DaBaby Is His Own Secret Weapon

In a viral video from 2017, a rapper named DaBaby wears a gigantic diaper — very on brand. He's shirtless, a towel over his head and Air Jordan 9s on his feet, scrolling his phone with a double cup in his hands. His entourage all wear shirts with a baby on them while South by Southwest attendees walk nearby. DaBaby turns to the camera, grinning at the ingenuity of his name. "DaBaby, DaBaby, DaBaby, DaBaby," he chants before returning to sipping his cup.


At the time, this moment was the headline and the punchline: a rapper, wearing a diaper, is demanding attention. However right now, DaBaby — whose sophomore album Kirk debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last month — has it, and not due to the diaper. As a substitute, his charisma, looks, personality, and thus much more that have made him one of rap's brightest stars in 2019.


This year, DaBaby's seen 20 songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100. He's making reportedly six figures per feature — he's racked up dozens of those, including on tracks with Post Malone and Gucci Mane along with remixes with Lizzo and Lil Nas X — and he's become maybe the most famous face of XXL's Freshman Class of 2019. You might know him from "Suge," the perky and reckless platinum single from his debut studio album. It came with a hilarious video that channeled the comedic genius of both Ludacris and Busta Rhymes. Nevertheless the music itself carries so much of what makes DaBaby a magnetic figure.


DaBaby's high-octane brand of rap radiates confidence. His fashion feels like he's telling jokes in a crowded high-school lunchroom, not letting laughs interject him as he hits punchline immediately after punchline. Nowhere is this more visible (sonically and visually) than in the video for "Vibez," where he smirks while screaming the verse as females try to rip him to shreds so that they can all get a piece. His music is a reflection of him as a person, and it's easy to be able to see why so several people have become fans.


Long before DaBaby’s music was floating down your timeline this year, you probably saw his face. The 27-year-old rapper frequently went somewhat viral for his properly symmetrical face, sharp jawline, and classically handsome appearance. Combine the fact that he wears clothes fitted to his muscular physique, is usually groomed with a tiny mustache and goatee to preserve a youthful appearance (he also revealed that he just can't grow a beard) and is never seen without a fresh haircut, so you have a winning recipe for visual marketability.


"DaBaby's physical appeal adds to his hype in the same manner teenage females created mania in the 2000s for B2K and Bow Wow, making a fandom behind the music," says freelance journalist and DaBaby stan DeMicia Inman. "The allure of him makes some fans want a chance with him and others aspire to adapt his behaviors to build their own roster of hopeful romantics."


Looks aside, it's also crucial to be able to see that he's been orchestrating this sort of takeover from the begin. DaBaby began rapping in 2015 under the name Baby Jesus and released his first mixtape, Nonfiction. He abandoned the controversial name in 2017 around the time that he wore the diaper to SXSW. It was a wild look, nevertheless it worked: People began talking more about him, wondering who this wild guy was. In a recent interview with "The Breakfast Club," DaBaby called the stunt "premeditated" marketing and compared it to Tekashi 6ix9ine's rainbow-colored hair. It showed that he was cognizant of the current rap and viral climates and he knew how to navigate them. That would come into the scene as he continued his ascent.


Look at your timeline again. In the event you don't immediately visualize DaBaby, keep scrolling. Eventually, you'll likely find a video from popular video app Triller that depicts DaBaby dancing to one of his songs, showing off his teeth and, most likely, some confident and sexy moves. There's this one, where he waltzes around a hotel with his chains on, and this one, in which he dances around (also shirtless) with his kids. He's made Triller, which has been around since 2015, into a necessity for rising rappers looking to show off how much they like to have fun with their music.


Earlier this month, he collaborated with a social-media comedian Jeffrey Obenga, also referred to as Mufasa and Cousin Skeether, and walked and jumped across streets while sparking blunts and having a good time. It’s been constantly shared on newsfeeds since. "I did a funny dance video to his song two weeks before and he reposted it," Obenga says. "A few weeks later, I went to his meet and greet in D.C. And when he walked out, he recognized me from the video. He thanked me for making the video and notified me how dope it was, then came up with an idea to do a video for his new song 'Bop.'"


Accessibility is at the heart of DaBaby's charisma. Because he's so open and truthful with his portrayal of his character, it's easy to calculate with. It's similar to the 2019 lightning strike of Megan Thee Stallion, who shows love to people she respects, communicates with fans through different social media streams, and shows she's also a goofball that can have fun. It's no wonder that the two have collaborated before — their team-up on "Cash Shit" shows how they can both stand on tables and operate the sway of a party through requires and barking lyricism — and in a recent interview, DaBaby mentioned that he'd love to prepare a joint album with Megan.


In the meantime, we have Kirk, an introspective album about having fun that distills DaBaby's entire appeal down to 13 songs. It's no accident that he's the focus of the room, in real life and through screens, while he enters. In this way, he really is like a baby — no diaper needed. You just can't look away.