Rockstar by Da Baby featuring Roddy Ricch (2020)

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Rockstar Cover

Rockstar is a song from American rapper DaBaby’s third studio album Blame It on Baby featuring fellow rapper Roddy Ricch. The song was written by DaBaby and Ricch, released on April 17, 2020, and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as topped the charts in several countries such as Australia, Canada, Greece, Denmark, Portugal, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The song was in top 10 on the charts in Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Sweden, and Finland. Rockstar received nominations at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Best Melodic Rap Performance, and Best Rap Song. [1]

DABABY

Key Lyrics

Brand new Lamborghini, fuck a cop car With the pistol on my hip like I'm a cop (Yeah, yeah, yeah) Have you ever met a real nigga rockstar? (Yeah) This ain't no guitar, bitch, this a Glock (Woo) My Glock told me to promise you gon' squeeze me (Woo) You better let me go the day you need me (Woo) Soon as you up me on that nigga, get to bustin' (Woo) And if I ain't enough, go get the chop

[Verse 1: DaBaby] It's safe to say I earned it, ain't a nigga gave me nothin' (Yeah, yeah, yeah)

I'm ready to hop out on a nigga, get to bustin'

Know you heard me say, "You play, you lay," don't make me push the button

Full of pain, dropped enough tears to fill up a fuckin' bucket

Goin' for buckets, I bought a chopper

I got a big drum, it hold a hundred, ain't goin' for nothin'

I'm ready to air it out on all these niggas, I can see 'em runnin'

Just talked to my mama, she hit me on FaceTime just to check up on me and my brother

I'm really the baby, she know that her youngest son was always guaranteed to get the money (Okay, let's go)

She know that her baby boy was always guaranteed to get the loot

She know what I do, she know 'fore I run from a nigga, I'ma pull it out and shoot (Boom)

PTSD, I'm always waking up in cold sweats like I got the flu

My daughter a G, she saw me kill a nigga in front of her before the age of two

And I'll kill another nigga too

'Fore I let another nigga do somethin' to you

Long as you know that, don't let nobody tell you different

Daddy love you (Yeah, yeah) [2]

Black Empowerment

The song is based on DaBaby’s story back when he was a child, a police officer pulling guns on him, and how that incident shaped his mindset. [3]

The seven-minute clip shows the two rappers heavily armed and holde up in the woods, a place where they are tasked with killing the living dead. The clip was also balanced by a self-aware sequence when DaBaby and Ricch perform the song in an open field, with a group of zombies dancing and strumming guitars, one even plays a grand piano wearing a nice suit. [4]

The main theme is about gun violence, while DaBaby refers to himself as a “Rockstar,” referring to rocking the gat against his enemies, while Roddy Ricch illustrated his lifestyle, highlighted by big money. [5]

This represents about living the rock and roll lifestyle in the world of hip hop: “Brand new Lamborghini, f*** a cop car, with the pistol on my hip like I’m a cop / Have you ever met a real n***a rockstar? This ain’t no guitar, b***h, this a Glock / My Glock told me to promise you gon’ squeeze me, you better let me go the day you need me / Soon as you up me on that n***a, get to bustin’, and if I ain’t enough, go get the chop. Apparently, the video was inspired by the action-horro series, The Walking Dead. Both singers appeared on BET Awards performing the song in response of George Flyod's arrest, as well as showing their support of the Black Lives Matters movement. [6]

References

  1. Rockstar (DaBaby song). wikipedia.org. Retrieved January 25, 2021
  2. ROCKSTAR DaBaby. genius.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021
  3. Muhammad, Latifah. 15 Powerful Songs That Embody and Support Black Lives Matter Movement. July 2, 2020. etonline.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021
  4. Blistein, Jon. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dababy-roddy-ricch-rockstar-music-video-1021034/. June 26, 2020. rollingstone.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021
  5. “ROCKSTAR” by DaBaby (ft. Roddy Ricch). songmeaningsandfacts.com. Retrived February 6, 2021
  6. Powell, Jon. DaBaby and Roddy Ricch fight off zombies in “Rockstar” visual. June 29, 2020. revolt.tv. Retrieved February 6, 2021