Lil Baby‘s new album, It’s Only Me, is out now, and with perfect timing, the Atlanta star stopped by 30 Rock in New York to share a performance of “Russian Roulette” on The Tonight Show. The stripped-down performance found Baby sitting on a stool like a true troubadour as his band embellished the Flex On The Beat & Saj-produced instrumental. The set highlighted Baby’s growth as a performer in the past few years; as he’s gained popularity, he’s also gained confidence, becoming a more charismatic presence on stage by several orders of magnitude than when he started.
However, Lil Baby has been receiving increased attention surrounding his new album for a different reason than his improved stage presence. His rollout happened to coincide with that of Quavo and Takeoff’s new album, Only Built For Infinity Links, which saw Baby potentially pitted against his labelmates when Quavo’s verse on “Messy” evoked an old rumor about Baby dating Quavo’s ex, Saweetie. While Baby previously denied that there was anything serious, fans are convinced that “Messy” contains a shot at the rising star. Meanwhile, on the It’s Only Me track “Stand On It,” Baby’s own lyrics seem to offer a response to Quavo’s suggestion that the two rappers “swap it out,” stoking speculation that the QC holiday party might end up more “tense” than “jolly” this winter.
You can watch Lil Baby’s performance above.