For the first time since Born Sinner, J. Cole has dropped a new album that actually has features, so rather than resurfacing the ongoing "platinum with no features" joke, the Hip-Hop community has been able to sit back and dissect the guest appearances tucked away on The Off-Season. One of them happens to belong to Lil Baby, and his verse on "p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l" has sparked fervor and debate amongst some of Hip-Hop's leading artists and cultural commentators.
Early Friday morning, veteran music journalist Elliot Wilson posted a screenshot of one of Everyday Struggle co-host Wayno's tweets, which read, "Man months ago me & @cthagod were talking and I said we were in the 'Lil Baby' Era , I was saying Drake still got it but we entering his run. Nigga Had a Hard verse on Drake EP & On J.Cole album , yall gotta out some respect on that nigga name for real!"
Soon Elliott Wilson's Instagram post became the grounds for a debate as to whether the Hip-Hop community has in fact entered the "Lil Baby Era." Charlamagne the God quickly slid through to reaffirm his stance on the topic by commenting, "Lil Baby smoking everything @wayno119 they will figure it out later.....he floated on this Cole album."
Charlamagne and Wayno's sentiments were soon echoed by other music industry insiders, including Billboard Hip-Hop Editor Carl Lamarre and legendary producer Timbaland as well, but some of the most interesting comments actually came from Conway The Machine and DJ Sam Sneak. The La Maquina rapper offered a hot take for the debate, declaring that Hip-Hop is actually currently in the "Griselda Era." Given the collective's recent success over the past year, it's hard to argue against Conway's argument, especially considering that he, Westside Gunn, and Benny The Butcher have practically single-handedly rekindled Hip-Hop's appreciation for bars.
Another intriguing tidbit found in the comment section of Elliot Wilson's Instagram post came from Sam Sneak, who DJs for Rick Ross. Sneak also praises Lil Baby's recent performances and even teases that a Rick Ross x Lil Baby collaboration may be on the way, saying, "He killed this track on r...nvm. But yea he been snapping."
Everything considered, Lil Baby has so far had an insanely successful run in 2021 without even dropping a project, especially considering that he's lent incredible features to both Drake and J. Cole's most recent projects. For context, check out his guest verse on Cole's The Off-Season standout track "p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l" below.
Do you think that we're officially in the "Lil Baby Era" or is Drake still running Hip-Hop?