DaBaby’s recent album Baby On Baby 2 garnered lower sales than his previous projects, and the Charlotte rapper thinks it’s because he’s being blackballed.
The release is projected to move 16,000 units in its first week. In contrast, Baby’s previous solo record, 2020’s BLAME IT ON BABY, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and moved 124,000 album-equivalent units, per Billboard. Still, DaBaby wasn’t sweating the tepid projections and gave himself a pat on the back for his sales.
“No bad for da BlackBalled Baby,” the rapper wrote on his Instagram Stories.
DaBaby’s response comes shortly after Akademiks argued the same thing, and blamed Apple Music’s Ebro Darden for blackballing the rapper.
“Da Baby last project in 2020 ‘Blame it on Baby’ sold 124K first week,” the media personality wrote on Twitter. “His new project after being blackballed by Ebro, Apple Music is scheduled to do less than 20K. Now yall understand my Ebro convo…. DSPs control who is hot and who is not. Fall out of favor with them.. UR DONE.”
Ebro offered his own take on the situation, writing that Apple Music is far from the only DSP.
“Apple Music is not the only platform. Based on this dummy’s logic, Da Baby should be doing well on the platform HE works for. Is it?” Ebro asked.
DaBaby’s low sales are surprising since the album serves as the sequel to his 2019 debut Baby on Baby, which featured his breakout hit “Suge.” The song was ranked as the 2nd best song of 2019 by Complex, and was even nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 62nd annual Grammys.
Regardless of how the album commercially performs, DaBaby will soon be taking the project on the road for his fall Baby On Baby 2 Tour, which kicks off on Oct. 27 in Minneapolis. From there, the “BOP” rapper will head to Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, New York, Boston, and others before wrapping in Los Angeles, California on November 19. Tickets go on sale Friday at noon ET.
Check out the full list of dates below.
