Following the release of his debut studio album, Baby On Baby (which peaked #7 on the Billboard 200), North Carolina native DaBaby was on top of the music industry. His breakthrough single, “Suge,” surged in popularity, reaching double platinum status in mid-July. After a string of chart-topping singles and high-profile features, DaBaby announced that his second album in 6 months, Kirk, titled after his own last name, would release on September 27, 2019. Despite a promising debut on Baby On Baby, DaBaby fails to show any signs of change or improvement on Kirk. 

DaBaby’s rise to stardom was largely due to his charismatic delivery on songs such as “Taking It Out” and “Goin’ Baby.” While DaBaby’s usual charm can be seen on some tracks, like “Bop,” it is missing throughout most of the rest of the album. Instead of the usual energy DaBaby often brings to his tracks, many songs on Kirk have DaBaby sounding as if he had been drained of all energy he had brought to the previous ones. DaBaby’s lack of vigor is evident on tracks such as “Toes,” featuring Lil Baby and Moneybagg Yo, where DaBaby has one lackluster verse and lazily repeats a hook throughout most of the song. Many of the tracks appeared to be very poorly written, as quite a few songs have DaBaby echoing the hook for the majority of the track. 

Another drawback of Kirk is DaBaby’s attempt to use his past success to his advantage. Many songs on Kirk sound similar to “Suge,” which results in many unmemorable tracks. This contributes to the lack of creativity on Kirk. When DaBaby does attempt to change up his style, it results in tracks such as “Gospel,” which is one of the more reflective tracks on the album, but it sounds very out of place. 

Despite Kirk’s flaws, there are still standout tracks. “Intro,” the first song on the album, is a very nice change of pace for DaBaby, as it’s one of his more introspective tracks. He raps about his late father and reflects upon his rise to fame. “Bop” is another highlight of Kirk, as DaBaby brings his signature charisma and flow while avoiding a remake of “Suge.” The production, while occasionally bland, is also consistently solid throughout the album.

Kirk, while still a sound follow up to Baby On Baby, fails to display anything new about DaBaby. While Kirk still has signs of DaBaby’s original personality projection, it often falls short of energy that made Baby On Baby stand out from other albums released this year. Though it has its highs with tracks such as “Intro,” its lows drag it down significantly. Kirk tries too hard to replicate DaBaby’s previous success, making it just another average rap album.

Rating: 5.5/10