Freestyle (Lil Baby song)

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"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[edit]

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[edit]

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

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

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[edit]

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

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[11] Gold 40,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[13] 3× Platinum 3,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  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. ^ https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2022/hot-r-and-and-b-hip-hop-songs/
  11. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Lil Baby – Freestyle". Music Canada. June 24, 2019.
  12. ^ "British single certifications – Lil Baby – Freestyle". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  13. ^ "American single certifications – Lil Baby – Freestyle". Recording Industry Association of America. September 19, 2022.