Misplaced Pages

Kirk
Studio album by DaBaby
Released	September 27, 2019
Recorded	2019
Genre	Hip hop trap
Length	35:08
Label	Interscope South Coast
Producer	1st Class Ambezza CashMoneyAP Dez Wright DJ Clue? DJ Kid Flip_00 Jasper Harris JetsonMade Kenny Beats London on da Track Mantiz Myles William Neeko Baby Producer 20 Queen Sixites Sean Da Firzt SethInTheKitchen Star Boy Tahj Money
DaBaby chronology
Baby on Baby (2019) Kirk (2019) Blame It on Baby (2020)
Singles from Kirk
"Intro" Released: September 19, 2019 "Bop" Released: November 19, 2019 "Vibez" Released: March 31, 2020

Kirk (stylized as KIRK) is the second studio album by American rapper DaBaby. It was released on September 27, 2019, by Interscope Records and South Coast Music Group.

The album features guest appearances from rappers Kevin Gates, Chance the Rapper, Gucci Mane, YK Osiris, Nicki Minaj, Lil Baby, Moneybagg Yo, Stunna 4 Vegas and Migos. The album topped the US Billboard 200, becoming DaBaby's first album to do so. The lead single "Intro" was released on September 19, 2019. The second single "Bop" was released on November 19. The third single "Vibez" was released on March 31, 2020.

Background

DaBaby released his debut studio album Baby on Baby on March 1, 2019. Almost six months later on August 26, he revealed his next album's title to be Kirk, a homage to his last name. The cover art features DaBaby as an infant, sitting on his father's lap, who died sometime after the release of Baby on Baby.

Release and promotion

Kirk was released on September 27, 2019, for digital download and streaming. DaBaby and Stunna 4 Vegas performed a medley of "Intro", "Really", and "Bop" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on October 1, 2019.

On October 4, 2019, DaBaby revealed that he was going on a North American tour titled the "Kirk Tour" featuring Stunna 4 Vegas to promote the album from November 16 until December 21.

Singles

The album's lead single, "Intro" was released on September 19, 2019. The song debuted at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A music video directed by Reel Goats and shot in Hawaii was released the following day.

On November 15, 2019, he released a Broadway-inspired, Reel Goats-directed "musical" video for "Bop", titled "BOP on Broadway (Hip Hop Musical)", which featured the Jabbawockeez. It was sent to US rhythmic contemporary radio on November 19, 2019, as the album's second single. The song peaked at number 11 on the Hot 100 chart, making it the highest-charting song from the album, and his second highest-charting song ever at the time.

On October 1, 2019, a music video for "Vibez" was released. It was later sent to US rhythmic contemporary radio on March 31, 2020, as the album's third single. The song peaked at number 21 on the Hot 100 chart.

Other songs

A music video for "Off the Rip", directed by Reel Goats, was released on November 1, 2019.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	74/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Consequence of Sound	B−
Highsnobiety	3.5/5
HipHopDX	3.9/5
NME
Pitchfork	7.6/10
Rolling Stone

Kirk received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 74, based on seven reviews.

Danny Schwartz of Rolling Stone said that the album "shows why one of the year's most compelling breakout stars." Writing for NME, Kyann-Sian Williams' stating that "Although this record is often emotional, Kirk also races over snappy hit-hats and repetitive synths, showing off his giddy flow."

Commercial performance

Kirk debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 145,000 album-equivalent units (including 8,000 pure album sales) in its first week, becoming DaBaby's first album to top the chart. In its second week, the album dropped to number four on the chart, earning 78,000 album-equivalent units. In its third week, the album remained at number four on the chart, earning 55,000 more units. In its fourth week, the album remained at number five on the chart for a third consecutive week, earning 49,000 units bringing its four-week total to 327,000 units. It has sold 779,000 copies by the end of the year.

Additionally, all 13 tracks from the album charted on the Billboard Hot 100, with 12 tracks debuting the week following the album's release, led by "Bop", at number 19 (joining the album's "Intro", in its second week). This helped DaBaby chart 22 songs on the Hot 100 in 2019, the most of any artist. Outside the US, the album reached the top 20 in six other countries, including Canada, where it peaked at number 2.

Track listing

Notes

• signifies an uncredited co-producer
• Every song title is stylized all caps, for example, "Intro" is stylized as "INTRO".

Sample credits

• "Intro" interpolates NSYNC's rendition of "O Holy Night", from the album Home for Christmas.

Personnel

• DJ Kid – recording (tracks 1–5, 9, 10)
• Xavier Daniel – recording (track 6)
• Thurston McCrea – recording (tracks 8, 11)
• Todd Bergman – engineering (Lil Baby) (tracks 8)
• Rodolfo Cruz – recording (track 11)
• Andrew Grossman – recording (track 12)
• Corey "Willy Frank" Wright – recording (track 13)
• Kevin "Black Pearl" McCloskey – mixing (all tracks)
• Chris West – mixing assistance (tracks 1, 6–8, 12)
• Danny Hurley – mixing assistance (all tracks)
• Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine – engineering (track 7)
• Elton Chueng – mastering (all tracks)

Charts

Certifications

References

1. ^ Holmes, Charles (September 19, 2019). "DaBaby's 'Intro' Is a Heart-Wrenching Portrait of Loss — And His Best Song Yet". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
2. Darville, Jordan (September 19, 2019). "DaBaby gets personal on new song 'Intro'". The Fader. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
3. ^ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases - R&B Song and Hip-Hop Music Release Dates". All Access. March 13, 2020. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
4. Drake, Carolyn (August 26, 2019). "DaBaby's Reveals His Upcoming Album Will Be Titled After His Birth Name". Uproxx. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
5. Renshaw, David (September 2, 2019). "DaBaby says he's releasing new album Kirk later this month". The Fader. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
6. Saponara, Michael (September 24, 2019). "DaBaby Announces New Album 'Kirk' Featuring Nicki Minaj, Migos & More". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
7. Price, Joe (September 2, 2019). "DaBaby Shares Details of New Album 'Kirk' f/ Migos, Chance the Rapper, and More". Complex. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
8. ^ Caulfield, Keith (October 6, 2019). "DaBaby Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Kirk'". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
9. ^ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
10. Ichiki, Chase (March 7, 2019). "Da Baby continues his streak with "Suge (Yea Yea)"". Revolt. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
11. Droke, Carolyn (August 26, 2019). "DaBaby's Reveals His Upcoming Album Will Be Titled After His Birth Name". Uproxx. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
12. ^ Schwartz, Danny (September 27, 2019). "DaBaby Submits His Application for King of the Babies with 'KIRK'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
13. Lagaspi, Althea (October 1, 2019). "Watch DaBaby Perform 'Intro,' 'Really,' 'Bop' Medley on 'Fallon'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
14. Post, Chantilly (October 4, 2019). "DaBaby Announces North American "Kirk" Tour With Stunna 4 Vegas". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
15. "DaBaby Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
16. Koertge, Jacob "34" (September 21, 2019). "DaBaby Makes A Song That Shows He's A Grown-Up MC With A Real Message". Ambrosia For Heads. Retrieved October 2, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
17. Droke, Carolyn (November 16, 2019). "DaBaby's Stages A Flash Mob With The Jabbawockeez In His 'Bop' Musical Video". Uproxx. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
18. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
19. Saponara, Michael (October 1, 2019). "DaBaby Is the Life of the Party in Reckless 'VIBEZ' Video". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
20. Osei, Sarah (November 2, 2019). "DaBaby Throws His Middle Finger up at Road Safety in New "Off Da Rip" Video". Highsnobiety. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
21. ^ "KIRK by DaBaby Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
22. Crone, David. "KIRK – DaBaby". AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
23. Weiss, Dan (October 1, 2019). "DaBaby Maintains Warp Speed with Predictable Kirk". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
24. Rindner, Grant (October 2, 2019). "DaBaby's 'KIRK' Is His Most Intimate & Autobiographical Work to Date". Highsnobiety. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
25. Clark, Trent (October 9, 2019). "Review: DaBaby's "KIRK" Is A Solid Building Block For A Growing Discography". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
26. ^ Williams, Kyann-Sian (September 30, 2019). "DaBaby – 'Kirk' review: the spirited rapper sounds all grown up on his coming-of-age album". NME. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
27. Pierre, Alphonse (October 2, 2019). "DaBaby: KIRK". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
28. Caulfield, Keith (October 13, 2019). "SuperM Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart With 'The 1st Mini Album'". Billboard. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
29. Caulfield, Keith (October 20, 2019). "YoungBoy Never Broke Again Nabs First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
30. Caulfield, Keith (October 27, 2019). "Post Malone's 'Hollywood's Bleeding' Bounces Back to No. 1 for Fourth Week on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
31. "Nielsen 2019 Year-end Music Report" (PDF). Billboard. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 January 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
32. ^ "DaBaby Charts 18 Songs on Hot 100, Including All 13 From New Album 'Kirk'". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
33. "DaBaby Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
34. "DaBaby Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
35. Bergman, Todd (September 27, 2019). "Just found out this came out. Recorded Lil baby on 'toes'". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
36. "Australiancharts.com – DaBaby – Kirk". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
37. "Austriancharts.at – DaBaby – Kirk" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
38. "Ultratop.be – DaBaby – Kirk" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
39. "Ultratop.be – DaBaby – Kirk" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
40. "DaBaby Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
41. "Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 39, 2019". Hitlisten. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
42. "Dutchcharts.nl – DaBaby – Kirk" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
43. "DaBaby: Kirk" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
44. "Offiziellecharts.de – DaBaby – Kirk" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
45. "Irish-charts.com – Discography DaBaby". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
46. "Italiancharts.com – DaBaby – Kirk". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
47. "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 48. nedēļa" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
48. "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 4, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
49. "VG-lista – Topp 40 Album uke 3, 2020". VG-lista. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
50. "Veckolista Album, vecka 40". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
51. "Swisscharts.com – DaBaby – Kirk". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
52. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
53. "DaBaby Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
54. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
55. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
56. "Jaaroverzichten 2020". Ultratop. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
57. "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
58. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
59. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
60. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
61. "Danish album certifications – DaBaby – Kirk". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
62. "American album certifications – DaBaby – Kirk". Recording Industry Association of America. April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.

• 2019 albums
• DaBaby albums
• Albums produced by DJ Clue?
• Albums produced by JetsonMade
• Albums produced by Kenny Beats
• Albums produced by London on da Track
• Interscope Records albums