DaBaby sat down with The Breakfast Club to discuss his four-year hiatus from the music industry and the personal journey behind his return with album Be More Grateful.
The Charlotte rapper truly understands why he stepped back from the spotlight after reaching the peak of his career. His honesty cuts through the usual celebrity talk.
DaBaby explained that his break was not planned. He lost track of time while dealing with personal issues that began long before his career took off.
“I’m really not only in a season of gratitude, but, I think before that I was in a season of responsibility,” he said. “This is kind of like where I was the last time I came to see you guys.”
The rapper faced a perfect storm of tragedy at the height of his career. When “Suge” hit No. 1, he got the call that his father had passed away.
He named his second album “Kirk” in honor of his father, and watched it go to No. 1 while dealing with grief.
“Then I followed ‘Rockstar,’ which was No. 1 on Billboard, Hot 100, Billboard, Hot 100, etc. for eight weeks in a row during the COVID-19 pandemic, but I couldn’t move around and keep myself busy,” Big Baby recalled. “But that’s as high as you can get as an artist. I got the top streaming song in the world. My brother committed suicide.”
The timing couldn’t be worse. Just as the world is reopening from COVID-19 lockdowns, DaBaby is facing cancel culture backlash for homophobic comments he made at Rolling Loud in Miami in 2021.
“You know the whole cancel culture, it was never a season for me, you know. It took yeah. It took four whole years,” he said.
DaBaby admits he didn’t realize how much time had passed until he was ready to release new music. The disparity between projects hit him hard.
“I didn’t even realize it had been four years since I dropped this album until I actually pulled it out and saw the dates on this album and I was like, ‘Damn, four years.’ Like that’s crazy,” he said.
His fans never let him settle for less during his absence. They have been urging him to get back into shape and not play small ball.
This break forced him to rediscover his passion for music. He needs to find his heart again before he can truly create.
“I had to find my love for this again, you know, and figure it out. Like when I do something, I love doing it. I love putting my heart and soul into it. And I’m just not in a space, you know,” he explained.
DaBaby’s new album “Be More Grateful” was released on January 30, 2026, and is his first full-length project since 2022.
The rapper also launched DaBaby Cares, a non-profit program focused on mental health awareness. He launched the program during Suicide Prevention Month 2024 in honor of his late brother, Glenn Johnson.
DaBaby’s return brings with it a different mentality regarding entitlement and expectations. He’s not looking for easy fare in the cultural or music industries.
“I really feel like no one has the right to take it easy on me. Culture, business, none of that. When you get caught up in this sense of entitlement, it’s not that you’re doing nothing, you’re distracting yourself from what you’re supposed to be doing,” he said.
