In just five years, Lil Baby has ascended from a lesser-known Young Thug protégé fresh out of prison to one of hip-hop’s most recognizable icons at the moment. But, there is much more nuance to his story that has yet to be told.
On Friday (Aug. 26), Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby released on Amazon Prime Video — a documentary that focuses on Lil Baby’s determination to rise above his street life and criminal tendencies to become a rap superstar. The trailer for the doc (released in July) features interviews from two of his biggest mentors and supporters: Drake and Young Thug.
Drake, who Baby has collaborated with for smash-hits like “Yes Indeed,” “Girls Want Girls,” “Wants and Needs” and more, spoke on the impact Baby has had on hip-hop culture in such a short amount of time.
“Lil Baby already cemented himself as a super important part of this generation. He’s putting distance between himself and other people. He just continued to evolve. This guy’s the truth.”
Drake
The documentary also touches on how much going to prison affected Lil Baby, as he was incarcerated from 2015-2017 for violating probation. Baby was raised into a life of drug dealing and crime, which turned out to be a lucrative endeavor for him. Eventually, with the help of Young Thug, he knew he needed to commit to a rap career to assure he would avoid being in and out of prison.
“With or without rap, he was going to get some money,” Thugger said in the trailer. “He was f**kin’ up millions of dollars before he ever made one song. I was always mad at him like, ‘N***a listen, nothing comes out of what you’re doing but prison. Or death.'”
The power behind this sentiment is felt even more considering Thug is currently behind bars and awaiting trial for RICO charges. As Lil Baby hopes to continue his legacy and remain trouble-free, this documentary gives great insight to how Lil Baby got to where he is today — just before he plans to release his long-awaited studio album.
With the documentary out and a potential project on the horizon, Lil Baby is getting ready to own the second half of 2022 “Untrapped” from all his past vices.
Watch ‘Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby’ here!
