Big Baby Gandhi
Big Baby Gandhi | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Nafis |
| Born | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Origin | Flushing, Queens, New York[1] |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Greedhead, 411 Records |
| Website | bigbabygandhi |
Nafis, known by his stage name Big Baby Gandhi, is a Bangladesh-born American rapper from Queens, New York.[1][2] His first mixtape, Big Fucking Baby, was released in 2011 to highly positive reception from music critics. As a result of the attention he got from his first mixtape, Gandhi was signed to Greedhead Music, on which he released his second mixtape, No1 2 Look Up 2, in 2012.[3] Artists featured on No1 2 Look Up 2 include Das Racist (on "Blue Magic"),[4] and Fat Tony (on "Lurkin'").[5] In early 2013, he posted on his Tumblr that he would retire from making rap music after 2013.[6] On December 6, 2013, he released his first full-length album, Debut.[7] Big Baby Gandhi came out of retirement in 2017 with his release 27 and proceeded to drop various loose tracks since. In 2019 Big Baby Gandhi released a studio album We Live In A Society with features from Mr. MFN eXquire and Victor Freeze.
Critical reception
[edit]Robert Christgau has given A− grades to both of Gandhi's mixtapes. Of Big Fucking Baby, he wrote, "The flow seems effortlessly idiomatic, only not South Asian idiomatic, whatever that would sound like besides Heems."[8] In his review of No1 2 Look Up 2, Jacob Moore wrote that Gandhi's "pop culture references and choice of content falls in line with the style of Das Racist, but he favors an intense delivery more similar to Danny Brown than Heems or Kool A.D.".[9] Pitchfork Media's Ian Cohen was less favorable in his review of NO1 2 LOOK UP 2, which he gave a 5.5 out of 10 rating. Cohen wrote that on the album, "Gandhi mostly steamrolls his predecessors' idiosyncrasies by making his delivery louder, and more awkward," and that the album "works best when he drops the implausible pose as a hip-hop savior and raps as himself."[10]
Discography
[edit]Mixtapes
[edit]- Big Fucking Baby (self-released, 2011)
- No1 2 Look Up 2 (Greedhead, 2012)
- 27 (411 Records, 2017)
Studio albums
[edit]- Debut (Crack Diamonds Entertainment, 2013)
- We Live In A Society (U Don't Deserve This Beautiful Art & 411 Records, 2019)
References
[edit]- ^ a b Staff (7 May 2012). "The Break Presents: Big Baby Gandhi". XXL Magazine. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ Brown, Emma (24 May 2012). "Discovery: Big Baby Gandhi". Interview. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ Jewell, Sean (13 January 2014). "Wish I Was Illuminati: Talking To Big Baby Gandhi About DEBUT". The Stranger. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ Lobenfeld, Claire (1 March 2012). "Big Baby Gandhi f. Das Racist, "Blue Magic" MP3". The Fader. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ Mlynar, Phillip (2 April 2012). "Hive Five: Need-to-Know New York Rap Tracks". MTV News. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ Meara, Paul (5 January 2013). "Big Baby Gandhi Retires from Rap". Complex. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ Jnelliott (3 December 2013). "Big Baby Gandhi Debuts His First Video From His Last Album". The Source. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Big Baby Gandhi". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ Moore, Jacob (30 March 2012). "Mixtape: Big Baby Gandhi "NO1 2 LOOK UP 2"". Complex. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ Cohen, Ian (11 April 2012). "No1 2 Look Up 2 Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 28 May 2017.