Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape Perfect Timing. Each of his studio albums would peak the Billboard 200 upon release, beginning with his debut album, Harder Than Ever (2018), which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top ten single "Yes Indeed" (with Drake). He would release two additional retail projects within the same year: The collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with fellow Georgia-based rapper Gunna, which saw continued success with its singles "Drip Too Hard" and "Close Friends", and his commercial mixtape Street Gossip, which reached number two on the Billboard 200.
Lil Baby's second album, My Turn (2020) was certified triple-platinum by the RIAA, and became the best-selling album of that year. The album spawned the singles, "We Paid" (with 42 Dugg) and "The Bigger Picture", both of which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, with the latter receiving two Grammy Award nominations at the 2021 Grammy Awards. The following year, he released the collaborative album The Voice of the Heroes with Lil Durk, and won the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance for his performance on the song "Hurricane" with Kanye West and The Weeknd. Lil Baby's third album, It's Only Me (2022) was met with similar success.
In addition to his Grammy Award, Lil Baby has received an MTV Video Music Award, and two BET Awards, and was crowned the biggest all-genre Artist of the Year at the Apple Music Awards 2020.
Early life
Jones was born and raised in the Oakland City neighborhood in southwestern Atlanta, Georgia. He was two years old when his father left the family. His mother raised him and his two sisters. He dropped out of Booker T. Washington High School in ninth grade and committed to drug dealing.
In early 2012, he was charged for possession with intent to sell, among other charges. In 2013, was charged with possession of marijuana of less than an ounce. In 2014, he was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to sell, and was incarcerated for two years.
Career
2015–2018: Career beginnings and Harder Than Ever
At age seventeen, Lil Baby was a regular presence in the studio of Atlanta-based Quality Control Records as a drug dealer. Label founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee encouraged him to become a rapper, as he felt Baby had "the swag... the lingo, [and] respect around the city". Fellow rappers Young Thug and Gunna served as Baby's mentors in developing his style. He released his first mixtape, Perfect Timing, in April 2017 with appearances from Young Thug and Lil Yachty.
Another mixtape, Harder Than Hard, followed three months later. In October, he released his third mixtape in six months, 2 The Hard Way, a collaboration with friend and fellow Atlanta rapper Marlo. A fourth mixtape, Too Hard, was released in December, led by his hit single "Freestyle" and accompanying music video. It was certified gold by the RIAA in February 2020.
With his career gaining momentum, Baby released his debut studio album, Harder Than Ever, in May 2018. It debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200. The album was supported by the singles "Southside" and "Yes Indeed" (with Drake), the latter peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. "Life Goes On" featuring Gunna and Lil Uzi Vert charted at 74 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Lil Baby formed his own label, 4 Pockets Full (initialized 4PF) in 2017. Rappers 42 Dugg and Rylo Rodriguez are signed to the label. In 2023, the label was renamed to Glass Window Entertainment .
2018–2019: Drip Harder and Street Gossip
After Lil Baby released Harder Than Ever, he released the collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with Gunna on October 5, 2018. The lead single, "Drip Too Hard" went on to become certified Diamond by the RIAA and 4× Platinum by Music Canada. The song peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The mixtape was released under the labels Quality Control, YSL Records and Motown/Capitol.
In September 2018, Baby appeared on the Adult Swim television series FishCenter Live. In November 2018, he released his mixtape Street Gossip. In December 2018, Baby collaborated with Yung Gravy on the latter's single, "Alley Oop".