“I Promise,” “WHAM” by Lil Baby is one of Lil Baby’s weaker albums to date and is not worth listening to. 

On Jan. 3, Dominique Armani Jones, professionally known as Lil Baby, released his fourth studio album titled “WHAM.” The title, being an abbreviation, stands for “Who Hard as Me.” Due to being the fourth album in Lil Baby’s “Hard” series– a series of albums that represent his “hardest out” mantra–the album was highly anticipated, and fans had high hopes. The album consists of many features, with famous names such as Travis Scott, Future, Young Thug, 21 Savage, and Rod Wave.

The album opens up with “Listen Up.” The angelic strums of violins paired with trumpets create an ambiance that marks a grand entrance and is Lil Baby’s way of saying, “I’m back.” His past year has been pretty mediocre in terms of music, not to say he hasn’t had some hard-hitting verses, but his once high stature is undoubtedly dimming. The orchestral nature of the song brings something new to his catalog and shows the fans that he is ready to innovate and try a different creative direction. 

And it worked–to an extent.

While the album has great music, its themes, however, are conventional. Focusing on fame, money, and a turnt lifestyle, Lil Baby has rapped about these topics throughout his career, not showing an abundance of creativity. Sure, he talks about his fight through poverty and his righteous heart, but his struggle isn’t as prevalent as his love for the finer things in life. In his song “Idol,” he showcases these themes with verses like “Don Julio, a million on my right hand.” In this verse, he talks about Don Julio, an expensive alcoholic beverage, while referencing his vast amount of money with “a million on my right hand.”

The production of this album was moderately well done. In terms of mixing and vocal synchronization, it certainly delivered. While the beat choices were repetitive at times, they fit the signature sound Lil Baby is known for. Blending heavy 808s, crisp hi-hats, and melodic samples, it creates the perfect scene for dynamic and high-energy verses. There were moments, however, where Lil Baby experimented and leaned toward trap-esc bangers perfect for the car with booming bass and sharp snares. These tracks are what kept listeners engaged and eager for more. Overall, while the melodic theme of the album remained relatively the same, the extra effort Lil Baby took to make tracks such as “F U 2x” and “Stuff” sound unique was a change from his previous music.

As a whole, the album fell short of its expectations. Lil Baby had the opportunity to silence criticism of his trite, mumbly-rap style, as stated by fans on AlbumOfTheYear; he reinforced it again and again with each track. Although Lil Baby talked about his journey through poverty, a unique style in the hip-hop genre, he unfortunately continued to talk about his money, fame, and relationships with women, falling into generic rap norms. While these fan-critics argue that the album only deserves a 50/100, it does deserve some credit for its catchy songs, like “Stuff” featuring Travis Scott. Therefore, it deserves an “8 by 8”– or a 64/100.