Checking in with Detroit rapper Sada Baby

Over the past two years, few Detroit artists have risen as fast as Sada Baby. Born Casada Sorrell, the rapper hails from the east side of Detroit and is known for his energetic stage presence and penchant for dance moves. His current hit "Bloxk Party," released in March, has received more than 34 million views on YouTube and is a mainstay on Detroit radio. We caught up with the 26-year-old rapper to learn more ahead of his new mixtape, Bartier Bounty, which drops on Friday.

Metro Times: What makes the east side of Detroit different from any other place in the world?

Sada Baby: The way we talk. I feel like east side people are real. East side guys for sure, we share a lot of stuff, we're for each other, you know what I'm saying? I feel like we'll never go against the east side for another part of the city. We're so proud of just being from there no matter how bad it is or how rugged it is — we just love it to death.

MT: Word is you're pretty good on the basketball court.

Sada Baby: Yeah, I played in high school but I went to jail my senior year. I could have took it to college and D1. I still hoop too.

MT: What's your approach going into the studio? Do you have a game plan going in or do you just ride a wave of energy?

Sada Baby: Nothing is premeditated. The only thing that's premeditated is the beats. I don't hear them first but I just know who I'm getting the beats from. When I go to the studio, I load all the beats up and I catch a vibe. If I don't catch a vibe, I go to the next one.

MT: You hooked up with Tee Grizzley after he gave you a shoutout on the radio and said your cut "Stacey" was his favorite song. That was in 2016. How did that lead to you signing into the partnership with Asylum and Grizzley Gang?

Sada Baby: It happened organically. We didn't know each other at all, we just had that mutual respect for each other. It just made sense. He wanted to grab somebody out the city and now that he had the opportunity and the connections, we knew we was going to make it happen a year before it happened. We just wasn't talking about it publicly.

MT: An east side artist working with a west side artist is rare and awesome in Detroit. Do you feel like you've inspired other artists to do the same?

Sada Baby: Yes, the whole city, but we ain't goin' get the credit for it. It's all love. I want stuff to be different, it needs to be different. I'm into validating nothing we did. I want this to be way bigger than that. Everything I do or he do is trendsetting for the good.

MT: I heard the story about the high school students you took a picture with and put in one of your videos. What school was it and what video was it?

Sada Baby: It was Dossin, that was the school. The song was called, "Something 2 Say." The positive shit a nigga do is looked at and then looked away from. Nothing that I do is for validation. I do it because I want to do it.

MT: You opened for for Jay-Z and Beyoncé in August of last year. How was that experience?

Sada Baby: I didn't get a chance to meet the Carters, but at the same time I met DJ Khaled. Anytime I get myself out there in front of my city, it's a good thing.

MT: What's your favorite song to perform?

Sada Baby: "Pimp Named Drip Dat," 'cause the shit I say in the song and I like to see the crowd say it. I say a lot of ignorant shit in the song. It's a vibe right now, it's just my favorite song.

MT: You perform a very high energy set. You don't stop moving, you dance, and you have fun. How tired are you after a performance?

Sada Baby: Very. I'm very exhausted.

MT: You used to cook for a living. What was your best dish?

Sada Baby: My best dish was probably lobster alfredo or any type of pasta. I used to work at Joe Muer, the Harbor House, and Seldom Blues.

MT: What can people expect on your new mixtape Bartier Bounty?

Sada Baby: The same energy, but my vibe times 10. No song is going to be the same as the last one and no song is going to sound like any other from the last few projects.