2025 got off to a hot start, as two superstars in their respective fields took very different approaches to their new albums this year. Now, Lil Baby and Bad Bunny are poised to compete for the No. 1 position on the Billboard 200 albums chart, thus crowning only one of them as the new year’s first chart-topper. In Wham’s case, his new LP is… Well, WHAM, and it’s got a lot of new material that his fans have been waiting for ever since his last project, 2022’s It’s Only Me. Baby built a lot of promo hype before this Friday drop, gave Young Thug his first post-prison release verse, and included other big collabs with the likes of 21 Savage and Travis Scott.
As for Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican reggaetón legend dropped DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (“I Should’ve Taken More Pictures”) just a couple of hours ago at press time. It’s a touching, fun, and passionate tribute to all of the archipelago’s rich musical heritage from African, Caribbean, and Latin American culture, particularly emphasizing Puerto Rico’s unique identity and contributions while proving a lot of sociocultural and political commentary. Also, fellow Boricua creatives Chuwi, RaiNao, Omar Courtz, Los Pleneros De La Cresta, and Dei V join in on the action.
Lil Baby & Bad Bunny In A Race For Number One
We know that numbers don’t really matter and that Lil Baby and Bad Bunny’s pride in their respective albums is so much more important. Still, this is a particularly interesting chart battle because it’s honestly near impossible to compare both releases. Baby dropped on a Friday for a full tracking week and a deluxe coming out soon, whereas Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio dropped on a Sunday (Three Kings Day Eve) with a shortened tracking week, a longer tracklist, and a larger fanbase. As such, this could really go either way, and both artists should receive their due flowers for these accomplishments.
Most importantly, props to both Lil Baby and Bad Bunny for starting 2025 on a hot note, dropping these quality records, and for not being afraid to hit the ground running. Whether you’re bumping “Dum, Dumb And Dumber” or “PIToRRO DE COCO,” these new year’s treats are pretty awesome.
About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case.
Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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