Freestyle (Lil Baby song)

"Freestyle"
Single by Lil Baby
from the album Too Hard
ReleasedNovember 5, 2017
GenreTrap
Length2:42
Label
Songwriter(s)Dominique Jones
Producer(s)Joseph DaVinci
Lil Baby singles chronology
"Fasho"
(2017) 		"Freestyle"
(2017) 		"Vision Clear"
(2017)
Music video
"Freestyle" on YouTube

"Freestyle" is a song by American rapper Lil Baby. It was released on November 5, 2017 with an accompanying music video, to promote his mixtape Too Hard (2017).[1] The song became one of his most popular hits and helped him rise to prominence.[2] The song is a sleeper hit which began charting outside of the United States in 2022.

Composition

In the song, Lil Baby raps about his usage of lean and percocets, over production by Joseph DaVinci. He gives numerous name-drops, including that of basketball player Philip Champion, and also interpolates "Hail Mary" by Tupac Shakur.[3]

Critical reception

Billboard ranked the song at number five on their list of Lil Baby's best songs.[3]

Charts

Weekly charts

2018 chart performance for "Freestyle"
Chart (2018) Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[4] 9
US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles (Billboard)[5] 1
2022 chart performance for "Freestyle"
Chart (2022–2023) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[6] 69
Global 200 (Billboard)[7] 169
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 59
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[9] 17

Year-end charts

2022 year-end chart performance for "Freestyle"
Chart (2022) Position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[10] 97

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[11] Gold 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[13] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Lil Baby "Freestyle" Official Music Video, November 5, 2017
  2. ^ Fu, Eddie; Shannon, Delisa; Hill, Tia (February 14, 2019). "Looking Back At Lil Baby's "Freestyle"". Genius.
  3. ^ a b Saponara, Michael (February 28, 2020). "Lil Baby's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard.
  4. ^ "Lil Baby Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
  5. ^ "Lil Baby – Chart History: Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. January 27, 2018.
  6. ^ "Lil Baby Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "Lil Baby Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  8. ^ "Lil Baby Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "Lil Baby Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  10. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Lil Baby – Freestyle". Music Canada. June 24, 2019.
  12. ^ "British single certifications – Lil Baby – Freestyle". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  13. ^ "American single certifications – Lil Baby – Freestyle". Recording Industry Association of America. September 19, 2022.