Better than You is a collaborative mixtape by American rappers DaBaby and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. It was released through record labels Atlantic Records, Interscope Records, South Coast Music Group, and Never Broke Again on March 4, 2022. The mixtape was supported by three singles: "Hit", "Neighborhood Superstar", and "Bestie". It includes production from Cardo, Johnny Juliano, Yung Exclusive, Cheese, BlakeSale, Leor, TnTXD, Ambezza, Uzoh, Kayothewizard, and Red Jon.[2][3]
| Better than You | ||||
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| Mixtape by | ||||
| Released | March 4, 2022 | |||
| Length | 33:43 | |||
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| Producer | ||||
| DaBaby chronology | ||||
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| YoungBoy Never Broke Again chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Better than You | ||||
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Release and promotion
editOn January 10, 2022, DaBaby and YoungBoy released a two-track bundle on YouTube, titled Bestie / Hit, which consisted of the songs "Bestie" and "Hit", as part one and part two, respectively. "Hit" was released to streaming services as the lead single from Better than You the same day, while "Bestie" remained on YouTube without an official release until the mixtape's release.[4] On February 24, Navjosh of the online hip-hop website HipHopNMore published an article in which he said that the website "can exclusively confirm" the mixtape and its details.[5] DaBaby and YoungBoy released the second single, "Neighborhood Superstar" the next day.[6] On February 28, 2022, DaBaby reacted to the news and subtly revealed the cover art and tracklist, referring to the joint effort as the "collab of the century".[7]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| HipHopDX | 3.4/5[9] |
Writing for HotNewHipHop, Erika Marie predicted that "the very mention of Better Than You" can create controversy, especially considering King Von's posthumous album, What It Means to Be King, was also released today (March 4). She felt that "Louisiana and North Carolina collide as DaBaby and YoungBoy only rely on one another's talents on the record".[10] Thomas Galindo of HotNewHipHop felt that YoungBoy's voice sounded like that of fellow American rapper Playboi Carti throughout the mixtape.[11]
In a mixed review of it, Preezy Brown of Vibe opined that "taking a more melodic approach throughout, YoungBoy leaves much of the traditional rapping to DaBaby, who rises to the occasion with a succession of cocksure rhyme spills tinged with oddball humor", adding that it "falls short of that lofty expectation and is spotty at best", "but the record includes moments that merit giving it a listen to hear two of the biggest superstars in rap joining forces if nothing else."[12] AllMusic stated, "Better Than You doesn't expose any new collaborative chemistry, but offers several solid tracks of DaBaby doing what he does best, while NBA YoungBoy tries on some new guises".[8]
Commercial performance
editBETTER THAN YOU debuted at number ten on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 28,500 album-equivalent units (including 1,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week.[13] The album also accumulated 40.35 million on-demand streams of the album's songs.[13]
Track listing
editAll tracks are mixed, mastered, and recorded by producer Cheese. Alejandro Rodriguez-Dawson joins Cheese in recording for tracks 10 and 12.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hit" |
| 2:05 | |
| 2. | "On this Line" |
|
| 2:29 |
| 3. | "Little to a Lot" |
|
| 3:38 |
| 4. | "WiFi" |
| Glacier | 2:40 |
| 5. | "Turbo" |
|
| 2:59 |
| 6. | "BBL" |
|
| 3:12 |
| 7. | "Count on Me" |
|
| 2:54 |
| 8. | "Syracuse" |
|
| 2:05 |
| 9. | "Creeper" |
|
| 2:48 |
| 10. | "Head Off" |
|
| 3:00 |
| 11. | "Neighborhood Superstar" |
|
| 3:55 |
| 12. | "Bestie" |
|
| 1:51 |
| Total length: | 33:43 | |||
Personnel
edit- DaBaby – rap vocals
- YoungBoy Never Broke Again – rap vocals
- Jason Goldberg – mastering, mixing, engineering
- India Got Them Beats – bass, drums, percussion (2)
- Leor – bass, drums, percussion (2)
- Jahniya C – guitar, keyboards (2)
- Alejandro Rodriguez-Dawsøn – engineering (10, 12)
Charts
edit| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[14] | 62 |
| US Billboard 200[15] | 10 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] | 7 |
References
edit- ^ "Top 40/Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ^ Rose, Jordan (March 4, 2022). "DaBaby and YoungBoy Never Broke Again Drop New Project 'Better Than You'". Complex. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Red Jon Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ Callas, Brad (January 11, 2022). "YoungBoy Never Broke Again and DaBaby Share New Collaboration "Bestie/Hit"". Complex. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Navjosh (February 24, 2022). "NBA YoungBoy & DaBaby To Release Joint Album 'Better Than You' Next Week". HipHopNMore. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Marie, Erika (February 25, 2022). "DaBaby & NBA YoungBoy Unite On "Neighborhood Superstar"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Price, Joe (February 28, 2022). "DaBaby and YoungBoy Never Broke Again Share "Neighborhood Superstar," Announce Collab Project 'Better Than You'". Complex. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ a b "Better Than You Review by TiVo Staff". allmusic.com. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Brutocao, Ben (March 22, 2022). "Review - Dababy & NBA YoungBoy 'Better Than You' Is Better Than Expected But Ultimately Lacks Staying Power". HipHopDX.
- ^ Marie, Erika (March 4, 2022). "NBA YoungBoy and DaBaby Deliver Joint Project "Better Than You"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Galindo, Thomas (March 5, 2022). "NBA YoungBoy Accused Of Copying Playboi Carti On New DaBaby Collab Album". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ Brown, Preezy (March 4, 2022). "DaBaby And YoungBoy Never Broke Again Release 'Better Than You' Album". Vibe. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ a b "The Final First Week Numbers for King Von and DaBaby x YoungBoy Never Broke Again Projects Are In". Complex. 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
- ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2022.