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Meet DaBaby — BET Award Winner Of Hottest New Rapper In Hip Hop

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Meet DaBaby — BET Award Winner Of Hottest New Rapper In Hip Hop

Though it's hard to become a hot star in hip hop today, thanks to the Internet, he managed to pull it off effortlessly. Over the weekend he won the Best New Hip Hop Artist award at the BET Awards...and he went on stage with his entire crew to accept the award. But who is DaBaby?

Born Jonathan Lyndale Kirk in Cleveland, Ohio (he would eventually move to North Carolina, which is where his career ultimately took off), DaBaby got his career off the ground back in 2010 when he was known as Baby Jesus. (Contrary to the controversy surrounding this choice, it seemed to be a nod and wink to Ol' Dirty Bastard of the Wu-Tang Clan, who would sometimes take the moniker "Big Baby Jesus" when he recorded songs or performed onstage.) His mixtape series — known as the God's Work and the Baby Talk series — catapulted him to superstardom in North Carolina, and it wasn't long before he became a hit on the internet, as well. In March 2019, he released his debut album called Baby on Baby, and his hit song "Suge" catapulted him into the mainstream. 

Let's look at what else we know about this fiery rapper. 

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1. Reality stars are obsessed with him. 

B. Simone, who is featured on Girls Cruise on VH1 and is best known for being Lil' Kim's bestie, is so obsessed with DaBaby that she modeled her Halloween costume after her obsession with him. Check it out below. (Jesus be some self-esteem for this girl.) 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by B. SIMONE (@thebsimone2) on Oct 27, 2019 at 12:47am PDT

2. DaBaby is a fan of Walmart. 

Their anti-union policies notwithstanding, Walmart is certainly a great place to get a great deal. And we can't be mad at someone who minds their pennies since music stardom is such a fleeting beast. And DaBaby took to his own Instagram page to share how he likes shopping at Wal-Mart at 4:30 in the morning so he can get his great deals in peace and quiet. Check it out below. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by BABY JESUS (@dababy) on Oct 27, 2019 at 1:48am PDT

3. He recently gave a fan money after a fender bender. 

According to XXL, DaBaby made some headlines after he had a fender bender with a fan. To avoid getting the insurance companies and the police involved in the little dust-up, DaBaby handed the fan $150 in cash to get the bumper fixed. Well. Alright then. 

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4. And DaBaby recently grabbed a fan's booty while he was onstage. 

God bless this mess. According to HotNewHipHop, DaBaby recently earned himself some headlines after he grabbed a fan's booty — using two hands, no less — while he was performing onstage. To be fair, he did ask for permission to do this first, and she did say yes, so good on him for understanding consent, and seeking it. That makes him far better than most out there today. 

5. But he has a very kind side. 

TMZ recently revealed that DaBaby recently helped a homeless mother climb out of poverty. The outlet reports that Amanda Rose, who makes hats, had her wares shouted out by the rapper on Instagram, and now, her wares are "flying off the shelves." She also said that thanks to DaBaby, she's been able to save up money to rent an apartment, and move out of her car. Awesome!

6. And DaBaby said that he couldn't be more grateful for his fame. 

"The year’s most consistent new hip-hop star is DaBaby, who has built a quickly growing career on a combination of pulverizing energy, intense rhymes and buoyant songs. He’s also been very willing to embrace the meme economy, understanding himself as a musician and as an online character," said The New York Times. 

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Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.