DaBaby

Born Jonathan Kirk in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1991, DaBaby relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, by the age of six. He began his musical journey in December 2014, adopting the moniker Baby Jesus and releasing his debut mixtape, NonFiction, the following month. His first live performance was at South by Southwest in the spring of 2015.

Kirk later changed his stage name to DaBaby, explaining the shift in the lyrics of "DaBaby (Intro)," featured on his 2016 mixtape God's Work Resurrected. This project included a guest appearance by Boosie Badazz and started to garner attention from both fans and fellow artists.