Lil Baby Opens Up His Creative Process With Pharrell and Popcast
Lil Baby is changing how he makes music. In his October 30th Popcast conversation with Joe Coscarelli and Jon Caramanica, the Atlanta rapper describes a growing willingness to work directly with producers and try collaborations beyond his familiar circle. The revealing detail is practical: he is learning to accept a creative assignment instead of always choosing the beat himself.
Asked about Pharrell Williams and “Dead Fresh,” Baby says his management encouraged them to make music together. The two already had a personal relationship, but that did not automatically translate into a finished song. This time, Pharrell sent two beats, and Baby committed to working on both rather than sorting through a larger selection.
A different way into the studio
Baby says he began both tracks the same day, then took longer to finish “Dead Fresh.” Pharrell kept following up. He also makes a useful distinction: they did not initially record the song together in the same studio. Their in-person session came afterward. Universal Music’s original announcement confirms Pharrell’s production credit on the single.
The broader change goes beyond that one collaboration. Baby says he has now worked with producers in the room several times during the current album process. Having his own studio, and enough space to make collaborators comfortable, has helped him become more receptive to that approach. He presents the shift as a new opportunity rather than a rejection of the methods that established his career.
Listen to the full context
Popcast’s conversation also explores autobiographical writing, the demands of success and the energy artists share even when they record separately. The creative-process discussion begins around the 13-minute mark, with the Pharrell exchange arriving shortly afterward. Watch the original interview below for the full explanation.
Fresh is scheduled for November 6th. For listeners awaiting the album, the interview offers a specific question to carry into it: how will a more collaborative working routine shape the music? That answer will come from the finished recordings, not from treating a change in process as a guaranteed result.
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