Suge

Album: Baby on Baby (2019)
Charted: 7
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Jonathan Kirk is a rapper from Charlotte, North Carolina who records under the name of DaBaby. Following the success of his Baby Talk mixtape series, he signed with Interscope Records in 2019. This track from the rapper's debut studio album Baby on Baby is his breakout hit.
  • The title of this booming song references Marion "Suge" Knight, the imposing founder of the defunct Death Row Records.

    I'm a young CEO, Suge
    Yeah, yeah


    Suge Knight became the CEO of Death Row in 1991 when he was just 26 years old. During the 1990s Death Row dominated the rap charts with its roster of artists, which included Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, and Snoop Dogg. Much like Knight, DaBaby is a young CEO of a record label. In 2017, he founded Billion Dollar Baby whose first signing was frequent collaborator Stunna4Vegas.
  • The rest of the song finds DaBaby free associating about a litany of topics including smelling good ("She like how I smell, cologne"), threatening haters ("You disrespect me and I'll beat your ass up") and boasts about his riches ("Got like thirty-two thousand in one of my pockets"). He even talks about being a mailman ("Pack in the mail, it's gone")
  • Filmed with DaBaby's production team, the Reel Goats, the lighthearted video pokes fun at Suge Knight's harsh reputation as the Charlotte rapper plays a label boss. Da Baby also uses the line "pack in the mail" to become a postman.

    The office scene was filmed at DaBaby's real office, which he rents in Charlotte.
  • The song was produced by Atlanta beatmaker Jetsonmade, known for making instrumentals for the likes of 21 Savage ("Slime") and Lil Wayne ("Eureka"). Jetsonmade told Genius his objective was to make "a simple banger" for DaBaby which would cater to the rapper's fans.
  • Speaking with The Breakfast Club, DaBaby revealed that he and Jetsonmade made the song in around 10 to 15 minutes.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Lajon Witherspoon of Sevendust

Lajon Witherspoon of SevendustSongwriter Interviews

The Sevendust frontman talks about the group's songwriting process, and how trips to the Murder Bar helped forge their latest album.

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

Steven Tyler of AerosmithSongwriter Interviews

Tyler talks about his true love: songwriting. How he identifies the beauty in a melody and turns sorrow into art.

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

Justin Timberlake

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?

80s Music Quiz 1

80s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

MTV, a popular TV theme song and Madonna all show up in this '80s music quiz.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.