Rising Detroit rap star Skilla Baby returns to his fan-favorite Crack Music mixtape series with CM3, out today via Geffen Records. The 16-track set comes packed with menacing beats, quotable bars, and select guests including 4batz, Toosii, Tee Grizzley, and Hunxho. Listen HERE.
Skilla Baby comes in hot on opener “Donovan Mcnabb.” After an intro calls out haters for falsely claiming “Skilla ain’t in the streets, Skilla only makes girl music,” he makes it clear that he’s out for blood and money: “AYE! A hundred thousand every week, I’m in my bag / Richer then I ever f—-g been, that’s probably why they mad.” His voice is raw, the production is booming, and his lines hit with hard punchlines and heavy truths
CM3 thrives in this space, as Hunxho pops in to flex alongside Skilla Baby on the victorious “Can’t Afford It,” and 4Batz joins in to celebrate loyal ladies on the previously released “So Bad” which included a mansion party video. Watch HERE. When Skilla Baby and Tee Grizzley reunite on “Controversy 2” (the sequel to their 2023 collab), their bar-for-bar chemistry makes the case for a new Detroit rap superduo. Watch the new gritty video HERE. Local star Peezy stacks up the 2Pac references on “Thug Life.”
“Sensual” stands out from the pack — a rare bedroom jam with ’90s vibes brought into the present by Toosii’s digitized melodic runs and Skilla Baby’s raw delivery. Whatever the mode CM3 has the sound to match, with beats from Skilla Baby go-to MIA JayC (42 Dugg, EST Gee, Big 30), GRAMMY®-nominated producers Bizness Boi (Lil Baby, 6LACK) and Dizzy Banko (Pop Smoke, Juelz Santana), plus a handful of others.
Skilla Baby previously teased CM3 with the release of “Jwett” which came with an accompanying videoshowcasing vignettes of Skilla’s rap star life. It finds him tallying up his various blessings to date — and he’s got plenty to be proud of in 2024 alone. Last month, he celebrated his birthday with a pair of hometown shows creative-directed by none other than artistic powerhouse Teyana Taylor. Guests included Sada Baby, Tee Grizzley, G Herbo, YTB Fatt, Bfb Da Packman, and more.
And in July, Skilla Baby expanded his breakout mixtape The Coldest with a Deluxe Edition that included new songs like “Booby Trap on the River” featuring BossMan Dlow. The video for the latter continues a trend of Skilla Baby dropping stunning visuals, including for “Project X (G6),” “Misfit,” “Bulletproof,” and “Free Big Meech.” The Coldest crossed over 100 million streams just ahead of the deluxe release.
Around that time, Skilla Baby scored the coveted fan-voted “People’s Champ” slot on the XXL 2024 Freshman Class cover. He also wrapped the successful co-headlining Vultures Eat The Most Tour with Rob49, picked up a BET Hip Hop Awards nomination for “Best Breakthrough Hip Hop Artist,” and racked up press plugs from the likes of People, Associated Press, Galore, Billboard, Stereogum, Rolling Out (cover story), and more.
Fans and peers alike are fueling Skilla Baby’s rise. To date, he has amassed nearly 400 million streams across platforms. He has also notched major co-signs from the likes of Big Sean, Jack Harlow, Southside, Coi Leray, City Girls, Rylo Rodriguez, Luh Tyler, and others. CM3 is another step toward cementing his growing legacy.
CM3 tracklist
1. Donovan Mcnabb
2. Craxk Baby
3. Jwett
4. Fight Club
5. Dice Music
6. Can’t Afford It (feat. Hunxho)
7. Private Island
8. Sensual (feat. Toosii)
9. So Bad Ft 4Batz
10. Acting different
11. Controversy 2 (feat. Tee Grizzley)
12. All The Time
13. Boss Shit
14. For A Check
15. Thug Life (feat. Peezy)
16. In A Minute
