The Kid That Did

Calm, cool, and collected is the mode by which Babyface Ray operates, which explains why the Detroit veteran is peaking in his thirties. He’s been a star in his hometown for over a decade, but his 2022 debut album, *Face*, catapulted him to a new level of stardom. This doesn’t mean the stoic rapper has switched his style up since then: He’s a realist, not an entertainer, and his sweet spot counters opulence and drama with cold, hard facts. It’s the subtle details about what success really looks like that brings his fourth studio album, *The Kid That Did*, to life. “The more money that you got, the more you lose your peace,” he rasps on “Groupies & Goofies” between bars about firing the babysitters because his chain went missing and finding fans rifling through his trash. On “Shy Kid,” the former introvert lives large, balling out in London and paying the smoking fee upfront for the hotel’s swankiest corner suite. Ray’s international now, but it’s still Detroit versus everybody on highlights like Peezy collab “Ghetto Boyz” and “Wavy Navy University,” where he recruits Veeze for a clinic in understated opulence.