Baybro on growth, discipline, and the soundtrack of getting his life together

FLINT, Michigan — On a late-summer afternoon in downtown Flint, the air inside Café Rhema buzzed with conversations and caffeine as music artist Baybro settled into his seat across from me. The veteran artist arrived wearing a golden wave cap, a gray sweatshirt, black joggers, and Nike sneakers—a look that was both casual and deliberate, reflective of a man rooted in everyday realities but preparing for a new chapter. 

For Baybro, this new chapter carried weight: his new album, …and Then There’s Me, is set to release on September 1st. And for me, the conversation marked a return to an artist I’d interviewed years ago, one whose discipline, setbacks, and self-discovery have since reshaped.

When I asked how life had been treating him since our last conversation, Baybro explained that the past few years had been about focus and growth. He has worked to align his health and personal habits with his music, carving out time to observe the world more intentionally, to learn from different places, and to expand his creative palette. Over the past couple of years, that focus has translated into physical change as well—he has lost weight and developed a more disciplined mindset through fasting, exercise, and healthier choices.

“At first I was like, man, I gotta lose weight,” he expressed. “But then I started treating it like discipline. Once I started cutting off certain things, I realized—if I could do this, I could damn near do anything.”

The shift wasn’t just about body image. Fasting, in particular, became a spiritual practice for him—a way of clearing his mind, regaining focus, and sustaining the energy needed to perform on stage. Still, discipline often comes through trial by fire as Baybro recalled a recent performance in which, despite knowing his lyrics, he couldn’t connect and his confidence slipped. He admitted with a pensive look that he had left the stage embarrassed.

“It wasn’t that I forgot my words. I just wasn’t feeling it. And when you can feel the crowd getting away from you, that sh*t hurts. Now I rehearse, even when I don’t have shows,” he said, adding that friends held him accountable and peers kept it real. “Flint will keep it real with you. They’ll let you know if you’re not doing your thing. And I love that, because it means they believe in you enough to expect better.”

For him, Flint’s culture of tough love has been a blessing: supportive enough to encourage him, but honest enough to call out his mistakes. He described that moment of falling short as “failing in a controlled environment,” one that ultimately strengthened him rather than broke him.

His new album reflects those lessons. “Getting my sh*t together,” as he put it, isn’t only about music. It’s about navigating relationships, finances, and self-growth. “I’m learning patience, learning how to give grace, and learning to accept grace too,” he expressed about his current relationship that also has seen him learn the importance of communication—all skills he admits didn’t come naturally at first. 

Financially, he has worked to resist outside pressures and spend more intentionally. He explains that “for me, financial literacy is about learning how to keep money—knowing where it’s going. Saying no sometimes. And not letting other people dictate how you spend it.” Now, he budgets carefully, setting aside funds for studio time, videos, and other essentials.

Those themes—love, discipline, money, and self-awareness—run through …and Then There’s Me. The album, structured like a sitcom, progresses through various stages of immaturity, struggle, and eventual self-awareness. It doesn’t resolve with a neat ending but instead offers a summary, leaving the story open for what comes next.

“I wanted to create something that showed the years of me trying to figure it out—relationships, finances, self-discipline—and put all of that into one story. It’s not a happy ending, it’s not even a real ending. It’s just me being honest about the process of getting my sh*t together.”

Musically, Baybro takes risks. Instead of sticking to the raw, hard-edged rap Flint is often known for, he leaned into smoother beats with neo-soul inflections, allowing his conversational lyrics to breathe naturally. “I wanted enough space in the beats so you could hear what I was saying,” he explained, emphasizing that he wanted listeners to follow the story, not just nod along to the rhythm.

Collaboration is another key piece of the project. Flint peers like Alpha Drew, Jeff Skigh, GS tha DreaM, and Nyota make appearances, but one of the most surprising cameos is comedian Cheese Stixx. Baybro hadn’t initially planned for him to be involved, but after seeing him at an event, inspiration struck. “Cheese wasn’t an original idea,” he said with a laugh. “But I knew I needed a third skit. He came to the studio, freestyled it, and it just clicked.”

That blending of comedy and hip hop, he noted, draws from a long tradition. “Comedians and rappers—it’s always been a thing. And I wanted to bring that back in a new way.”

Experimenting with neo-soul sounds was a risk, but one that Baybro felt compelled to take. He described learning not to limit his inspirations, treating even a random night at a jazz club as an opportunity to soak in ideas. “I wanted people to know this was different without me saying it. So I named it …and Then There’s Me. It’s me separating myself, making a statement.”

As our conversation wound down in the café, success for Baybro isn’t defined by fame or fortune. Instead, it’s about being a source of value for his family and friends, about creating opportunities for those around him, and about growing while staying humble and spiritually grounded.

“Success looks like my family seeing me as a valuable source, like I can present opportunities to people I care about. It looks like being in a position to grow, to stay humble, to never forget God. Financially, success is being able to do that while living comfortably. Success for me is success for all of us—for my team, my brotherhood.”

But before leaving, I had to ask one final question: did he feel like he had his sh*t together yet? He chuckled, shook his head, and admitted he’s still a work in progress.

“Nah, I’m still processing. Even when I get more money, more knowledge, I’ll still feel like I’m figuring it out. And that’s okay. That’s what keeps me learning.”

Like the album’s arc, his story isn’t neatly wrapped. It’s unfolding—in discipline, in community, in love, and in sound. And for Flint, that unfolding might just be the most potent part of his music yet.

Find Baybro on Facebook and Instagram. His new album ‘…and Then There’s Me,’ drops Sept. 1st.