Lil Baby Reveals He Considered Quitting Rap While Depressed

Lil Baby considered quitting rap while dealing with depression, a struggle he discussed in a newly released clip from his interview with The New York Times’ “Popcast”.

The Atlanta rapper also described finding his way forward after weighing an exit from music. His account came ahead of FRESH, his next album, which is due November 6.

He had spoken about the strain of fame before. In a 2022 appearance on “The Experience,” Lil Baby told host Big Loon about a long stretch of unhappiness as he adjusted to success, according to NME’s account of the interview. He said he had to change old habits, reconsider who he spent time with and rethink the way he approached his life.

On “Popcast,” he again discussed how fame could narrow a person’s world, according to the Times’ episode description. He also spoke about working beyond his usual circle of local producers as he planned his next music.

One of those new connections was with Pharrell Williams. The two worked on “Dead Fresh,” which Lil Baby first played at Louis Vuitton’s men’s show in Paris in June. The song came out in July, and his label described it as their first collaboration.

He also expressed interest in taking his music further into pop. Billboard reported that he was open to working with Sabrina Carpenter as he looked to move beyond his comfort zone.

Lil Baby drew a line between his public career and private disagreements, too. When host Joe Coscarelli asked about Young Thug and Gunna, he explained that he preferred to keep disputes between artists out of public view, according to iHeart’s account of the conversation.

“We can handle our problem off the internet, in person, just us,” he said.

He argued that public feuds reflected badly on Atlanta as a whole, no matter who appeared to win.

Young Thug is also listed alongside Future and Rylo Rodriguez on “All My Partnas,” one of the songs announced for FRESH.

His hometown is on his calendar for December 5. He had also announced the “Fresh Prince Of Atlanta” birthday concert at State Farm Arena, less than a month after the album’s planned release.