Steve 'Flash' JuonGood question.
The inaccurately named DaBaby is full grown, and “HOW TF IS THIS A MIXTAPE?” is a full grown album. Okay… full grown by today’s standards. It’s 14 tracks and clocks in at 32 minutes. That’s far enough above the average for me to call it an album. Even with four less tracks I’d still call it a LP, not an EP. There are also full fledged music videos for this album, which at least by traditional (i.e. old school) standards would be heard of for a mixtape. Jonathan Kirk is showing us a new side to his artistry by going behind the lens to direct them too! As parodies of The Nutty Professor go this one probably ranks as the best I’ve seen, at least in music video form.
So I’m with DaBaby here — “HOW TF IS THIS A MIXTAPE?” It’s not. There are undoubtedly reasons he won’t call it an album, and on Interscope’s part the feeling is similar. For one or for both of them they don’t want to count this one toward how ever many releases he’s contractually obligated to. None of my business really Jonathan… except that you made it the title of the album. I’m calling it that, because it feels like YOU want to call it that. You’re the one asking. I could be cynical and say this is just a way to game the algorithm and get people talking. It worked. I’m here talking about it.
“I got the faith of a mustard seed
I move a mountain, my flow, it gotcha
Heard you dehydrated, better come fuck with me
Bitch this a fountain, go check my resume
I got this favor on me
You don’t know no better, so you doubting
Everywhere I go, you know I got haters on me
Got them bitch-ass niggaz in here pouting”
As long as KayoTheWizard, Cashflo and Sean Da Firzt are producing songs like “Did It” and DaBaby is delivering pure heat lyrically, I don’t really care whether it’s called an album or a mixtape. He attacks tracks with an attitude informed by Charlotte — Southern swagger but a little bit of that East coast bravado too. He’s cocky and defiant but when he throws the word “bitch” out it feels less like a misogynist’s whistle and more like “anybody who gets in my way gets denigrated” man or woman. He’s flexing his success yet simultaneously manages to not come across as making a vulgar display of conspicuous consumption. If I’m being honest DaBaby is one of the better things to happen to rap in the last 10 years. He’s not chasing trends, he’s making them. Expect more people to question why their albums are called mixtapes thanks to him.