in November of that year. It peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard 200, while his second album, Been One (2023) peaked within the top ten and was supported by the single "Thang for You" —his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist.
Lontrell Donell Williams, Jr., known professionally as Pooh Shiesty, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He signed with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records in 2020, he rose to prominence following his collaborations with the label's founder and cohorts. That same year, his single "Back in Blood" peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It preceded the release of his debut commercial mixtape Shiesty Season (2021), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. His stage name was given by his late brother, who adapted his childhood nickname "Mr. Pooh" with the Vernacular slang term "shiesty"—referential of his lifestyle.
Coi Leray Collins is an American rapper and singer from Hackensack, New Jersey. The daughter of rapper and media executive Benzino, she began her musical career in 2018 with the release of her debut mixtape, Everythingcoz. She signed with Karriem Mack's 1801 Records, in a joint venture with Uptown and Republic Records to release her second mixtape EC2 (2019) and debut extended play, Now or Never (2020). In 2021, the Lil Durk remix of her song "No More Parties" peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and received double platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
George Albert Stone III, known professionally as EST Gee, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, he signed with Yo Gotti's Collective Music Group (CMG), an imprint of Interscope Records in a joint venture with Warlike in early 2021. His fifth mixtape, Bigger Than Life or Death, released in July of that year and peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200. It spawned the Billboard Hot 100-charting songs "Lick Back" and "5500 Degrees". His debut studio album, I Never Felt Nun (2022) was met with similar success, peaking at number eight on the Billboard 200.