What used to be a staple of pop music — the rapper/pop star collaboration — is basically dead. However, Lil Baby is willing to do his part to have the sector be revitalized.
Baby sat down with The New York Times’ Popcast on Thursday for an extensive conversation, which spilled into his aspirations to try stepping outside of his comfort zone for a glossy collaboration with a pop star like Sabrina Carpenter.
“I’m still in that box a little bit, but I’m more open to stepping out of the box,” he said. “The box is bigger. As I step out a little bit, the box gets bigger.
Baby continued: “Even a Sabrina Carpenter — just say, for instance, in my head, I don’t have a song on my hard drive to send to her. But if we sit there and create something, or she sends me something, I feel like I could make it work.”
Pop star/rapper collaborations have become a rarity. Camila Cabello has been attempting to keep the crossover team-ups alive. The former Fifth Harmony singer recruited Drake for “Hot Uptown” and “Uuugly,” while also joining forces with Playboi Carti for “I Luv It” (No. 81 Billboard Hot 100 peak). All three were released in 2024 and landed on her C,XOXO album, which debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200.
Dua Lipa enlisted DaBaby for the dynamic “Levitating” remix in 2020, which dominated commercially, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021.
Sabrina Carpenter does actually have a rap collab under her belt, clashing with Saweetie for “I Can’t Stop Me,” which landed on SC’s Singular Act II project in 2019.
As for Lil Baby, he doesn’t have Sabrina or any pop stars on his upcoming Fresh album, which is set to arrive on Nov. 6. Fans of the 4PF rapper can expect guest appearances from Future, Young Thug and Rylo Rodriguez.
Watch the full Lil Baby Popcast interview below.