Intro (DaBaby song)

"Intro"
Single by DaBaby
from the album Kirk
ReleasedSeptember 19, 2019
Genre
Length2:52
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)DJ Kid
DaBaby singles chronology
"Enemies"
(2019) 		"Intro"
(2019) 		"Heartless"
(2019)
Music video
"Intro" on YouTube

"Intro" (stylized in all-caps) is a song by American rapper DaBaby, released as the lead single and opening track from his second studio album Kirk on September 19, 2019.[1][2]

The song peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[3]

Music and lyrics

The song explores themes of family and DaBaby handling his newfound success.[1] The song strays away from his usual comedic subject matter, which is synonymous with his music. He explains how he found out about his father's passing only moments before he was informed that his debut studio album, Baby on Baby, debuted atop the Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart.[4]

The song is produced by DJ K.i.D,[5] who sampled NSYNC's 1998 rendition of "O Holy Night" for the song.[6][unreliable source?] The song's chorus makes references to Martin and Gina, characters from the TV series Martin, and tennis players and sisters Venus and Serena Williams.

Music video

The music video was released on September 20, 2019. It begins with DaBaby walking towards a casket at a church, before then cutting to a scene of DaBaby celebrating his newfound success.[7] The video, directed by Reel Goats, was shot in Hawaii.[8] As of April 2021 the video has over 60 million views on YouTube.

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews, with Rolling Stone's Charles Holmes deeming it a "heart-wrenching portrait of loss", calling it DaBaby's "best song yet", as DaBaby drops his comedically tough facade in favor of a more sincere approach to the song.[1]

Chart performance

The song peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming his third song to reach the top 20 on the chart, and second as the lead artist.[9]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10] 26
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 70
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[12] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 97
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 13
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[15] 8
US Rolling Stone Top 100[16] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2019) Position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[17] 98

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Intro
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[18] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c Holmes, Charles (September 19, 2019). "DaBaby's 'Intro' Is a Heart-Wrenching Portrait of Loss — And His Best Song Yet". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  2. ^ Darville, Jordan (September 19, 2019). "DaBaby gets personal on new song 'Intro'". The Fader. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  3. ^ Mamo, Heran (October 1, 2019). "Here Are the Lyrics to DaBaby's Intro". Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  4. ^ Real 92.3 LA (September 25, 2019). "DaBaby talks Losing His Dad, Having Best Features of 2019, Linking w/ Lizzo - Bootleg Kev & DJ Hed". Retrieved December 25, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Thioubou, Ndeye (December 19, 2019). "The Making Of DaBaby's "INTRO" With DJ K.i.D". Genius. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  6. ^ "DaBaby's 'INTRO' sample of 'O Holy Night (A Cappella)' by *NSYNC". WhoSampled. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  7. ^ Koertge, Jacob "34" (September 21, 2019). "DaBaby Makes A Song That Shows He's A Grown-Up MC With A Real Message". Ambrosia For Heads. Retrieved October 2, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Bossip Staff (September 20, 2019). "DaBaby Releases Music Video For "Intro"". Bossip. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  9. ^ "DaBaby Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  10. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  11. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography DaBaby". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  12. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 30, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  13. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  14. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  15. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  16. ^ "Rolling Stone Top 100, September 27-October 3, 2019". Rolling Stone. October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  17. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  18. ^ "American single certifications – DaBaby – Intro". Recording Industry Association of America. April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.