Bay Swag Talks New ‘Damaged Thoughts’ Album

Key Takeaways

• The sexy drill sound is evolving, and Bay Swag is helping define its melodic edge.
• His viral hit “Fisherrr” with Cash Cobain marked a major boost in his buzz.
• Damaged Thoughts features Meek Mill, Quavo and Young Thug, and reflects Bay’s personal and musical growth.

Queens drill rapper Bay Swag is prepping for the release of his debut album, Damaged Thoughts, offering a glimpse into the tumult he’s endured on the way to Hip Hop stardom.

Bay Swag’s career really took off after appearing on Cash Cobain’s buttery-smooth 2024 hit “Fisherrr.” The duo seamlessly traded lines, and the viral hit help create a new subgenre called “sexy drill” in the process. The song made Bay a hot commodity, but you’d be mistaken to think he was new to the music industry.

In a Rolling Stone feature, Bay discussed his father’s influence on his career. His dad, Lloyd “Bay Lloyd” McKenzie, was a party promoter who worked with A Tribe Called Quest and Swizz Beatz, but has been incarcerated since 2017 — serving an 85-years to life sentence for a 2012 murder tied to a cocaine smuggling ring. He maintains his innocence, and Bay addressed the situation in his 2017 song “Saucin.”

Bay credits “Saucin” as the moment he decided to take his craft seriously — a shift that’s culminating in his debut album. “My thoughts were damaged a lot from just growing up, seeing the things I’ve seen,” Bay told Rolling Stone. “Just having to deal with so much hate and envy.”

The way Bay tells it, he’s long been a known name in the music industry. He’s part of Christian “King” Combs’ CYN collective and is on great terms with New York Hip-Hop legends like Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Jadakiss. With Damaged Thoughts he’s making his own way — but remains wary of the harsh realities that often lie beyond the glitzy side of the business. Case in point: the late PnB Rock, a friend who was murdered in 2022. His death was sobering.

“That f**ked me up,” Bay told Rolling Stone. “Being an artist is the most dangerous s**t in the world. You gotta post where you’re going to be… S**t crazy, bro.”

Plenty of eyes and ears will be on Damaged Thoughts, which is out July 25 via UnitedMasters. The album features from 42 Dugg, Sheff G, Quavo, Kyle Ricch, Young Thug and Meek Mill, who appears on the single “Seventeen.”