It's Only Me

* Album
* Animated

## **Singles from *It's Only Me***

1. "In a Minute"
Released: April 8, 2022
2. "Heyy"
Released: October 10, 2022

***It's Only Me*** is the third studio album by American rapper Lil Baby, released on October 14, 2022 through Quality Control Music, Motown, Wolfpack, and 4 Pockets Full. The album features guest appearances from Nardo Wick, Young Thug, Fridayy, Future, Rylo Rodriguez, Jeremih, EST Gee, and Pooh Shiesty. It was preceded by the two singles "In a Minute" and "Heyy".

## Synopsis

For just about as long as he's been rapping, Lil Baby has known exactly what fans have wanted to hear. From the rambling and electric non sequitur of breakout single "Freestyle," to mock-crying on Drake collaboration "Yes Indeed," to the way his gruff and always to-the-point bar delivery counterbalanced the pain-inspired melody of Lil Durk across their Voice of the Heroes project—rare is the Lil Baby miss. On his third official album, It's Only Me, Baby takes great pains to maintain this accuracy.

There's a heap of producers on It's Only Me who've yet to really stake their claim as big-ticket collaborators, but the most recognizable (Wheezy, Murda Beatz, Tay Keith, SEVN Thomas) are certified hitmakers. The production across the project is largely skittering and urgent, the exception being the woozy and ominous horror-movielike score beneath Jeremih collaboration "Stop Playin." Throughout, Baby is rapping like he's pressed to rid himself of a gaggle of old rhyme books, depositing the best of their contents on record.

And the MC is clearly still one of the best slick talkers out there. Though most of the project's songs veer in and out of any singular topic, couplets like the following from "Waterfall Flow" show Baby's ability to efficiently and effortlessly embody the two most essential components of rap superstardom—men wanting to be you and women wanting to date you: "You gon' have to pick a side, come here, let me pick your mind/You can tell me all your flaws, I'll get someone to fix your body/She love when I thug and like when I get romantic/She wanna be gang, I got her doing our handshake."

## Critical reception

*It's Only Me* received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 66, based on nine reviews.

In a positive review, *Clash* wrote, "This album undoubtedly sees Lil Baby solidify his spot and reaffirm the greatness he's presented the past few years," adding, "It captures the trials of his journey so far whilst celebrating his current success and the gross potential to do even more." Alphonse Pierre of *Pitchfork* was more mixed, writing, "Lil Baby is at his best when he's using [his] tricks to switch between moods, but there's just one on *It's Only Me*, and it's indifference: not in the too-cool-to-care kind of way, but in the way when words have no weight behind them."

In a review for AllMusic, it was claimed that, "Baby approaching nearly every track with repetitive flows and lyrics that feel disconnected and static. Ultimately It's Only Me sticks to the formula that's taken Lil Baby to the top, but somehow fails to communicate the personality and creative fire that was hard to miss on earlier albums." Similarly, *NME'*s Niall Smith declared that, "If the trimmings were removed from 'It's Only Me', it might rival his previous releases—instead it's a few notches shy of greatness."

In a more positive review for *Rolling Stone*, Jayson Buford stated that, "Most of the time, Baby is in prime form here—technical enough to earn his hip-hop cred, and stylistic enough to keep the uncommon kids from feeling like he's common. When he's at his best, it's best to let him gobble you whole."

## Track listing

**Notes**

* "Stop Playin" interpolates "Flashing", performed by Smerz

## References

1. ↑ "*It's Only Me* by Lil Baby Critic Reviews". *Metacritic*. Retrieved on November 12, 2023.
2. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2022". *Complex*. December 1, 2022.
3. ↑ "Here Are the Best Hip-Hop Projects of 2022". *XXL*. December 13, 2022.

Template:Lil Baby songs