| Big Baby DRAM | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 52:22 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| DRAM chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Big Baby DRAM | ||||
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Big Baby DRAM is the debut studio album by American rapperDRAM. It was released on October 21, 2016, byEmpire Distribution andAtlantic Records. The album features guest appearances fromYoung Thug,Erykah Badu,Lil Yachty,Playboi Carti,Trippie Redd,ASAP Rocky, andJuicy J, while the production was handled byCharlie Heat,Mike Dean,Ricky Reed, andRoofeeo, among others.
Big Baby DRAM received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number 19 on the USBillboard 200. The album was supported by four official singles: "Broccoli", "Cute", "Cash Machine", and "Gilligan".
"Broccoli" was released as the album'slead single on April 6, 2016.[3] The song features a guest appearance from American rapperLil Yachty, while the production was handled by J Gramm, with additional production byRogét Chahayed and Karl Rubin.[4] The song's accompanying music video premiered on July 22, 2016, on DRAM's YouTube account.[5] On September 21, 2018, the single was certifiedseven-times platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[6]
"Cute" was released as the album's second single on July 29, 2016.[7] The track was produced byCharlie Heat.[4]
"Cash Machine" was released as the album's third single on September 9, 2016.[8] The track was produced byRicky Reed.[4] The music video for the single premiered on October 18, 2016.[9]
"Gilligan" was first released for digital download on April 21, 2017. The song features guest appearances from American rappersASAP Rocky andJuicy J.[10] The song later sent torhythmic contemporary radio on July 18, 2017, as the album's fourth single.[11]
The album's first promotional single, "Ill Nana", was released on September 29, 2017. The song features a guest appearance from American rapperTrippie Redd.[12]
The album's second promotional single, "Crumbs", was released on November 17, 2017. The song features a guest appearance from American rapperPlayboi Carti.[13]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.5/10[14] |
| Metacritic | 80/100[15] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| Clash | 8/10[17] |
| Consequence | B[18] |
| The Guardian | [19] |
| HipHopDX | 3.7/5[20] |
| Now | 4/5[21] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[1] |
| Rolling Stone |  [22] |
| Spectrum Culture | [23] |
| XXL | 3/5[24] |
Big Baby DRAM was met with generally positive reviews. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received anaverage score of 80, based on 13 reviews.[15] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.5 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[14]
Neil Z. Yeung ofAllMusic said, "Big Baby D.R.A.M. is, at times, odd and imperfect, which is part of the charm".[16] James Kilpin ofClash said, "It's refreshing to hear something different and altogether more interesting from a slighter older but no less exciting name".[17] Michael Madden ofConsequence said, "It'll be interesting to see how those sorts of lyrics sound 10, 15, or 20 years down the line, but at the very least,Big Baby D.R.A.M.'s melodies and instrumentation are enough to ensure people will be listening to these songs for a while".[18] Tim Jonze ofThe Guardian said, "The Virginia rapper's playfulness is frequently channelled through his talent for crafting delightfully weirdpop".[19] Eric Diep ofHipHopDX said, "Big Baby D.R.A.M. is presented as a playlist of D.R.A.M.'s best conceptual songs rather than achieve the glory of playing a perfect album from front to back".[20] Christine Clarke ofNow said, "The dizzying array of styles and themes always entertain, and D.R.A.M.'s confidence as both a singer and rapper allows him to pull these threads together".[21] August Brown ofLos Angeles Times said, "WithBig Baby D.R.A.M. he comes into his own, rapping with verve and sensitivity while fully capturing 2016's loopy, soulful moment in hip-hop. No wonder he's smiling".[25]
Jon Caramanica ofThe New York Times said, "His excellent full-length debut album,Big Baby D.R.A.M., is joyous, clever and moves in surprising directions".[2] Daniel Bromfield ofPretty Much Amazing said, "Big Baby D.R.A.M. makes it clear he's interested in a lot more than just writing breezy radio tunes. The only problem is that's unequivocally what he's best at".[26] Jayson Greene ofPitchfork said, "D.R.A.M. doesn't really have new ideas to pitch into this ball pit, but on his full-length debutBig Baby D.R.A.M., he reminds us that new ideas aren't the whole game".[1] Christopher R. Weingarten ofRolling Stone said, "Love or hate his broken style, he's theBiz Markie for the era where it goes down in the D.M."[22] Scott Glaysher ofXXL said, "Big Baby D.R.A.M. does have moments where tracks like "Sweet VA Breeze" and "WiFi" easily blend into each other, sounding a bit too similar. But those middling songs don't really hinder the overall replay value of the album".[24]
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complex | 50 Best Albums of 2016 | 42 | |
| The New York Times | The Best Albums of 2016 (Jon Caramanica) | 14 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofBig Baby DRAM byAtlantic Records.[4]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get It Myself" | 1:47 | ||
| 2. | "Misunderstood" (featuringYoung Thug) |
| Ricky Reed | 3:31 |
| 3. | "In a Minute / In House" |
|
| 5:38 |
| 4. | "Monticello Ave" |
|
| 4:24 |
| 5. | "WiFi" (featuringErykah Badu) |
|
| 4:05 |
| 6. | "Cash Machine" |
| Ricky Reed | 3:01 |
| 7. | "Broccoli" (featuringLil Yachty) |
| 3:45 | |
| 8. | "Cute" |
| Charlie Heat | 4:01 |
| 9. | "Outta Sight / Dark Lavender Interlude" |
|
| 5:53 |
| 10. | "Change My #" |
| Mike Dean | 4:24 |
| 11. | "Password" |
| 2:25 | |
| 12. | "100%" |
| 3:28 | |
| 13. | "Sweet VA Breeze" |
|
| 3:37 |
| 14. | "Workaholic" (bonus track) |
| Happy Perez | 2:23 |
| Total length: | 52:22 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "I Have a Dream" |
|
| 1:56 |
| 16. | "Crumbs" (featuringPlayboi Carti) |
| Oz | 2:36 |
| 17. | "Ill Nana" (featuringTrippie Redd) |
| Slade da Monsta | 3:16 |
| 18. | "Eyeyieyie" |
| Oz | 2:42 |
| 19. | "Deep Down in My Heart" |
|
| 2:01 |
| 20. | "Daddy / Daddy, Pt. 2" |
|
| 6:28 |
| 21. | "Good Thang" |
|
| 4:08 |
| 22. | "Gilligan" (featuringASAP Rocky andJuicy J) (digital bonus track) |
| 3:27 | |
| Total length: | 78:56 | |||
Notes
Sample credits
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] | Gold | 7,500‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[34] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Label | Format(s) | Edition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | October 21, 2016 | Standard | [35] | ||
| April 28, 2017 | Vinyl | [36] | |||
| December 1, 2017 |
| Deluxe | [37] |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)