After an incredibly long 497 days, Lil Baby finally dropped his fourth studio album titled “It’s Only Me.”

His 2022 repertoire has been impressive, dropping quality songs such as “Right On,” “In A Minute,” and “Detox,” all landing inside the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and all qualifying for my Spotify playlist.

Each single released before the album had a different vibe and tempo. However, they all kept the same base and beat, which consists of a classic trap beat with a sample distinguishing the songs from similar sounding songs.

“Detox” was his most recent single. It had a unique sample to it, as well as a soothing auto tune effect on Lil Baby’s voice. It had fans excited, and rightfully so, because Lil Baby only delivers bangers to listeners.

Below, I will provide my detailed album review, and depending on who you consult, it may be quite the “hot take.”

Whereas some music fans listen to the album’s singles first, I always listen to a new album in the order that the songs are listed, as albums can tell a story. Occasionally artists put an introduction first, but Baby did not have either an introduction or a story line.

The album’s first song is “Real Spill,” and the hook is the catchiest of the album. He discreetly showed off his vocals mixed with his usual exceptional flow. What made this song so smooth was the sample “Only love could bring us, bring us to this bitter place” behind the beat and lyrics. Listening to this song will not change your life, but it will leave you at peace.

Continuing on with the rest of the album, I must talk about the lack of greatness in the features. Not only is Lil Baby one of the most liked rappers in the game, but he makes sure to have a good relationship with everyone, leaving listeners confused on why bigger artists were not included.

One thing that made his second studio album “My Turn” so special was the quality features heard on the album. “It’s Only Me” needed some of these features, as some songs tended to get repetitive and did not fit with Baby’s voice; however, the songs that had “hard” features were some of the best on the album. For instance, Nardo Wick, Future, Young Thug, Pooh Shiesty, and Rylo Rodriguez spit straight heat.

I specifically want to highlight Rodriguez, an artist who always raps best when collaborating with Baby. He continued this trend on “Cost to be Alive,” a song that possessed a peaceful piano sample and an incredible transition from Baby to Rodriguez, which hyped up the listener with its crazy flow.

Undoubtedly, Lil Baby honed in on constructing a smooth sample, but listeners, along with myself, thought his lyrical intros got to be repetitive. His beats, samples, and bases all were creative and smooth, but he rarely changed the style or mood of the song. He relied too much on his quiet flow and lyrics rather than switching it up a bit.

A perfect example of this critique is shown in his song called “Everything.” It jumps right away with a catchy beat, but I thought Baby just missed. Instead of playing into this beat, he frayed away and went with a more lyrical approach that did not work for me.

Overall, this album was enjoyable. It did not reach the level “My Turn” hit, but it was nowhere near a disappointment. He had a solid amount of hits, as well as creative beats that failed to replicate each other. Lil Baby is on top of the rap world, and he is only going higher.