Lil Baby has been storming the podcast circuit with fervor over the past several months, gearing up for the promotional rollout of his latest album, WHAM. Rumors have it that another album is just around the corner, prompting him to open up about his perspectives on the rap industry and his personal journey. During a recent appearance on the DeepCut podcast, Lil Baby faced an arduous challenge: ranking his favorite Atlanta rappers. Presented with four esteemed artists plus himself, his ranking ignited instant online buzz.
Reluctant to evaluate his own music, Lil Baby graciously placed himself in fifth spot, saying, "That's tough because I'm not sure how to rank myself." Proceeding from there, the rapper compiled a list of Atlanta's heavyweights spanning the last two decades. Playboi Carti secured the fourth spot, 21 Savage climbed to third, and Young Thug took the runner-up position. Crowning his frequent collaborator Future at the top, Lil Baby reiterated, "Future, Slime, Savage, then Carti. Absolutely."
The subsequent online debate was a chaotic spectacle, with fans lambasting Lil Baby for ranking Future above his mentor, Young Thug. Other names floated around as worthy contenders included Migos, OutKast, and Gunna, the latter of which adds an intriguing twist given the strained relationship between Lil Baby and Gunna following the YSL saga that cast doubts on Gunna's loyalty. While Lil Baby hasn't directly bashed his Drip Harder co-star, he's made his stance clear – he won't collaborate with snitches. "I'll always view certain things a certain way," he revealed on the A Safe Place podcast. "It hinges on what we rap about… If you did that, we can't rap about it. Now, if I was crafting Christmas tunes, your past wouldn't bother me a bit."
Lil Baby's decision to pedestal Future isn't without reason. Future featured on his last album, and whispers suggest that they're cooking up a full-length collaboration. "Me and Future were crafting a joint project," he told Spotify in January. "We were almost done. Now that [Thug] is back, he's not into it. It was actually Thug's idea." Critics may bash Lil Baby's ranking endlessly, and they will, but it's crucial to note that he was given a specific lineup to choose from.
