Lil Baby

Dominique Armani Jones[1] (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape Perfect Timing and is one of the most prominent figures in the trap music scene.[2][3]

For the song by Quality Control, Lil Baby, and DaBaby, see Baby (Quality Control, Lil Baby and DaBaby song).
Lil Baby
Lil Baby in November 2018
Background information
Birth nameDominique Armani Jones
Born (1994-12-03) December 3, 1994
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2014–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websiteiamlilbaby.com

Lil Baby's debut studio album Harder Than Ever (2018) was certified RIAA Platinum and included the song "Yes Indeed" with Drake which peaked at 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. He went on to release two more mixtapes in 2018, Drip Harder and Street Gossip, the former containing his most popular song "Drip Too Hard" which peaked at 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the latter peaking at number two on the US Billboard 200. Lil Baby's second album, My Turn (2020), peaked at number one on the Billboard 200. In June 2020, he released the single "The Bigger Picture", which peaked at number 3 on the Hot 100 and became the highest charting song of his career.

Early life

Dominique Jones was born in Atlanta, Georgia.[4] He was two years old when his father left the family, leaving his single mother to raise him and his two sisters. While he was not struggling academically, Jones would repeatedly get in trouble, resulting in him dropping out of high school in the ninth grade.

In early 2012, he was charged for possession with intent to sell among other charges. His original lawyer urged him to take a 2-year plea deal, but Jones refused, and acquired a new lawyer. This new lawyer placed Jones in a special program that would only hold him for a year.[5] While in this program, he got into an altercation with a white prisoner over racial comments. After, Jones' sentencing was replaced with the original 2-year deal. Later in 2013, he had a charge of possession of marijuana, less than an ounce. In 2014, he was arrested again and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell among other things. After being incarcerated for two years, he began his rap career with 4PF (4 Pockets Full) and Quality Control Music.[6][7]

Career

2016–2018: Career beginnings and Harder Than Ever
Lil Baby performing at the Openair Frauenfeld festival in Switzerland, July 2019

Shortly after his release from prison, Jones released his mixtape Perfect Timing, with features from Young Thug, Lil Yachty, and others. He released his second mixtape entitled Harder Than Hard on July 18, 2017. On October 9, 2017, Jones released a collaboration mixtape with close friend and fellow Atlanta rapper Marlo, 2 The Hard Way. This mixtape did not create as big an impact as two former tapes, but still garnered some attention. Jones finally started to break through to the masses with his December 2017 mixtape Too Hard, led by his hit single "Freestyle", which was released as a music video on November 5 to promote the upcoming mixtape. Through the success of the single, Jones attracted much attention towards his mixtape. When the mixtape finally dropped it featured the single "All of a Sudden" with featuring rapper and friend Moneybagg Yo. This mixtape was defining for much of Jones’ current career. In May 2018, Baby released his debut studio album, Harder Than Ever, which debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart.[8] The album was supported by the singles, "Southside" and "Yes Indeed" (with Drake), the latter peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100.[9]

2018–2019: Drip Harder and Street Gossip

After he released Harder Than Ever, he released his collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with labelmate and close friend, Gunna on October 5, 2018. The lead single, "Drip Too Hard" went on to become certified RIAA Platinum.[10] and MC Platinum[11], peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and being nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The mixtape was released under the labels Quality Control, YSL Records and Motown/Capitol.

In September 2018, Baby appeared on the Adult Swim television series FishCenter Live.[12][13] In November 2018, he released his mixtape Street Gossip.[14] and in December 2018, Baby collaborated with Yung Gravy on the latter's single, "Alley Oop".[15]

He starred in How High 2, the sequel to the 2001 stoner film How High, which premiered on April 20, 2019, on MTV.[16] On June 21, 2019, Baby and rapper Future released a single titled "Out the Mud".[17] On July 17, 2019, Lil Baby appeared alongside DaBaby on the single "Baby", released on Quality Control's second studio album, Control the Streets, Volume 2. The song peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.[18] On November 8, 2019, Baby released his single "Woah" as the lead single for his second studio album My Turn.[19] The song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. On November 15, 2019, Baby released a song from the film Queen & Slim, titled "Catch the Sun", which subsequently appeared on My Turn.

2020: My Turn and "The Bigger Picture"

On January 10, 2020, Baby released the second single, "Sum 2 Prove", for his album, and it reached number 16 on the Hot 100. The album, My Turn, was released on February 28, 2020 and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.[20] It features guest appearances from Gunna, 42 Dugg, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Moneybagg Yo, Young Thug and Rylo Rodriguez. My Turn produced 12 songs that appeared the Billboard Hot 100 chart, giving him a career total of 47 songs on the chart, putting him at a tie with Prince and Paul McCartney.[21] Following the release of the album's deluxe version on May 1, My Turn returned to the top spot on the Billboard 200. On June 12, 2020, Lil Baby released the single "The Bigger Picture", amid the George Floyd protests. The song also debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Lil Baby's highest-charting song.[22] In July 2020, Lil Baby was featured on Pop Smoke's "For the Night", from his posthumous debut album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon. The track reached number 6 on the Hot 100.

Personal life

Sometime in 2018 Jones started dating Jayda Cheaves, and on February 18, 2019, they had a child together.[23]

Shooting in Birmingham

During Lil Baby's concert in Birmingham, on March 8, 2020, gun fire popped off the side of the stage, which had Baby and much of the audience running for safety. A Twitter video surfaced that showed the incident, where two men entered the stage and appeared to be looking for a way out. Almost immediately after their entering, gun shots were heard.[24] Reportedly, one was taken to the hospital after the shooting.[25][26] According to a police officer, the victim's injuries are life-threatening. No suspect was arrested.[27]

Discography
Main article: Lil Baby discography

Awards and nominations
Award nominations for Lil Baby
Award Year[upper-alpha 1] Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Category Result Ref.
BET Awards 2019 Himself Best New Artist Won [28]
Himself & Gunna Best Group Nominated
BET Hip Hop Awards 2019 "Drip Too Hard" (with Gunna) Best Collab, Duo or Group Nominated [29]
2020 Grammy Awards 2020 "Drip Too Hard" (with Gunna) Best Rap/Sung Performance Nominated [30]

Notes
  1. Indicates the year of ceremony. Each year is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.

References
  1. "Lil Baby's Future in Hip-Hop Is Already Written". XXL. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  2. "Lil Baby "Harder Than Ever" Review". HotNewHipHop. May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  3. "Most recent Georgia Bookings". Georgia.arrests.org. June 16, 2018.
  4. Clark, Mitchell (September 7, 2018). "Weekly Columns:Lil Baby joins the newest wave of Atlanta-based hip-hop". The Daily Campus. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  5. "Lil Baby on Going to Prison at 18, Fighting a White Racist (Part 1)". YouTube. 2017-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
  6. "Lil Baby "Harder Than Ever" Review". HotNewHipHop. May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  7. "Most recent Georgia Bookings". Georgia.arrests.org. June 16, 2018.
  8. Caulfield, Keith (May 27, 2018). "BTS Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Love Yourself: Tear'". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  9. "Lil Baby Earns First Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 With Drake Collab 'Yes Indeed'". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  10. "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.
  11. "Drip Too Hard - Single by Lil Baby & Gunna". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  12. "Fishcenter Live - Lil Baby - Adult Swim". Adult Swim. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  13. ""FishCenter" Lil Baby (TV Episode 2018) - IMDb". Internet Movie Database. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  14. "Lil Baby Releases New Project 'Street Gossip'". CapitolRecords. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  15. "Lil Baby Assists Yung Gravy On "Alley Oop"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  16. Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (March 7, 2019). "'How High 2': Mike Epps To Reprise Baby Powder Role In MTV Sequel; Premiere Date Set". Deadline Hollywood.
  17. Blistein, Jon (2019-06-21). "Hear Lil Baby, Future Pull Gold From Grit on New Song 'Out the Mud'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  18. Saponara, Michael (July 17, 2019). "Lil Baby & DaBaby Connect for 'Baby': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  19. Saponara, Michael (November 8, 2019). "Lil Baby Wants to Inspire the Street Hustlers With 'Woah'". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  20. Caulfield, Keith (March 8, 2020). "Lil Baby Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'My Turn'". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  21. Coleman III, Vernon. "Lil Baby Ties Prince and Paul McCartney for Number of Billboard Hot 100 Hits". XXL. XXL Magazine. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  22. Trust, Gary (June 22, 2020). "6ix9ine & Nicki Minaj's 'Trollz' Launches at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Lil Baby's 'The Bigger Picture' Debuts at No. 3". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  23. Centeno, Tony. "Lil Baby Welcomes New Son Into World". xxlmag.com. XXL Magazine. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  24. Hughes, Hilary (March 8, 2020). "Lil Baby's Birmingham Show Ended in Chaos After Shooting". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  25. Robinson, Carol (March 8, 2020). "Lil Baby rap concert shut down in Birmingham after shots fired; 1 taken to hospital". AL. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  26. D'Angelo, Bob (March 8, 2020). "1 hospitalized after shots fired at Lil Baby rap concert in Alabama". KIRO-TV. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  27. Aswad, Jem (March 8, 2020). "One Person Shot After Gunfire Erupts at Lil Baby Concert in Alabama". Variety. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  28. Warner, Denose (June 23, 2019). "Here Are All the Winners From the 2019 BET Awards". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  29. "Cardi B Leads 2019 BET Hip Hop Awards With 10 Nominations: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  30. "2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Winners List". Grammy.com.
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