The genius of Lil Baby’s new track lies in a simple ad-lib, “Woah.” For three minutes that single word punctuates bars and provides stabs of momentum, as if Baby is simultaneously acting as his own hypeman. “None of you guys get fly as me, woah,” he raps across the chorus. “Post my drip up daily just so they can see, woah/, turn me up some more so my haters can hear it, woah.”
Produced by Quality Control producer Quay Global, “Woah” is built on a bed of heavy hitting 808s and suspenseful piano, which provides Baby with a canvas to sing and stretch his vocals as he describes how far he’s come since embarking on a full-time rap career only two years ago: “Brand new car is noisy, come through and it’s roarin’/See me and get nervous, I damn near did it perfect, work hard and determine, it’s safe to say I earned it, woah.”
“Woah” seemed destined to become a hit from the moment Baby teased the song a week before its release. It’s currently Number One on the Rolling Stone Top 100 Songs with 17.9 million streams. The song’s namesake was likely inspired by the popular viral dance made famous by Houston rapper/dancer 10k Cash.