The greatest rap song titled “Baby D” is most definitely track nine on Too $hort’s Gettin’ It (Album Number Ten), where the Dangerous Crew’s Baby D lays down two minutes of the best raps by an elementary school student ever. I’m sure that Oakland’s 1100 Himself dropping a song of the same name is no coincidence; his intricate neighborhood storytelling makes it clear that he’s marinated in the catalog of his hometown’s original rap star. Naturally, 1100 Himself’s block tales start out with an interaction with a local kid: “A younger fan see me out like, ‘11 sign my hoodie’/And I’m the type to pass the weed when yo’ mom not looking.” For the rest of the track, he sounds hardly fazed by the beefs and inconveniences lingering in the background as he tries to make money and hangout with his friends. It’s a slow-moving snapshot of his life, with enough details to make it worthy of its name.
With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace, it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear.
Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from 1100 Himself and more on our Spotify playlist.
