Instagram/@lilbaby
Lil Baby, the rapper from Atlanta, has shared a post promoting the new single “John Gotti”, a song by his fellow artist Lil Dann. The Atlanta rapper also disclosed the song’s release with a caption in which he shared a part of the lyrics, “Sometimes I Feel Like My 🥷’s Be Hating I’m Rich,”. The post received a huge number of listeners’ responses and it soon began to get great attention.
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The lyric Lil Baby shared connects strongly with one of the main topics of hip-hop: the relationships of friendship and trust that come with financial success. The video which was shared along with the lyric featured the audio of the repeated ad-lib “John Gottiiiii”, referring to the infamous mobster that the song’s main hook and is obviously the reason for its popularity. The song promotion shows that Lil Baby is really backing up his 4PF label mate Lil Dann.
The feedback to the post was very eclectic. Many people showed their exuberant support for the new music and 4PF collective. A fan even said that “4PF CAN’T BE STOPPED!!!!” thereby showcasing the unwavering loyalty of the label’s fanbase. Another user just commented “Golden fire, real goat,” which was an acknowledgment of the release being a quality one.
On the contrary, the feedback was not always in the same vein. The mention of friends “hating” because of their lavish lifestyle stirred up some debates. One attentive listener directly called the emotion expressed in the lyric into question, saying, “Don’t like that bar because if your rich your nighas should be rich too.” This remark reflects the position of a listener who believes that when one person in a group gets success, that success should be shared, not come with envy.
Some more comments opted to discuss Lil Baby’s solo career and collaborations instead. A general wish for a musical comeback was voiced when one person, for example, pleaded, “@lilbaby should do a song with @nba_youngboy we miss the old y’all.” This is representative of a segment of the audience who want the artist to go back and collaborate with certain past artists. Another user was telling the rapper’s connections a request by saying “Tell thug to drop UY SCUTI,”-alluding to the highly anticipated project from Young Thug.
The post proved to be a platform for showcasing the skills of the promoted artist. A rather blunt and indeed very viral debate thread was started by a user who said without any hesitation, “lil dann weak asl baby where rylo.” This comment implying that another artist would have been more suitable than Lil Dann to the audience’s liking drew lots of laughter emoji reactions plus one acknowledgment, followed by, “nawfr doe everybody cant rap he might as well model or something, put the real rappers on the label.” This exchange suggests that some of the audience are still not sure about Lil Dann’s abilities and are of very divergent opinions regarding him.
Amidst all the negative comments on the song, one user, drawing a different comparison, already praised the song, saying, “Kevin Gates John Gotti > Lil Dann John Gotti.” This user places the new song right next to another release from a big-name artist, Kevin Gates, with the same title, thus indicating that new releases are always judged in the context of the existing hip-hop market.
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Lil Baby’s promoting power is undeniable and that his post successfully drew the public’s attention to Lil Dann’s “John Gotti”. The public’s reaction was a mix of 4PF label’s celebration, criticism of the song’s themes, and choice of artist, as well as requests for other musical developments. The response mirrors the participation of hip-hop listeners which is usually split and that is so fast to both praise and critique the new stuff made by the artists and their affiliates. The release is now out and the public opinion court is in full session. Lil Baby also recently announced a ComplexCon appearance.