Dababy Biography 2024: Age, Net Worth, Family, Education, Personal Life, Relationship, Height, Career Awards and Nomination
DaBaby, whose real name is Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, was born on December 22, 1991. He is an American rapper who was previously known as Baby Jesus.
From 2014 to 2018, he released several mixtapes before signing with Interscope Records in January 2019.
This partnership was a joint venture with South Coast Music Group, a record label based in North Carolina. DaBaby gained significant commercial success with his debut studio album, Baby on Baby, which was released in 2019.
The album received delayed recognition and was further boosted by the hit single “Suge,” which reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart a month after its release.
Read Also: Dax Biography 2024: Age, Net Worth, Family Height, Education, Personal Life, Career and Awards
In 2019, his second studio album, Kirk, made its debut at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. This album produced two hit singles, namely “Intro” and “Bop”.
In the same year, he also made guest appearances on the singles “Enemies” by Post Malone and “Cash Shit” by Megan Thee Stallion.
| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jonathan Lyndale Kirk |
| Also known as | Baby Jesus |
| Born | December 22, 1991 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Origin | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Discography | DaBaby discography |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels |
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| Children | 4 |
| Website | officialdababy |
Moving on to his third studio album, Blame It on Baby, which was released in 2020, it also reached the top of the chart and gave rise to the single “Rockstar” featuring Roddy Ricch.
This single spent seven non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, coinciding with the George Floyd protests that took place that year.
Additionally, “Rockstar” received quintuple platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year.
In 2020, he made guest appearances on the remix of “Whats Poppin” by Jack Harlow and the single “Levitating” by Dua Lipa, both of which reached the second position on the Billboard Hot 100.
However, he faced public controversies related to homophobia. In 2022, he released a collaborative mixtape called Better than You with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and also his fourth album, Baby on Baby 2.
Early Life
Jonathan Lyndale Kirk was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 22, 1991.
At the age of six, he relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he spent the majority of his formative years.
Kirk completed his high school education at Vance High School, now known as Julius L. Chambers High School, graduating in 2010.
After high school, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for a period of two years.
However, Kirk decided to discontinue his studies, citing that he only pursued higher education to fulfill his parents’ wishes.
During his upbringing, he was influenced by the music of Eminem, 50 Cent, and Lil Wayne, often listening to them with his two older brothers.
Career
Between 2014 and 2015, Kirk developed a serious interest in music. In 2015, he kickstarted his music career by releasing his debut mixtape, Nonfiction.
He then went on to release several mixtapes including the God’s Work and Baby Talk series, Billion Dollar Baby, and Back on My Baby Jesus Sh*t.
Initially, Kirk performed under the name Baby Jesus, but later decided to change it due to concerns that it was becoming a distraction.
Kirk’s breakthrough came when he signed with Arnold Taylor, the president of South Coast Music Group, a prominent radio promoter.
Taylor discovered Kirk while he was performing at various clubs in North Carolina during the launch of his label.
Taylor had previously played a significant role in the success of Southern rap stars like Yo Gotti and Future.
As they began working together, Kirk’s team focused on creating hype in the South through mixtapes and club shows, while he honed his unique sound.
Under his agreement with South Coast, Kirk also secured a short-lived distribution deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation for his mixtape, Blank Blank.
This proved to be a turning point for him in late 2018. With Taylor’s guidance and after intense competition among major record labels, Kirk ultimately landed a lucrative recording deal with Interscope, worth seven figures.
In January 2019, after signing with Interscope, Kirk established his own label, Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment.
Following this, in March 2019, Kirk’s first studio album, Baby on Baby, was released through a collaboration between Interscope Records and South Coast Music Group.
The album consists of thirteen tracks and features guest appearances from Offset, Rich Homie Quan, Rich the Kid, and Stunna 4 Vegas.
Upon its release, Baby on Baby entered the Billboard 200 albums chart in the US at number 25.
One of the album’s songs, “Suge,” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 87 on April 13, 2019, and eventually reached the top 10 on June 8, 2019.
Additionally, Kirk gained recognition as part of the Freshman Class of 2019 and was featured on the cover of XXL magazine.
Throughout the middle of 2019, Kirk collaborated on several hit songs, including Megan Thee Stallion’s “Cash Shit” and Quality Control’s “Baby,” both of which achieved top 40 positions on the Billboard Hot 100.
In July 2019, he was also featured on Dreamville’s compilation album Revenge of the Dreamers III, specifically on the opening track titled “Under the Sun.”
His guest verse on this song received critical acclaim, with various publications ranking it as his standout performance of 2019, solidifying his status as a rising rap superstar.
At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2020, Kirk was nominated twice for his song “Suge” in the categories of Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.
Following this, his third studio album, Blame It on Baby, was released in April 2020.
The album received a mix of positive and negative reviews but was commercially successful, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 with 124,000 album-equivalent units.
This marked Kirk’s second number-one album. One of the album’s tracks, “Rockstar” featuring Roddy Ricch, became his highest-charting song, spending seven non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and also reaching number one in the United Kingdom.
In June, Kirk was featured on the remix of Jack Harlow’s song “Whats Poppin”, which peaked at number two on the Hot 100 while “Rockstar” was still at the top.
This achievement made DaBaby the 20th act to hold the chart’s top two positions, the first since Ariana Grande in 2019.
In July, Kirk was featured on “For the Night” by Pop Smoke and Lil Baby, debuting at number six on the Hot 100.
Consequently, DaBaby became the seventh act to have at least three songs charting in the top six simultaneously.
In July 2020, Kirk released a single with his signee Stunna 4 Vegas called “No Dribble”, which was included in the deluxe edition of Blame It on Baby released in August 2020.
DaBaby referred to this deluxe edition as a “brand new album”. Later in November 2020, DaBaby released his debut EP, My Brother’s Keeper (Long Live G), dedicated to his late brother, Glenn Johnson.
The EP features collaborations with Meek Mill, NoCap, Toosii, and Polo G. Kirk also contributed a feature on the remix of “Levitating” by English singer Dua Lipa.
Although the remix was released towards the end of 2020, the song gradually climbed the charts and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021.
In July of 2021, Kirk received criticism for comments that were widely seen as homophobic.
During his performance at the Rolling Loud Festival in Miami Gardens, Florida on July 25, he made controversial statements regarding HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.
As a consequence of his remarks, DaBaby’s appearance at Lollapalooza on August 1 was canceled and G Herbo took his place. Additionally, the fashion brand BoohooMAN terminated their partnership with Kirk.
Subsequently, the organizers of the Governors Ball Music Festival announced on August 2 that Kirk had been removed from the 2021 lineup due to his comments.
He was also removed from several other music festivals and his credit was taken off the Billboard Airplay Charts.
On August 24, he addressed the backlash in a freestyle over Bia’s song “Whole Lotta Money”.
In March 2022, he collaborated with YoungBoy Never Broke Again on the mixtape Better than You. In September, he released his fourth studio album Baby on Baby 2.
Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment
| Billion Dollar Baby | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 |
| Founder | DaBaby |
| Status | Active |
| Distributor(s) | Interscope |
| Genre |
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| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina |
Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment is an American record label founded by DaBaby in 2017, based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Billion Dollar Baby currently has signed 5 artists to the label. DaBaby spoke about intending to focus on the record label saying “I won’t be rapping in five years; I won’t be rapping.
I’ll be creating other superstars.” His label signee Stunna 4 Vegas, is often referred to as DaBaby’s sidekick.
Roster
- Stunna 4 Vegas
- DJ K.i.D
- Rich Dunk
- KayyKilo
- Wisdom
Artistry
Charles Holmes from Rolling Stone characterized Kirk’s flow as a “staccato, precise, and brutal rapping style, a syllable-crushing force delivered with such forward momentum it often gives the illusion that he starts rapping before the beat begins”. Holmes highlighted the impact of this effect in Kirk’s breakout track “Suge”.
Discussing his inspirations, Kirk mentioned studying artists like Future, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West, who he believes “came up and consistently progressed”.
He added, “I’ve studied all the genius marketers throughout the rap game. I borrow from anybody with something to offer”.
Jeff Weiss of The Guardian favorably likened Kirk to Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Missy Elliott, and Ludacris, noting their shared musical styles characterized by “inventive rap stylists unafraid to make videos full of funny parodies and rubber-faced camera goofs”.
Weiss described Kirk as embodying an old-school approach to the rap scene. While many current songs focus on addiction and sadness, Kirk opts for powerful raps over singing. Kirk himself admitted, “I can’t sing, but I’ll hit some notes here and there”.
DaBaby frequently works with Reel Goats. Jessica McKinney of Complex observed that their videos consistently incorporate comedic and entertaining elements.
Personal Life
Kirk has a stepson who was born in 2014, along with three daughters born in 2017, 2020, and 2021 respectively.
Kirk’s father passed away in 2019 shortly after the release of his debut studio album.
His second album serves as a tribute to his father, featuring the cover image of his father holding him as an infant. Kirk’s brother, Glen Johnson, tragically died in November 2020 at the age of 34 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In terms of his religious beliefs, Kirk mentioned in 2019 that he feels blessed and protected by the blood of Christ.
During 2020, Kirk was in a relationship with fellow American rapper and singer DaniLeigh. However, the couple parted ways in February 2021.
Following their breakup, reports surfaced confirming that Kirk had fathered a child with her after a video of the two went viral on Instagram.
Although he supported Kanye West’s 2020 presidential campaign, Kirk did not vote for him. He is currently backing Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
In November 2018, Kirk was involved in a shooting at a Walmart in Huntersville, North Carolina, where he shot a 19-year-old man in the abdomen, resulting in the man’s death.
Kirk claimed that he acted in self-defense. The most serious charges were dismissed in March 2019, and he pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon, a misdemeanor.
In April 2022, Rolling Stone released the surveillance footage of the incident, which reignited interest in the case after Kirk shot a trespasser at his Troutman, North Carolina property earlier that same month. No charges were filed in relation to the incident in Troutman.
In January 2020, Kirk was apprehended and interrogated in Miami as part of a robbery investigation.
Subsequently, he was arrested after authorities discovered an outstanding arrest warrant against him in Texas, stemming from a battery charge.
According to TMZ and other sources, it is alleged that members of his entourage assaulted and robbed a music promoter who had only paid Kirk $20,000 out of the $30,000 owed for a performance in Miami.
Reports indicate that he and his associates purportedly took $80 in cash, an iPhone 7, and a credit card from the promoter. Kirk was charged with battery and was released from Miami-Dade County jail 48 hours later.
During Kirk’s “Up Close N Personal” tour in 2020, he slapped a female fan while making his way to the stage for a performance in Tampa, Florida.
The audience responded with disapproval, and he departed the venue without performing any songs. Kirk explained that he struck her because she had placed her phone too close to his face while recording a video with the flash on.
In an Instagram video, Kirk expressed his apologies, acknowledging the presence of a female on the receiving end. He emphasized that regardless of gender, he would have reacted in the same manner.
In February 2022, Kirk and his crew engaged in an altercation with Brandon Bills, the brother of DaniLeigh, at a bowling alley in the Los Angeles area.
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards | 2020 | “Baby Sitter“ | Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | Won | [85] |
| “Cash Shit” (with Megan Thee Stallion) | Won | ||||
| “Suge“ | Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song | Won | |||
| BET Awards | 2020 | Kirk | Album of the Year | Nominated | [86] |
| “Bop“ | Video of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Viewers’ Choice Award | Nominated | ||||
| Himself | Best Male Hip Hop Artist | Won | |||
| 2021 | Blame It on Baby | Album of the Year | Nominated | [87] | |
| “Rockstar” (feat. Roddy Ricch) | Viewers’ Choice Award | Nominated | |||
| Best Collaboration | Nominated | ||||
| “Whats Poppin (Remix)” (with Jack Harlow, Tory Lanez, and Lil Wayne) | Nominated | ||||
| “Cry Baby” (with Megan Thee Stallion) | Nominated | ||||
| “For the Night” (with Pop Smoke and Lil Baby) | Nominated | ||||
| Himself | Best Male Hip Hop Artist | Nominated | |||
| BET Hip Hop Awards | 2019 | “Suge” | Best Hip Hop Video | Nominated | [88] |
| Himself | Hot Ticket Performer | Nominated | |||
| Best New Hip Hop Artist | Won | ||||
| 2022 | DaBaby & YoungBoy Never Broke Again | Best Duo/Group | Nominated | [89] | |
| 2023 | “Shake Sumn” | Best Hip-hop Video | Nominated | [90] | |
| Himself | Best Live Performer | Nominated | |||
| DaBaby & Reel Goats | Video Director of the Year | Nominated |
| Baby | Top Rap Album | Nominated | |||
| “Rockstar” (feat. Roddy Ricch) | Top Hot 100 Song | Nominated | |||
| Top Streaming Song | Won | ||||
| Top Collaboration | Nominated | ||||
| Top Rap Song | Won | ||||
| Grammy Award | 2020 | “Suge” | Best Rap Performance | Nominated | [30] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Rap Song | Nominated | ||||
| 2021 | “Rockstar” (feat. Roddy Ricch) | Record of the Year | Nominated | [92] | |
| Best Melodic Rap Performance | Nominated | ||||
| Best Rap Song | Nominated | ||||
| “Bop” | Best Rap Performance | Nominated | |||
| 2022 | Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) (Justin Bieber) | Album of the Year | Nominated | [93] | |
| Donda (Kanye West) | Nominated | ||||
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2020 | Himself | Best New Hip-Hop Artist | Won | [94] |
| “Suge” | Hip-Hop Song of the Year | Won | |||
| 2021 | Himself | Hip-Hop Artist of the Year | Nominated | [95] | |
| “Rockstar” (featuring Roddy Ricch) | Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Hip-Hop Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| iHeartRadio Titanium Awards | 2021 | “Rockstar” (featuring Roddy Ricch) | 1 Billion Total Audience Spins on iHeartRadio Stations | Won | [96] |
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2019 | “Suge” | Song of Summer | Nominated |
Net Worth
According to many source outlets online, Dababy net worth is total to be $5 million in year 2023.
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