Baby aka The #1 Stunna - Birdman
Reviewed By: ULTIMATECDLINK
Album Rate: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Bryan "Baby" Williams drops his solo debut album after releases as part of the duo Big Tymers with producer Mannie Fresh. The album from the Cash Money Records CEO features appearances from Lil Wayne, TQ, Jazze Pha, 8Ball, Petey Pablo, Clipse, T.I., Cam'Ron, Keith Murray, Jermaine Dupri, Boo & Gotti, Mikkey, Toni Braxton, & more.
1. Baby Lady Talkin (intro)-- just some superhero intro for the Birdman
2. Look Like A Job 4-- this track has a faster paced beat that almost makes it feel like a party track. I didn't really care for the hook and Baby doesn't bring anything spectacular to the mic. Not really feeling this one.
3. Fly In Any Weather (f/ Jazze Pha)-- this track features Jazze Pha and his patented singing. Baby drops some lyrics about his cars...typical Cash Money track. Not feelin this one too much either.
4. Ms. Bird Pageant Pt. 1 (skit)
5. Ms. Bird (f/ Mannie Fresh)-- this track has a beat with a lot of horns in it. Baby does more rappin about his cars and ice while Mannie Fresh drops the hook and a verse about how everywhere he and Baby go, women wanna be Ms. Bird. I didn't really like the beat or the lyrics on this one.
6. I Got To (f/ Lil Wayne)-- this track has a nice laid back midtempo beat. Lil Wayne brings a decent verse to the mic while Baby comes pretty tight on his verses as well. It's more rap about money, cars, and Cristal but this is actually the first track that I've come across that I've liked. It's a bumpable track with a nice beat that you should check out.
7. Never Had Nothin-- this track has a beat similar to the Clipse's "Grindin" at the beginning. Baby rhymes about not havin any food or money growing up. He comes really tight on this track so check this one out.
8. Baby You Can Do It (f/ Toni Braxton)-- as soon as the Toni Braxton R&B hook kicks in at the beginning, I know I'm gonna hate it. Baby comes decent on the mic but the song just sounds too much like an Toni Braxton remix with rappin instead of a Baby track w/ R&B vocals.
9. Ms. Bird Live From The Superdome (skit)
10. Baby What Happened To That Boy (f/ Clipse)-- this track has a nice laid back beat that you can bob your head to. Malice & Pusha T drop some nice lyrics while Baby also drops a nice verse. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album.
11. On The Rocks (f/ The D-Boys & Jazze Pha)-- this track has a pretty nice mid tempo beat with some horns mixed in as well. Baby's got a decent flow although he drops more verses about cars and ice. The D-Boys come with some nice verses as well. This track is one you can sit back to and jam.
12. How It Be (f/ Jermaine Dupri & TQ)-- this track has a blues guitar beat over a bassline. Baby drops an OK verse while JD doesn't sound that bad on his verses. TQ does a decent job of singing the hook. It's an all right track.
13. Heads Up (f/ The D-Boys)-- this track has a nice laid back beat that you can bob ya head to (with a police siren in the background). Both Baby and The D-Boys come tight on the mic with some lyrics about how the police are about to come through. Tight track.
14. Hustlers, Pimps, & Thugs (f/ 8Ball, Jazze Pha, & TQ)-- this track is also one of my favorites on the album. 8Ball comes with a nice couple of verses. Baby drops a decent verse as well. I thought TQ and Jazze Pha added a lot to the song with their hooks. Nice track.
15. Fly Away-- this track has a decent beat to it. Baby doesn't drop any verses out of the ordinary on this one but there seems to be an oversaturation of singing on it. It would have been better if they laid off the R&B.
16. Say It Ain't So (f/ Boo & Gotti, Keith Murray, & Mikkey)-- this track has a nice beat with some heavy bass tones in it. Boo & Gotti drop some mediocre lyrics while Baby & Keith Murray drop some decent verses. Mikkey comes OK on the track but the beat outshines any of the rappin on this one.
17. Ms. Bird Pageant Pt. 3 (skit)
18. Do That (f/ P. Diddy & Mannie Fresh)-- this track is the first single from the album that has become a club favorite. Mannie Fresh brings the hook "purty lady go on do that dance" while Baby and P. Diddy drop more radio friendly dance verses. I'm not really feelin it other than the Jazze Pha beat but fans of P. Diddy will eat this one up.
19. Ice Cold (f/ TQ & Jazze Pha)-- this track has another R&B feel to it because of the dominance of TQ and Jazze Pha on the song. From the title of the song, I'm sure you can figure out what Baby is rappin about. Not feelin this one too much.
20. Ms. Bird Pageant Pt. 4 (skit)
21. Ghetto Life (f/ Lil Wayne, Cam'Ron, & TQ)-- this track has a nice midtempo beat to it. Lil Wayne drops a decent first verse while Baby comes with a decent flow of his own. Cam'Ron doesn't really add that much to the track and actually sounds a little out of place. Overall, it's a bumpable track.
22. Keep Spinnin (f/ Petey Pablo, T.I., Mannie Fresh, TQ, Stone, Wolf, Bizzy, Gillie, & Mikkey)-- this track has a really nice beat to it that you can just sit back and ride to that tries to give you the effect of your Sprewells still spinnin even though your ride ain't movin. Petey Pablo and T.I. come with some nice flows on the mic. It's a nice track to end the album out with.
Overall, the production by Mannie Fresh and Jazze Pha is pretty nice for the most part. Baby and Mannie Fresh never claim to be rappers and it shows on this album because there isn't much variety when it comes to the material. The birdcall and the R&B feel to the tracks start to get old as the album just seems to drag on after a while. Diehard Cash Money Records fans will probably enjoy this one but the casual rap fan won't be missing much if they don't pick this one up.
Baby aka The #1 Stunna - Birdman