Lil Baby’s forthcoming album, WHAM, will be released on Jan. 3, 2025. He announced the release date after his sold-out birthday show on Saturday (Dec. 7) at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been teasing the new LP on social media for a few months.
Lil Baby has been met with a high level of critique since his public feud with Gunna. The “Bigger Picture” track creator seemingly sent multiple shots at his former collaborator after Gunna took a negotiated plea to be released from prison during the YSL RICO trial. Artists like Boosie Badazz, Future, Lil Durk and many others have also distanced themselves from the “HIM ALL ALONG” recording artist.
While he never came out specifically and name-dropped Gunna, fans believed Lil Baby was calling out Gunna on his track “350” when he rapped, “Ain’t never say nothin’ ’bout it, n**ga, you know you a rat.” Gunna shot back on “prada dem” and addressed claims that he snitched when he said, “I set the trend, I'm a trendsetter (Yeah)/ I'm not a rat, still gettin' cheddar (Gettin' cheddar)/ Audemars wrist, timeless (Timeless)/ Certified factory diamonds (Factory diamonds).”
When fans felt as if they needed to choose between the two, some believed that Lil Baby’s music quality had taken a dip while Gunna had grown as an artist. My Turn was regarded as one of the best albums of the year upon its release in 2020, the “We Paid” rapper did not receive the same critical acclaim for his 2022 project, It’s Only Me. While the album is still seen as a commercial success, public interest in Lil Baby has declined over the years.
In a clip of him performing at his birthday show, one fan shared, “If this album ain’t lit, Gunna better. The debate will be over.” Someone else claimed, “This album make or break for his ahh, cause the album his LAST chance.” Another user stated, “Unless he drops a fire single, bruh might do 40k first week.”
On Friday (Dec. 6), Lil Baby unleashed the first single from his new album titled “Touchdown.” The football-themed track is produced by Wheezy, 9Jay and Dez Wright. Press play on the visual below.