Dababys Life Before Fame

 Since J.Cole, Dababy is likely the most famous person to emerge from North Carolina.

Dababy's career has truly been unlike any other, overshadowed by past controversies getting checked by cloud chasers and of course going viral for walking around in a diaper. Dababy has amassed over 45 million monthly listeners on Spotify, 8 million Twitter followers, 6.3 million YouTube subscribers, and 18 million followers on Instagram. He once showed his support for the black lives matter movement, and is known for walking around in a diaper.

Dababy has managed to rise to the top of the rap game, with multiple songs and albums topping the charts, despite all the drama and hostility he has had to deal with.

However, it wasn't always simple for the dynamic rapper from Charlotte whose videos also caught the attention of the entire world. It required a great deal of effort, commitment, hustle, and confidence and Dababy is overflowing with it.

Jonathan Lynn Dale Kirk, better known as Dababy, was born on December 22, 1991 in Cleveland, Ohio, although he would grow up and make Charlotte, North Carolina, his home. Kirk, the youngest brother in a family with two elder brothers, was raised by his mother, a financial professional, starting at the age of six. In the army, his father would be deployed while serving his nation.

Although they didn't see each other as frequently as Kirk and his mother did, the North Carolina rapper still maintained a good bond with his father and continued to spend time with him during the summers. In addition to this, Dababy remembered how his mother would cash the child support payments into cash in order to give him money to flex on.

Since he was five years old, Dababy has known he won't have the typical nine-to-five job but truly wants to find something that will bring him a lot of money, millions of dollars, so he can live the lifestyle he presently lives. 

Dababy, however, was determined and had a strong work ethic, which allowed him to begin grinding at a young age. But before ruling the rap world, Dababy hustled and grinded his way through the streets. He would really start to secure the bag when he was 17 years old, and it wouldn't take long before he began to experience real success. He stated that he had already achieved success with the things he was doing on the streets in an interview with XXL from 20-17. He went on to claim that although he had a few foreign automobiles and lived in a condo in downtown, he truly got tired with it.

Despite having graduated from Vance High School in North Carolina, Dababy spent two years studying there before leaving. However, it seems that he never intended to stay for very long because he told the Guardian that he never majored in marketing and has always just been a hustler. He added that he simply attended college for his parents and that he didn't even choose his degree in college.

However, he acknowledges that attending a school with a majority of white students forced him to mature, particularly because he felt out of place. He claimed that it put him in a unique setting.

He doesn't talk much about his life before rap and after school, but he did have his share of legal troubles, including driving with a suspended license and using drugs. Before his professional career took off On June 15th, 2013, Dababy was found with a concealed handgun and half an ounce of marijuana. He was freed after posting a $500 bond. 

Dababy would next sell his cars and condo in December 2014, betting again on himself to succeed this time. He was trying his hand at XRafi when he recorded his first mixtape, Nonfiction, after using the proceeds from selling his stuff for studio time. 

However, Kirk used to go under a different rap alias before becoming Dababy. His initial alias, Baby Jesus, would also serve as his first song as a rapper. It wouldn't take long for Dababy to discover a sound unlike any other with influences like Eminem, Kanye West, 50 Cent, and Lil Wayne. With just a few Instagram posts as promotion, the song, Baby Jesus would be streamed over 10,000 times in the first 48 hours. 

After Nira heard Dababy's songs online and invited him onstage, he quickly found himself performing at South by Southwest. During his performance, Dababy met one of the three Rio goats directors responsible for creating his outrageously entertaining music videos. However, Dababy, who at the time was still known as Baby Jesus, needed some time and had a lot more work ahead of him.

Before he would become successful without a real team, Kirk had to do it all by himself. By that I mean he had some assistance from his elder brothers who would be out on the corner promoting, whether that meant hanging up posters, giving out flyers or CDs, or anything else they could do to support their boy. It appears that their efforts have paid off, as Dababy is doing well for himself.

However, Dababy would really need to work and put a ton of effort into his marketing before he started generating all his money. On May 25, 2015, he posted his debut YouTube video, a freestyle titled "no compadre" under the moniker Baby Jesus. Dababy later released the Carolina Panthers anthem that same year. It wouldn't take long for sites like WorldStarHipHop to pick up the video because of the catchy music and humorous imagery, accelerating Dababy's ascent to fame.

After releasing "so disrespectful" in September 2015 and "the 10 minute mixtape" in November of the same year, two additional mixtapes were released. After paying Lil boozy a significant sum of money, Dababy would start performing locally, becoming more at ease on stage and building his brand independently. This would eventually result in a brief tour in 2016.

Dababy released two more recordings in the same year, God's Work and God's Work Resurrected, but things wouldn't really pick up until he linked up with Arnold Taylor of the South Coast Music Group label.

Taylor, a well-known burrito promoter, not only assisted Dababy in getting some airtime but also significantly advanced his career. Around this time, Dababy also stopped calling himself Jesus.

Dababy, as we all know, always put a strong emphasis on marketing. So it comes as no surprise that he did something at South by Southwest 2017 that made people speak. A mature man strolling around in a diaper is typically not a good look, but it seems Dababy managed to pull it off and later became famous for acting like a real baby.

In that one year alone, Dababy released six mixtapes, including Baby Talk, 1 through 4 Billion, Dollar Baby, and Back on My Baby Jesus. But don't misunderstand; this diaper thingwas done by chance. Dababy is a calculated individual who understood what aided in the expansion of his brand.

As the years passed, Dababy and his group would continue establishing the foundation that would eventually make him one of the most well-known figures in the industry. 2018 saw him release Baby Talk 5 in June. But the baby wouldn't release Blank Blank—his final mixtape, which was actually distributed by Rock Nation—until November of 2018.

The distribution of Dababy's tape was almost the subject of a deal between his label and Jay- Z's, but it fell through at the last minute.

Unfortunately for the baby, people would not only talk about him that month because of his tape blank blank. In fact, it appears that an incident at a Walmart overshadowed not only his tape but also a significant portion of his career. Despite a few rumors surrounding the incident, Dababy insists that he shot the man in self-defense. Jaelyn Dominique Craig, a 19-year-old guy, was fatally shot after allegedly running up to Dababy in the fruit aisle. One count of concealing a weapon would be brought against Dababy. The misdemeanor was, however, dismissed after a crucial witness skipped court. The family of Craig then campaigned for a new trial, which resulted in Dababy receiving a probationary term of one year. He clarified things on Instagram, though.

With all the controversy Dababy found himself in, you'd think he'd have trouble getting signed, but the guy's charismatic ways and undeniable talent actually led to a bidding war to break out among a few labels looking to secure the rap games next big thing. It seems 2019 would really be Dababy's biggest year after he would eventually sign with Interscope Records, landing a seven-figure deal. Additionally, his album Baby on Baby was released. It debuted at number 25 on the US Billboard 200 Album Charts and included artists like Offset, Rich Homie Quan, and Rich the Kid. 

His song "should would" also made its Billboard chart debut at number 87, but by June, it had reached the top 10. The same year, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Rich, and Blue Face, to mention a few, would all be featured on the XXL freshmen class, and Dababy would be as well.

Along with releasing his debut album, Dababy also collaborated with Megan thee Stallion on Cash Shit and Quality Control's "baby," as well as the dreamville Records tune, Under the Sun.

Kirk, Dababy's second studio album, was set for release on September 27th and debuted at the top of the US Billboard charts on August 20th, 1901. He would also participate in remixes of songs by YG, Future, Liz Oh, and Life's Good in addition to being a featured artist on Post Malone's Enemies. These songs were all top hits, and Dababy ended the year with 22 appearances on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Unfortunately, popularity attracts clout chasers. Dababy won this one in the end. Since Dababy has a reputation for fighting back, I believe it is safe to state that you shouldn't check him.

Once again, Dababy would encounter legal complications in the 2020 match. Dababy spent around 48 hours in jail in the beginning of 2020 after members of his gang are said to have jumped a promoter. The promoter attempted to pay Dababy only $20,000 of the $30,000. This is the story here. This resulted in the promoter being robbed by Dababy and his team, who got away with over 80,000 in cash, an iPhone 7, and credit cards.

Another time, when a fan went a bit too close to Dababy during his up-close-and-personal tour, Dababy actually struck the person. It turns out that Dababy slapped a woman, which disappointed the audience and caused Dababy to leave the stage without singing.

Then he would express regret on Instagram. Yet again, though, Dababy's career would continue to advance despite these issues. He would still be nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2020 despite everything that has occurred. 

Each for the best rap song and the best rap performance, respectively. Even though he didn't win the prizes, just getting nominated is a significant accomplishment. However, Dababy would announce the release of his album, Blame It On Baby, on April 13. 

This album features the song Rockstar with Roddy Ricch, which recently peaked at number one on the Billboard charts in both the US and the UK. It also debuted at the top of the Billboard charts.

Dababy posted a video on Instagram to let his followers know that despite his hectic schedule, he supports the black lives matter cause.