Harder Than Ever is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil Baby. It was released on May 18, 2018 by 4 Pockets Full, Wolfpack Music Group, Quality Control Music, Motown and Capitol Records, as the last installment of his Harder series. The album features guest appearances from Starlito, Drake, Moneybagg Yo, Gunna, Young Thug, Offset, Lil Uzi Vert, and Hoodrich Pablo Juan.[1]
Harder Than Ever debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 71,000 album-equivalent units (including 6,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week.[2] On February 28, 2020, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over a million units in the United States.
Description[]
One listen to Harder Than Ever, the third full-length project from Lil Baby, and the Atlanta rapper's legend becomes even more unbelievable. Lil Baby, a high-school classmate of Young Thug, allegedly grew up with no interest in rap whatsoever, only trying his hand at the insistence of people like Gucci Mane and Quality Control label head Pee, whom Baby gambled with as a teenager. Harder Than Ever, released just two years into Lil Baby's recording career, is a portrait of a young artist secure in his voice, someone whose flows and song concepts come off leagues ahead of his actual experience. The project's first three songs are lyrical showcases, with Baby eager to differentiate himself from countless MCs of his generation who've found success with no real dedication to technical ability. Baby is one of a handful of younger artists to have a Drake feature but not be eclipsed by it ("Yes Indeed"). Other tracks boast personalities the likes of Lil Uzi Vert and fellow Atlanta native Offset, who both play as supporting cast members for Lil Baby's first proper star turn.
Singles[]
| Title | Date | |
|---|---|---|
 |
"Southside" | May 8, 2018 |
 |
"Yes Indeed" | May 15, 2018 |
Critical reception[]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| HipHopDX | 3.7/5 |
| HotNewHipHop | 8.9/10 |
| Pitchfork | 6.6/10 |
Harder Than Ever was met with generally positive reviews. Evan Rytlewski of Pitchfork called it "polished, efficient, but also kind of nondescript."[3] Uproxx's Aaron Williams felt it was the rapper's best work lyrically, though "lack[ed] conceptually," where "There's not much variety from song to song, and despite their short runtimes, they still eventually begin to blur together."[4] Paul Simpson from AllMusic stated, "release matches Baby's technically proficient rhyming skills,"[5] while Spin editor Israel Daramola gave praise, "sounds like the work of an established a veteran." The latter publication added, "His passion and feeling drips from his lines with the way his voice quivers and elongates when necessary, forcing the listener to feel the same emotions that he's pouring out. It actually makes perfect sense that he's captured attention so quickly."[6]
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" |
| Quay Global | 1:33 |
| 2. | "Spazz" |
|
| 1:48 |
| 3. | "I'm Straight" |
| Quay Global | 3:12 |
| 4. | "Exotic" (featuring Starlito) |
| Tay Keith | 2:42 |
| 5. | "Yes Indeed" (with Drake) |
|
| 2:22 |
| 6. | "Leaked" |
| Quay Global | 3:12 |
| 7. | "Bank" (featuring Moneybagg Yo) |
|
| 3:06 |
| 8. | "Cash" |
| Quay Global | 3:18 |
| 9. | "Southside" |
|
| 2:53 |
| 10. | "Throwing Shade" (featuring Gunna) |
| Quay Global | 3:12 |
| 11. | "First Class" |
| Quay Global | 3:21 |
| 12. | "Right Now" (featuring Young Thug) |
| London on da Track | 3:25 |
| 13. | "Life Goes On" (featuring Gunna and Lil Uzi Vert) |
| Quay Global | 4:07 |
| 14. | "Transporter" (featuring Offset) |
| DJ Durel | 3:33 |
| 15. | "Fit In" |
| Earl the Pearll | 3:33 |
| 16. | "Boss Bitch" (featuring Hoodrich Pablo Juan) |
| Quay Global | 2:44 |
| 17. | "Never Needed No Help" |
| Earl the Pearll | 3:15 |
| Total length: | 51:16 | |||
Personnel[]
Technical
- Quay Global – recording (tracks 1–4, 6, 8, 9, 13, 16)
- Turbo – recording (track 7)
- Tony Wilson – additional editing (all tracks)
- Mattazik Muzik – recording (tracks 10–12, 14, 15, 17)
- Michael "MikFly" Dottin – mixing (tracks 1–4, 6–17)
- Noah "40" Shebib – mixing (track 5)
- Colin Leonard – mastering (all tracks)
Certifications[]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (MC) | Gold | 40,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
| ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References[]
- ↑ Goddard, Kevin (May 17, 2018). "Stream Lil Baby's "Harder Than Ever" Album". HotNewHipHop.
- ↑ Eustice, Kyle (May 29, 2018). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Lil Baby's "Harder Than Ever" Makes Big Billboard 200 Debut". HotNewHipHop.
- ↑ Rytlewski, Evan (May 23, 2018). "Lil Baby: Harder Than Ever". Pitchfork.
- ↑ Williams, Aaron (May 18, 2018). "Lil Baby Makes the Most of the Drake Effect with the Solid 'Harder Than Ever' Mixtape". Uproxx.
- ↑ "Harder Than Ever Review by Paul Simpson". AllMusic.
- ↑ Daramola, Israel (May 25, 2018). "Lil Baby's Harder Than Ever Justifies His Sudden Fame". Spin.
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