Lil Baby achieves career-defining milestone after ‘It’s Only Me’ chart debut

Lil Baby has finally arrived! “It’s Only Me,” his latest album, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

The new accomplishment is a career-defining first for the Atlanta-born rapper, as it is his biggest No. 1 debut ever.

According to Billboard, the album sold 216,000 album equivalent album units in its first week of release. “It’s Only Me,” released on October 14, earned 209,000 stream equivalent units – the total for all 23 tracks on the LP. It sold 6,500 albums and 500 track equivalent units.

So far, Lil Baby is the third biggest Hip Hop debut of 2022, trailing Future’s “I Never Liked You,” which debuted with 222,000 album-equivalent units, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” which debuted with 295,000 album equivalent units.

Interestingly, Lil Baby’s new album “It’s Only Me” has overshadowed his frequent collaborator and close friend Drake’s “Honestly, Nevermind,” which debuted this year with only 204,000 album equivalent units.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the album debuted at No. 3 on the UK Albums charts, making it his highest-charting debut album ever.

Compared to her sophomore album, “My Turn,” which also debuted at No. 1, the record only sold 197,000 album equivalent units – 19,000 more than the second. His debut studio album, “Harder Than Ever,” only charted at No. 3 and sold 71,000 album equivalent units.

With “It’s Only Me,” Lil Baby has undoubtedly set a new standard for himself.

The NME gave “It’s Only Me” three out of five stars, saying it was “a few notches shy of greatness.”

On the other hand, Pitchfork gave the record a 5.5/10, almost echoing NMe’s assessment that Lil Baby sounded “comfortable, uninspired, and indifferent on his latest album.”

The review stated:

“It’s a missed opportunity to flaunt his talent for vocal manipulation and emotional delivery.”

This year, Lil Baby’s collaboration with Nicki Minaj, “Do We Have A Problem,” is poised to win the Best Hip-Hop Song category at the upcoming 2023 GRAMMY Awards.