Kicking off 2025 with a bang, Lil Baby just dropped his new project WHAM, which he began teasing towards the end of last year, and which features a who’s who in hip-hop joining one of its ascendant stars on a declarative new project. While 2024 was dominated by a beef between two poles of the rap world, Lil Baby appears to have been quietly cooking up. WHAM, which aptly stands for the phrase “Who As Hot As Me,” offers up 15 tracks of quinticential Atlanta rap and a bold declaration from Lil Baby, who positions himself atop the rap game on the album.
With features from the likes of Young Thug, who offers up his first verse since being released from jail late last year, to Travis Scott and 21 Savage, who many think might’ve used his guest verse to throw some subliminal at Kendrick Lamar, WHAM is officially the year’s first major rap release, setting the tone for the months ahead.
Here are five takeaways from Lil Baby’s new album WHAM.
Lil Baby Sees Himself At The Top of The Game
It’s clear that all of this talk of the best in hip-hop has not been lost on Lil Baby, who’s long been considered next up out of Atlanta. Ahead of the album’s drop last night, he shared the music video for the single “F U 2X,” which as you might guess from the title, is a clear middle finger to anyone in the game who might think they’re above him. “Claim to be a player, but I fucked your wife,” Lil Baby raps on the chorus. “Middle fingers in the air, fuck ya twice.”
Young Thug Doesn’t Disapoint
On “Dum, Dumb, and Dumber,” Atlanta rap royalty connect for the album’s clear standout. Besides a strong verse from Future, Young Thug hops on the track for his equivalent of a first day out verse. Thug gives us a glimpse into his headspace while he was locked up, rapping “I don’t even believe I was locked up, for real, for real, I was havin’ my way the whole time, fool, you know what I’m sayin’?” Thug spent two years behind bars after being arrested as part of the sprawling YSL Rico case, his feature on Lil Baby’s new album marks a long-awaited return to music, and shows that the prolific Atlanta rap stalwart really hasn’t missed a beat.
21 Savage Stirs Up Controversy Yet Again
Speaking of Atlanta rap royalty, 21 Savage drops by on the track “Outfit, where he again sent the internet into a flurry, as many interpreted his lyric “Brought Drac’ with me and it know kung fu / If I hit him in the jaw, then he gon’ sue,” as a subliminal shot at Kendrick Lamar. The interpretation might be a little reaching, but it isn’t the first time 21’s lyrics have causes this sort of speculation. Hia verse on Drake’s “It’s Up,” released as part of his “100 Gigs” dump, fueled similar rumors before 21’s manager went on DJ Akademiks stream and shut them down.
Gunna Snitching Rumors Continue to Swirl
Another Atlanta rap cipher that fans are trying to decode is Young Thug’s feelings towards Gunnna. Lil baby famously held no punches once word got out that Gunna had accepted an Alford Plea in the YSL trial, and Thug’s verse on “Dum, Dumb, and Dumber” features the line “Never associate with a rat / Go and get some money, get a pack.” This follows Thug’s post on X in November, shortly after accepting his plea deal where he wrote, “Wham, let’s drop one on these rats, Peter.” While it is of course unclear whether Thug is in fact referring to Gunna, the online speculation was enough for Gunna’s lawyer Steve Sadow to post a lengthy message on X addressing the snitching allegations. “THOSE THAT HAVE AND CONTINUE TO BAD MOUTH GUNNA, GET OVER IT. NUFF’ SAID,” he wrote.
Wheezy Remains an Unstoppable Force in Rap
Drama aside, one thing that’s clear throughout WHAM, is that Wheezy, credited as producer on much of the album, is the architect of one of the most enduring sounds in hip-hop. Wigth a star-studded cast of features, Wheezy’s able to construct a universe of bangers for everyone to feel comfortable on. “Stuff,” featuring Travis Scott is probably the best example, infusing Wheezy’s classic trap sound with the atmospheric grandiosity of Travis Scott’s stadium-ready sound. The album is full of these perfectly constructed vibes that make WHAM a strong offering from Lil Baby, whose promised two projects for 2025. So far, he’s off to a good start.
