Written by: Oliver Heffron
Score: 8/10
BabyDrill is locked in. Since bursting onto the scene from obscurity in 2022 with “32 Freestyle,” the Atlanta MC has breathed much-needed life into the city’s rap scene with each new release. Synthesizing the aggressive energy of the Chicago-born subgenre in his name with a unique, engaging flow that pays tribute to his hometown heroes in its understated versatility, Babydrill combines components that have begun to grow tired in the mainstream focus to miraculously create something thrilling and new.
Last year, his sophomore album, MadMan, separated Babydrill from his peers, delivering a fiery, thrilling, and focused project that reflects the cover’s apocalyptic vision with tracks like “On My Conscious” and “Slight Dub (feat. 21 Savage & Young Nudy).” Soon after blowing up with co-signs and features from A-list artists like Drake, Latto, and The Kid Laroi, the ascending artist now sits in a position to become a household name himself. Having only started rapping a few years ago, Babydrill has quickly seen dreams become reality, singing to Young Nudy’s PDE Records–an artist he grew up listening to.
Photo Courtesy of BabyDrill
While many artists would ride out that wave of success a little longer, Babydrill is clearly in a zone and unwilling to wait. Having been charged with robbery and sent to boot camp at 15 before recently being charged and then acquitted for his involvement in a controversial RICO case regarding PDE, the West Atlanta native understands the value of time all too well. Returning less than a year after his breakout project, Babydrill proves he’s not a part of a fleeting moment but a dynamic voice with much more to say, and his new album, ScoreGod, is his best project to date.
The intro, “Can’t Speak Again,” drops the listener into the center of Babydrill’s scorched-earth sonic world with eerie, vast synths crying out lying air-sirens above a ground-shaking, shoulder-leaning 808 and piano groove. The track demonstrates Babydrill’s careful attention and flawless execution of the three pivotal aspects that define his skip-allergic discography: excellent beat selection, visceral lyricism, and a distinct flow enhanced by expressive adlibs. “Down Bad” sounds like it could have been the album’s opener in its own right, with extraterrestrial distortion and a blistering groove over which Babydrill triumphantly declares who he is and all the things he’s become the obstacles: “I’m what the f**k y’all want for drill / What the f**k they said I did?”
Like all of Babydrill projects, ScoreGod impresses most with its lack of filler or skip-worthy tracks from start to finish.“Try Me” follows up “Can’t Speak Again” with a different flavor of Babydrill’s ominous formula as Babydrill dares his enemies to test him through a raspy, expressive inflection over a nocturnal, hypnotic beat. The titular “ScoreGod (feat. Luh Tyler)” displays Babydrill’s hitmaking potential, turning an understated instrumental into a track that begs to be replayed with barrages of charismatic, catchy lines that each sound like hoods before handing the mic to teenage rap phenom Luh Tyler. “Check Ups (feat. YTP Fatt & Rob49)” sees Babydrill invite two fellow Southern MCs into his sonic world to trade devilish bars over a wobbly, distorted trap beat.
The B-Side of the 14-track project keeps delivering potent bangers, starting with the relentless, witty bars over an uptempo beat on the Michigan-inspired “Detroit Flow.” On “Ni***s Fold” the Atlanta MC identifies pressure as the separating factor between desire and reality between striking imagery: “I blow your top off, leave you stankin’ like a black and mild / Step on shit and watch ‘em scatter like an ant pile.” On one of the many ET-pilled trap beats produced by Whatitdoflip, Babydrill effortlessly finds his pocket and expresses his sense of humor on “Double Back” through witty similes and theatrical adlibs: “I'm at yo' door likе a Ring camera / On fire with that pole like a strip dancer / (Claps) Clap at that boy, we congratulate him / Clap at that boy like we tryna play patty cake.” The project’s closer, “What’s The Ticket,” sees Babydrill ride into the cosmic sunset as he flows effortlessly over deep-space synths and head-bopping grooves.
While ScoreGod is littered with bangers through its polished 14 tracks, it’s not a project devoid of misses. “Just Want You (feat. Hunxho)” sees Babydrill experiment with more melodic, vulnerable leanings to mixed results as his voice becomes lost in effects. “Let ‘Em Know” misses the mark with its forgettable, conventional production and vocals that sound like they're straining to make the song work.
Ultimately, ScoreGod is a visceral, polished, and focused album that proves Babydrill to be a rising force to be reckoned with in the rap game. Valuing quality over quantity, the Atlanta MC has reinvigorated his subgenre with a distinct, extraterrestrial, and apocalyptic vision translated into unflinching flows and surreal production. Only a few years into rapping, the sky is the limit for Babydrill, and he appears ready to set it ablaze.