Here is the 16th EP from Athens, Georgia up-&-comer Babystaydown. Someone who’s had over a dozen extended plays under his belt already including PL Top Recruits, 1,350, Drugz Sex & Money and it’s sequel, 17, Genesis, his Cegular Records/Sony Music debut Hate da Way Um Livin, Saint, Pain Before Pleasure, Chief 13, Aimai, I.L.M.F. (I Love My Friends), ##Kool ##Kat & the Lost Files duology. However, his full-length debut Born Anew this spring maintained the same level as all 8 of his EPs on Cegular in terms of propelling his status in the underground & the same can be said regarding the sophomore effort Art of War a couple months ago, telling us I.B.S.D.W.M.P. (I Been Still Dealing With My Pain) after him & labelmate Pradabagshawty fell out with each other last month.
“Bigger” kicks it all off with a cloudy trap instrumental produced by Whyceg talking about his payroll becoming a lot larger whereas “Sedated” atmospherically speaks of a woman doing him crazy placing him on the blocklist. “Pill Type” goes for a pluggier vibe confessing to never feeling right whenever he took opioids prior to Traiqo shifting “Like I Know” towards an exuberant trap direction talking about him promising he’d give a bitch the entire world.
Starting the 2nd act, “Pain” tells us of him having some shit going on with his heart which he likes to call suffering just before “Idk You” talks about those trying to copy him not having any longevity approaching the final half of this decade. “Slime Examination” has another standout beat courtesy of Ayelavish! promising the world he won’t ever let the game change him & “Drug Addiction” sends off the EP reuniting with his mentor Whyceg for 1 last time explaining he can’t give a hoe all his love because she’ll most likely hit the clubs immediately.
Cegular Records has put a lot of great effort into proving why both Babystaydown & Pradabagshawty have become amongst the most exciting new plugg artists in 2025 from Red Flags & Roses to Art of War so it sucks a collab project probably won’t come to fruition, but it is what it is & I.B.S.D.W.M.P. (I Been Still Dealing With My Pain) finishes the Sony Music imprint’s biggest year strongly. We get more of an introspective approach to Babystaydown’s songwriting & there’s a similar consistency between the production here & its predecessor couple months earlier.
Score: 4/5
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