The Many Realms of BIGBABYGUCCI
Baby 5 is out on all streaming platforms now.
Image courtesy of Audible Treats and BIGBABYGUCCI
He’s bold, and he’s brazen. Emerging from the underground music scene and fresh off a U.S. tour, Charlotte native BIGBABYGUCCI channels his creative energy through his newest album, Baby 5. The 22-track project immerses in BIGBABYGUCCI’s everlasting passion for consistently switching up his sound. While this is his first solo album release of 2024, Baby 5 makes for his thirteenth studio album. Each figurative “channel” throughout the project is an approach to his style as a multi-genre artist, experimenting with sounds that represent different phases of BIGBABYGUCCI’s journey.
Hyper-rap is the first channel, giving listeners a high-energy, mosh pit experience through unparalleled instrumentals, synths, and brash lyrics. Think of the tracks “Captain Crashout” and “Oxy Queen.” “Hop out and bust shit, damn,” he exclaims in ‘Captain Crashout.’ “World done did me wrong, so I can’t trust shit.”
The next channel of Baby 5 taps into a more vulnerable, sophisticated, and romantic side of BIGBABYGUCCI that many have never heard before. R&B and alternative hip-hop elements are layered with refined samples and pivotal instrumentals. With songs like “Instagram” and “Tequila,” he makes it clear he stepped outside of his comfort zone — and achieved it effortlessly. “It’s been a while, it’s been a long time,” he says on ‘Tequila.’ “You been on my mind, tequila, helping me forget you. Girl, come on over, we spark a blunt, and we get through. I’m tryna call, you know I never left you. Shit, I feel insane.”
The last channel takes you back to the first and second ones, blending his assertive lyrics with alternative sounds, extraterrestrial synths, and intense dynamics. This experiential aspect of BIGBABYGUCCI and his production style are something he hopes to continue throughout his music career, as he says his work is a piece of him.
BIGBABYGUCCI spoke with 1202 MAGAZINE on the release of Baby 5, how he’s progressed as a genre-bending artist, and how he wants to set the tone for future artists like himself.
What’s the meaning behind the title and album cover of Baby 5?
It was pretty nostalgic for me. I was working on it for a while, so I wanted to revisit the old styles that I usually do, but I wanted to make them more polished with better songs and beats that still sound like my old music. Before this album, I was making different sounds of music, and people were asking for a lot of different things. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to make. In the midst of creating this album, I was going through a lot last year, so I felt like I lost some of my swag. You feel me? This album helped pick it back up. It’s just the next level.
Can you walk me through the musical creation of Baby 5, as well as some of the experiences and feelings that helped bring the album to life?
I have been working on it since November of last year. It’s been a long road. So much had happened from when I first started to now, so some songs didn’t make it on the album. I reworked songs three, four, and even five times. I changed the beats, changed the melodies, added artists, and took off artists. It was a lot going into it. During most of the studio sessions, my mindset was really trying to stay loose, drink tequila, and just be to feel inspired and be more in the moment. I didn’t want to think too much because I feel like once that happens, it starts to get complicated. For me, it’s so easy to express myself when a beat comes on. I don’t have to think about it. But once I start overanalyzing and being anal about things, it messes me up, and the art becomes impure. My process is really however I’m feeling. I try to take my emotions of the day or the week and my situations into the booth. I don’t write, but I want to write in the future. I make so much music and can come up with anything on the fly. It’s very freeing.
Does Baby 5 have an overarching theme, or is each song referring to a different experience?
Some songs on there, like ‘Phony Girl,’ are love songs. They’re ballads of rejection. Some songs like ‘Oxy Queen’ and ‘Captain Crashout’ are about revenge, turning up, and saying ‘fuck the world’ type shit. Some songs are about things I’ve gone through in my life — random things like ‘No Photos Please.’ In that song, I’m talking about how they want me to be humble. That’s all they want you to do. They don’t want you to pop your shit. There are so many different aspects I grazed over that could relate to anybody.
What’s the feedback so far based on your evolution, and how does this album sound different from your previous projects?
From an artist's standpoint and someone who drops music constantly but hasn’t dropped an album in so long, I didn’t know how my fans were going to take it. The music is me, of course, but I’ve been listening to it for so long that it wasn’t hitting the same. I started overthinking, but it’s been a crazy reception. People showed me mad love on it. ‘Phony Girl’ is going insane right now, with over 300,000 monthly streams on Spotify. We have a lot of good things going on, and I’m not about to slow down.
Baby 5 takes us through a multi-genre experience. How would you describe your music overall in terms of production, lyrics, and sound?
Shit, I don’t know — especially after this album. My old fans love that Kanye, Travis Scott, and Mike Dean rockstar sound. But even from my top songs like ‘Pressure + Layers’ to ‘Drop Top Lexus,’ those are two completely different songs. ‘Drop Top Lexus’ is more of a soft Kurt Cobain kind of sound, and ‘Pressures + Layers’ is pure rockstar energy. That’s what really sets me differently than anybody because I don’t really know many people. There are people who can rap, but when they do rap, they’re not rocking. They’re not giving any rage. I stand out because I can do all of that. It’s not something that’s difficult or uncomfortable for me.
What are some of your favorite songs on the album?
‘Phony Girl.’ I made that song in February, and that’s where I’m happy. I put Brian Barnes on there; he’s a singer from Houston. He just dropped his new EP that’s hit millions on Spotify. It was perfect timing. ‘Instagram’ is probably my favorite. There’s a sample from Drake’s song, ‘Summer’s Over Interlude.’ My producer flipped it and made it crazy. I love how it rides. You can play it in the car on a nice, sunny ass day, and the bass drops and it sounds crazy.
Image courtesy of Audible Treats and BIGBABYGUCCI
How did you choose the features and samples on Baby 5?
That shit just came to me. I wasn’t always making songs just for the album. Most days, I was just making music. Whatever happened happened. I had so many ideas, and then I found I had this collection of music, so I had to find out what was best and go from there. It led me to listen to the songs to see if they needed more. With Brian Barnes, it turned out better than I thought. I knew he was a fucking excellent singer. It was a no-brainer. A lot of my fans were also asking me to collaborate with MDMA. His manager put it together, and I brought us to the studio and made some music. It was simple. We knew we had to put it on the album. There wasn’t much thought to it — I was putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
Being from Charlotte, did that shape how you make music, or do you try to veer away from geographic-specific sounds?
I live in Los Angeles now. Nobody would know I’m from Charlotte unless I told them. I don’t think where I’m from or where I live has ever influenced me in the way of learning about a lot of art and music. I love and appreciate a lot of different cultures.
Anyone or any type of art in particular?
Leonard da Vinci. He’s my favorite artist. I’m a huge Renaissance person.
So, when you’re making music, do you visit museums to get the creative juices flowing?
Hell yeah. I just went to a da Vinci exhibit with my children not too long ago. They recreated all of his small planes and all of the crazy inventions he made. It’s very inspiring. I’m the type of person who can change my mind based on the setting around me. I could go to a different studio, and everything — even your comfort — is different. Once I see something from a different scope or have a change of scenery, it inspires me.
What do you think makes you exceptional as a multi-hyphenate musician?
My range.
Is there any genre that you haven’t experimented with that you want to try?
Damn near everything from country, rock, punk, and alternative rock to pop and house pop. I love Tame Impala and Kevin Parker. He’s one of my favorites. I love instrumentals like guitars and keyboards.
How do you plan to continue paving the way for genre-bending artists for yourself and artists like you?
Keep going and getting better. If artists look at it like that and stop being so pretentious, they’ll open so many doors…also by being genuine. There’s business to it, but you have to protect your brain and intelligence. This industry can drive you crazy.
What can fans expect from you soon?
I have an EP on the way. I’m not sure when, but hopefully in a year or so. It’ll definitely be a different experience from the album. I also have a Baby 5 video coming out. It’ll be six playable levels of me fighting in different scenes. It’s an actual video game that people can play. I’m working on a small TV show that ties it all together.
