The story behind DaBaby's Cybertruck cover in Charlotte's Camp North End
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"HOW TF IS THIS A MIXTAPE" is 14 tracks with no features. Photo: Jonathan Kilumbu
DaBaby dropped his new mixtape "HOW TF IS THIS A MIXTAPE" Friday — and you may recognize where the cover was taken. The Charlotte rapper is posing on a Cybertruck at Camp North End.
Why it matters: DaBaby continues to shine a spotlight on Charlotte — not just its places, but its people, too. His photographer is 28-year-old Charlottean Jonathan Kilumbu, also known as Jodamann.
What they did: Jodamann tells me the photo for the 14-track project was taken on a spontaneous day last month. DaBaby called and said he had to turn in the cover soon. All in, Jodamann told DaBaby to pull up to his new studio on North Graham Street.
- The spot isn't far from Camp North End, a former missile assembly plant turned into a hot district of restaurants and offices. It's striking for photographs, with vegetation growing over train tracks and old warehouses.
- The two ventured over there. DaBaby drove his Cybertruck, and they started shooting with it, for no real reason other than they thought it looked cool. Then, Jodamann turned and noticed DaBaby's other car, which the rapper's assistant had driven there.
- "I seen the Rolls-Royce sitting by itself, and the way it was sitting in the sun. And I said, 'Bro, this is where we have to do the shoot,'" Jodamann says.
- "We started taking photos right there, and it looks so good, and that's just how it came out. Literally just on-the-go creating," Jodamann says. "We just took my camera out and took the photos like we always do."
Flashback: Jodamann and DaBaby met a few years ago when Jodamann took behind-the-scenes photos on the shoot for "WIG." Jodamann captured hundreds of images of DaBaby that day, and the two hit it off. Two days later, DaBaby called Jodamann and asked if he would go somewhere with him.
- "I said, 'Nigeria? When?' He was like, 'Tomorrow.' And I was like, 'Let's go.'"
- Jodamann shot on the set of DaBaby and Davido's "Showing Off Her Body" music video, which showcases a party in the Nigerian streets. They've traveled together ever since, capturing every moment.
- Jodamann's photographs ended up as covers on "Baby on Baby 2," the EP "LET'S DO IT" and "GHETTO SUPERSTAR (THE INTRO)."
- "I look at it like, Shaq and Kobe. They just work great together. And that's just what it was with me and DaBaby," he says.
Fun fact: After the shoot at Camp North End, they had many photos to choose from. DaBaby sometimes plays music as he scrolls through the images to make selections, Jodamann tells me.
- "I think that one just stuck out the most to him," he says.
What they're saying: The cover has since gotten the attention of Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO reposted it on X with two fire emojis.
- Tesho Akindele, who works on Camp North End's development team, shared on X that the building in the photograph is being torn down soon to make way for a second multi-housing project.
- It's the only large building to be demolished there instead of repurposed since it's made of wood.
