Big Baby DRAM | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 21, 2016 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 52:22 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
DRAM chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Big Baby DRAM | ||||
|
Big Baby DRAM is the debut studio album by American rapper DRAM. It was released on October 21, 2016, by Empire Distribution and Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Young Thug, Erykah Badu, Lil Yachty, Playboi Carti, Trippie Redd, ASAP Rocky, and Juicy J, while the production was handled by Charlie Heat, Mike Dean, Ricky Reed, and Roofeeo, among others.
Big Baby DRAM received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number 19 on the US Billboard 200. The album was supported by four official singles: "Broccoli", "Cute", "Cash Machine", and "Gilligan".
"Broccoli" was released as the album's lead single on April 6, 2016. [3] The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Lil Yachty, while the production was handled by J Gramm, with additional production by Rogét Chahayed and Karl Rubin. [4] The song's accompanying music video premiered on July 22, 2016, on DRAM's YouTube account. [5] On September 21, 2018, the single was certified seven-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [6]
"Cute" was released as the album's second single on July 29, 2016. [7] The track was produced by Charlie Heat. [4]
"Cash Machine" was released as the album's third single on September 9, 2016. [8] The track was produced by Ricky Reed. [4] The music video for the single premiered on October 18, 2016. [9]
"Gilligan" was first released for digital download on April 21, 2017. The song features guest appearances from American rappers ASAP Rocky and Juicy J. [10] The song later sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on July 18, 2017, as the album's fourth single. [11]
The album's first promotional single, "Ill Nana", was released on September 29, 2017. The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Trippie Redd. [12]
The album's second promotional single, "Crumbs", was released on November 17, 2017. The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Playboi Carti. [13]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.5/10 [14] |
Metacritic | 80/100 [15] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [16] |
Clash | 8/10 [17] |
Consequence | B [18] |
The Guardian | [19] |
HipHopDX | 3.7/5 [20] |
Now | 4/5 [21] |
Pitchfork | 7.8/10 [1] |
Rolling Stone | [22] |
Spectrum Culture | [23] |
XXL | 3/5 [24] |
Big Baby DRAM was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on 13 reviews. [15] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.5 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [14]
Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic said, "Big Baby D.R.A.M. is, at times, odd and imperfect, which is part of the charm". [16] James Kilpin of Clash said, "It's refreshing to hear something different and altogether more interesting from a slighter older but no less exciting name". [17] Michael Madden of Consequence said, "It'll be interesting to see how those sorts of lyrics sound 10, 15, or 20 years down the line, but at the very least, Big Baby D.R.A.M.'s melodies and instrumentation are enough to ensure people will be listening to these songs for a while". [18] Tim Jonze of The Guardian said, "The Virginia rapper's playfulness is frequently channelled through his talent for crafting delightfully weird pop". [19] Eric Diep of HipHopDX said, "Big Baby D.R.A.M. is presented as a playlist of D.R.A.M.'s best conceptual songs rather than achieve the glory of playing a perfect album from front to back". [20] Christine Clarke of Now said, "The dizzying array of styles and themes always entertain, and D.R.A.M.'s confidence as both a singer and rapper allows him to pull these threads together". [21] August Brown of Los Angeles Times said, "With Big Baby D.R.A.M. he comes into his own, rapping with verve and sensitivity while fully capturing 2016's loopy, soulful moment in hip-hop. No wonder he's smiling". [25]
Jon Caramanica of The New York Times said, "His excellent full-length debut album, Big Baby D.R.A.M., is joyous, clever and moves in surprising directions". [2] Daniel Bromfield of Pretty Much Amazing said, "Big Baby D.R.A.M. makes it clear he's interested in a lot more than just writing breezy radio tunes. The only problem is that's unequivocally what he's best at". [26] Jayson Greene of Pitchfork said, "D.R.A.M. doesn't really have new ideas to pitch into this ball pit, but on his full-length debut Big Baby D.R.A.M., he reminds us that new ideas aren't the whole game". [1] Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone said, "Love or hate his broken style, he's the Biz Markie for the era where it goes down in the D.M." [22] Scott Glaysher of XXL said, "Big Baby D.R.A.M. does have moments where tracks like "Sweet VA Breeze" and "WiFi" easily blend into each other, sounding a bit too similar. But those middling songs don't really hinder the overall replay value of the album". [24]
Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Complex | 50 Best Albums of 2016 | 42 | |
The New York Times | The Best Albums of 2016 (Jon Caramanica) | 14 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Big Baby DRAM by Atlantic Records. [4]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Get It Myself" |
|
| 1:47 |
2. | "Misunderstood" (featuring Young Thug) |
| Ricky Reed | 3:31 |
3. | "In a Minute / In House" |
|
| 5:38 |
4. | "Monticello Ave" |
|
| 4:24 |
5. | "WiFi" (featuring Erykah Badu) |
|
| 4:05 |
6. | "Cash Machine" |
| Ricky Reed | 3:01 |
7. | "Broccoli" (featuring Lil Yachty) |
| 3:45 | |
8. | "Cute" |
| Charlie Heat | 4:01 |
9. | "Outta Sight / Dark Lavender Interlude" |
|
| 5:53 |
10. | "Change My #" |
| Mike Dean | 4:24 |
11. | "Password" |
| 2:25 | |
12. | "100%" |
|
| 3:28 |
13. | "Sweet VA Breeze" |
|
| 3:37 |
14. | "Workaholic" (bonus track) |
| Happy Perez | 2:23 |
Total length: | 52:22 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
15. | "I Have a Dream" |
|
| 1:56 |
16. | "Crumbs" (featuring Playboi Carti) |
| Oz | 2:36 |
17. | "Ill Nana" (featuring Trippie Redd) |
| Slade da Monsta | 3:16 |
18. | "Eyeyieyie" |
| Oz | 2:42 |
19. | "Deep Down in My Heart" |
|
| 2:01 |
20. | "Daddy / Daddy, Pt. 2" |
|
| 6:28 |
21. | "Good Thang" |
|
| 4:08 |
22. | "Gilligan" (featuring ASAP Rocky and Juicy J) (digital bonus track) |
| 3:27 | |
Total length: | 78:56 |
Notes
Sample credits
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [33] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Label | Format(s) | Edition | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | October 21, 2016 | Standard | [34] | ||
April 28, 2017 | Vinyl | [35] | |||
December 1, 2017 |
| Deluxe | [36] |
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation. He is also widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Born and raised in Compton, California, Lamar began his career as a teenager performing under the stage name K.Dot. He quickly garnered local attention which led to him signing a recording contract with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005.
"Mercy" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring fellow American rappers Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz. The song, released April 3, 2012 through GOOD Music and Def Jam, serves as the lead single from the compilation album Cruel Summer (2012). The song's production was handled by Lifted, with additional production from West, Mike Dean, and Mike Will Made It, and additional instrumentation from Hudson Mohawke. The song heavily samples the dancehall song "Dust a Sound Boy" by Super Beagle. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics who praised the bombastic production, the varying quality of the verses, and the wordplay of the individual rappers. The song was featured on the soundtrack for NBA 2K13.
Dark Sky Paradise is the third studio album by American rapper Big Sean. It was released on February 24, 2015, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from Drake, Kanye West, E-40, Chris Brown, Ty Dolla Sign, Jhené Aiko, Lil Wayne, and Ariana Grande, while the production was handled by a variety of collaborators, including Kanye West, DJ Mustard, DJ Dahi and Key Wane, who also serves as the album's executive producer alongside Big Sean himself. The album was supported by five singles: "I Don't Fuck with You", "Paradise", "Blessings", "One Man Can Change the World" and "Play No Games".
"Baby Blue" is a song by American rapper Action Bronson with a guest appearance from fellow rapper Chance the Rapper. It was released on March 3, 2015 by Atlantic and Vice as the fourth and final single from his second album Mr. Wonderful (2015). It was co-written by both artists, along with Zane Lowe, who did a punch-up to the chorus, and Mark Ronson, who also produced the song. A breakup song, "Baby Blue" ends a three-part suite started by "City Boy Blues" and "A Light in the Addict" that is preluded by the album's interlude, "Thug Love Story 2017 The Musical".
Miles Parks McCollum, known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first gained recognition on the internet in 2015 for his singles "One Night" and "Minnesota" from his debut EP Summer Songs. He released his debut mixtape Lil Boat in March 2016. In June 2016, Yachty announced that he had signed a joint venture record deal with Motown, Capitol Records, and Quality Control Music.
Rogét Lutfi Chahayed is an American record producer and songwriter who Billboard has called "one of hip-hop and pop's most dependable hit machines." He was nominated for the Producer of the Year, Non-Classical award at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in 2022.
Coloring Book is the third mixtape by American rapper Chance the Rapper. It was produced by his group The Social Experiment, Lido, and Kaytranada, among others. For the mixtape, Chance also collaborated with musicians such as Kanye West, Young Thug, Francis and the Lights, Justin Bieber, 2 Chainz, Kirk Franklin, and the Chicago Children's Choir.
"Broccoli" is a song by American rapper DRAM featuring fellow American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on April 6, 2016, by Atlantic Records and Empire Distribution as the lead single from DRAM's debut studio album Big Baby DRAM. It was produced by J. Gramm, with Rogét Chahayed as co-producer. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
Shelley Marshaun Massenburg-Smith, known professionally as DRAM, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Hampton, Virginia. He is signed to Atlantic Records and Empire Distribution. His debut single was "Cha Cha", followed by his breakout single "Broccoli", which peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. In October 2016, he released his debut studio album Big Baby DRAM.
The discography of Lil Yachty, an American rapper and singer, consists of five studio albums, three mixtapes, one collaborative mixtape, ten extended plays, ten music videos, thirteen guest appearances and thirty-one singles.
"iSpy" is a song by American rapper Kyle featuring fellow American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on December 2, 2016, by Indie-Pop and Atlantic Records. It is the lead single from Kyle's debut studio album Light of Mine (2018). The song was produced by Naz, SuperDuperBrick, and Lege Kale.
Terry Sanchez Wallace Jr., known professionally as Tee Grizzley, is an American rapper best known for his singles "First Day Out", "No Effort", "Colors", and "From the D to the A".
"Peek a Boo" is a song by American rapper Lil Yachty featuring American rap trio Migos, released as a single from Lil Yachty's album Teenage Emotions on April 14, 2017. It reached number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold by the RIAA. The music video for the song was released the same day the song was released. Before its official release, Lil Yachty released a short snippet on his Instagram account.
Lil Boat 2 is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on March 9, 2018, by Capitol Records, Motown and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Quality Control labelmates Quavo and Offset of Migos and Lil Baby, alongside 2 Chainz, Trippie Redd, Lil Pump, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Tee Grizzley, among others.
Quality Control Music is an American hip hop record label founded by Kevin "Coach K" Lee (COO) and Pierre "P" Thomas (CEO) in March 2013. The label's releases are now distributed through Motown and Caroline, subsidiaries of the Capitol Music Group. Tamika Howard and Simone Mitchell are executives of the label, with Howard serving as its general manager.
Nuthin' 2 Prove is the third studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on October 19, 2018, by Capitol Records, Motown and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Playboi Carti, Juice Wrld, Lil Baby, Young Nudy, Cardi B, Offset, Trippie Redd, Kevin Gates, and Gunna.
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.
"Baby" is a song released by American record label Quality Control, performed by American rappers Lil Baby and DaBaby. The song was released through Quality Control Music, Motown, and Universal Music Group (UMG). It was produced by Wheezy and released on July 17, 2019 as a single off of QC's second studio album, Control the Streets, Volume 2 (2019). The song received acclaim from critics, with particular praise for DaBaby's verse. The song's official video features Lil Baby and DaBaby portraying characters from the movie Scarface.
Lil Boat 3 is the fourth studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on May 29, 2020, by Capitol Records, Motown Records, and Quality Control Music. The album serves as the third and final installment of the Lil Boat series and the sequel to Lil Boat 2. The album was recorded four times over and was described by Yachty as "upbeat" and "heavy-hitting". It features guest appearances from Tierra Whack, ASAP Rocky, Tyler, the Creator, Future, Draft Day, DaBaby, Drake, Lil Keed, Young Thug, and Lil Durk, with production by JetsonMade, Mike Will Made It, Pi'erre Bourne, Earl on the Beat, K Swisha, and Lil Yachty himself, among others.
Her Loss is a collaborative studio album by Canadian rapper Drake and Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage. It was released on November 4, 2022, through OVO Sound and Republic Records. The album features a sole guest appearance from Travis Scott. It was the third of a trilogy of albums following Certified Lover Boy and Honestly, Nevermind.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)