Lil Baby - My Turn (Album Review)

One of the biggest rappers in terms of popularity going by the name Lil Baby dropped his sophomore album 'My Turn' last Friday. Lil Baby has been a rapper I haven't exactly been a fan of at this point in time whether it be due to his mixtapes or singles - I just find his songs to be a bit repetitive and stale. However, despite this, I was pleasantly surprised with this album and it was better than I expected it to be - but that's mainly because I didn't think I'd enjoy a single song. The production is very mixed - sometimes we get some generic trap beats that don't do anything for the track and other times we have some great instrumentals. I think the beats are literally what makes a song good or not on this album. The subject matter is pretty much what you'd expect from a Lil Baby album - drip, flexing and street life - so nothing special. In terms of lyricism, it's not strong and mostly filled with generic bars - but he goes for bangers not lyrics so I'll take that into consideration. His flow is quick and sounds great over the correct beat. Despite the good flow, his monotone delivery can make verses tiresome at times - but he does use melodies (especially in hooks which are the best part of most songs) and that's when he's at his most interesting. Final mention to his features - he picks them perfectly. The majority turn up with great features, fit the song well & have some kind of chemistry with Lil Baby & don't sound out of place.

We get off to a poor start with the song 'Get Ugly'. The beat is lifeless and what I found out during this album is Baby gets carried by the beat half the time and on this bland beat he doesn't stand out. We improve on the next track 'Heatin Up' but it's just OK. The beat's OK, Lil Baby's verse is OK (maybe a little too long), the hooks nice to be fair and Gunna's feature is just OK - great chemistry between them though as you'd expect. 'How' has the same issue as 'Get Ugly' - but the hooks not catchy or memorable in the slightest. We get the first track I properly enjoy on 'Grace'. The heavenly beat sounds great and compliments the 808's well. Lil Baby's flow (especially in the second verse) rides the beat well & 42 Dugg's voice has grew on me to the point I enjoy his feature. The first single off the album 'Woah' has an enjoyable cadence & melody within the hook making it stand out among other hooks. Verses are solid too especially Baby's flow. We get into the stride of things with the track 'Live Off My Closet' because it's the best song on the album at this point. It goes so hard. Baby's flow is relentless, the hook attacks me and he hits the 808's perfectly. Future's appearance too just isn't out of place and it's a great track. Tay Keith kills the beat on 'Same Thing' giving out tropical vibes and in fact the whole song just gives you good energy so I fuck with it. On the track 'Emotionally Scarred' we see Baby at his most vulnerable. It's a decent song but I don't know how true the line "I never call myself a G.O.A.T., I leave that love to the people" is...

Lil Uzi Vert (who really needs to drop 'Eternal Atake') partners Baby on 'Commercial'. Lil Baby is bland on his verses while Uzi was the main attraction of the song - despite this Uzi didn't go crazy on this one and it was a pretty underwhelming song. The Godfather of the Lil's - Lil Wayne collaborates with Baby on the track 'Forever'. Baby's quick flow is on show here which is when he's at his best but Lil Wayne steals the show with his verse. His flow is solid and he has some witty lines too such as "Diamonds on me, that's pavé//So bright, can't see, that's a blind date". We can't forget that the beat is fire as well. We're back to the bland songs with 'Can't Explain'. It just sounds like other songs I dislike on this album and is filler. At least 'No Sucker' gives us some more life. The beat is fire and I like how Moneybagg Yo & Lil Baby go back to back in the hook showing off their chemistry. The verses are also decent from both artists. One of the singles from this album 'Sum 2 Prove' has a really cool beat I appreciate them swirly synths but Lil Baby is generic. I can safely safe it does sound alright though mainly due to the beat. The hooks not bad either. Again on 'We Should' we're joined by Young Thug and his feature is OK I've heard better from him, and Baby is just above mid on his feature. The song's definitely passable though because the light toned beat brings all their verses and the hook together nicely. Another one of the singles, 'Catch the Sun' is a great track. The light strings in the beat make it extremely enjoyable and I suppose it carries Lil Baby. I've never enjoyed a song solely for Lil Baby's contribution and this is another example of that - however I can't complain because I'd listen to the song again.

The next track is titled 'Consistent' and that is anything but what this tracklist is. Another low point of the album. Lil Baby's flow is nice but nothing he's doing is interesting again and the beat is poor. How are we drastically going from highs to lows and back to highs? 'Gang Signs' is a highlight on the album. It uses a great sample of 'Throw Yo Sets in Da Air' by Three 6 Mafia. His delivery is more laid back which contrasts well with the beat. There's a simple but catchy hook and the verses are pretty enjoyable so overall a great track. Another low with 'Hurtin', which to be fair has a catchy, melodic hook but the beat and verses once again are forgettable which is becoming a trend now. Worstest ain't a word either. The final two tracks, 'Forget That' & 'Solid' have the same issues as the other tracks I don't particularly like and give us a weak ending to the album. Rylo Rodriguez has a nice edition on 'Forget That' though despite sounding just like Roddy Ricch.

So, in conclusion, like most artists in Lil Baby's lane who drop an hour project with 20 tracks - it's too long. There's too much filler and if it was shortened it would definitely get a higher score. From the 20 tracks involved though, it's a mixed bag. There's some songs I'd come back to and there's some similar sounding songs I wouldn't even hesitate to skip.

FAVOURITE TRACKS: Get Ugly, Heatin' Up, How, Grace, Woah, Live Off My Closet, Same Thing, Emotionally Scarred, Commercial, Forever, No Sucker, Sum 2 Prove, We Should, Gang Signs, Hurtin, Solid

LEAST FAVOURITE TRACK: Can't Explain

OVERALL RATING: Solid 7.5/10

*REVISED SCORE: Review may not match favourite tracks and overall rating because I've since re-listened and changed my score.*