Rapper and producer Baby Keem was once at the peak of the hip-hop scene. His debut studio album “Melodic Blue” was a hit, drawing in features such as Lil Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, Don Toliver and Brent Faiyaz. “Family Ties,” a song from “Melodic Blue” was both a commercial and critical hit, earning Keem and his cousin Kendrick Lamar a Grammy for Best Rap Performance. Critics saw it as a big step up from the rest of his discography, and many fans were anticipating more albums in response. Keem, however, took a break from writing and went dormant in 2022. Earlier this month, Keem announced the release of his second studio album, “Ca$ino,” to be released Feb. 20. Keem promoted the album in many ways. He first released three documentaries, “Booman I,” “Booman II” and “Booman III,” co-directed by his aunt LaConnie Govan, showcasing his early years and giving insight on his childhood struggles. The night of the album’s release, Keem streamed a watch party on his YouTube channel, where he played the songs for a live audience, as well as announcing a 36-stop tour across the United States and Europe, including Minnesota’s own Armory.
From the documentary, it was apparent that this album would be diving deeper into his childhood struggles. While Keem lived his early life in Long Beach, he spent the majority of his time with his grandmother in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas connection is well displayed in the album. The title “Ca$ino” is an obvious nod to the infamous Las Vegas Strip. Throughout the album, sound bits of roulette tables spinning and coin slots play between verses. The gambling theme is likely in relation to how Keem grew up as a child, living in risky conditions and high-stakes scenarios. It is impossible to listen to the album and not realize the casino references.
Keem begins the album with “No Security,” a spoken-word type sound that can be heard in his previous works like “Trademark USA” and “Scapegoats” from “The Melodic Blue.” It is clear that Keem likes this style of song as he revisits it later in the album with “I am not a Lyricist.” In this song, Keem dives deeper into his troubled past. He talks about the lack of connection with his mother, the dangerous community he grew up in and the various endeavors that Las Vegas fosters, and how they affected his life. Keem says, “I am not a lyricist, couldn’t move mountains, so I aimed for the pyramids.” He recognizes that his songs aren’t filled with a deeper meaning like his cousin Lamar’s might be, but that he still aims to create a lasting legacy within the industry. Many fans pointed out the similarity in Keem’s tone and delivery to rap legend André 3000, which I found to be easily recognizable.
Another aspect of Las Vegas that can be illustrated by this album is the adult entertainment industry and its effect on Keem. “Birds & the Bees” showcases his lover-filled lifestyle and the rapid. “$ex Appeal” shows how his adult entertainment lifestyle follows him even when he’s not in Nevada. In “Good Flirts,” the song featuring Lamar, he talks about a partner who returns to his life, saying,”You used to call my phone on a Friday night. It’s been over twice, it’s been over, we’ve been over.” Keem’s verse talks about the struggles of the relationship in how the expectations may have been different between the two. While the vocals of Momo Boyd are a beautiful addition to the song, Lamar’s verse is far from one of his best. One of the biggest issues with this album was its lack of features. In “The Melodic Blue” Keem included seven artists, all of which had popular and deep discographies themselves. On “Ca$ino,” Keem only has four features, with one of them being Lamar. The other three are artists who don’t have as well-established careers. While their features aren’t bad, it still feels like a big step down from his previous work.
The production on the album is remarkable. This is no surprise, as Keem is the man behind some of modern-day rap’s biggest hits in “Family Ties” and “N95,” a hit from Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.” Keem has creative and innovative beats on nearly every song on the album. Whether it’s the static sound in the title track “Ca$ino” the whistling on “House Money,” or the horns on his high-energy “Circus Circus Free$tyle.” All three songs echo the sounds of his hits, with their fast-paced bars and upbeat instrumentals. The two characteristics of this album seem to be familial struggle and euphoria, which come together best in “Highway 95 pt. 2”. A sequel to “Highway 95,” Keem wrestles with the emotions he felt as a kid. He sings, “Runaway child, sleepin’ under highways.” His upbringing and unsafe household seem to have left a lasting effect on him. Later in the song, he says perhaps his deepest bar of the whole album in, “I wake up as a burden, I’m the kid that no one wanted.” The lack of a true home and lack of maternal love has left Keem feeling disconnected. This idea of estrangement is a constant throughout the album.
When reviewing this album, I couldn’t help but compare it to his previous work, mainly “The Melodic Blue.” His debut album had smashed expectations and set the bar high for Keem, and I constantly thought about how similar or different “Ca$ino” was to its predecessor. When put next to “The Melodic Blue,” the album doesn’t smash the expectations. But it was when I stopped thinking about his prior work that I realized the album is equally impressive. This album won’t create a shift in Keem’s career because it doesn’t need to. He already has. His ability to storytell but also create quality songs is incredibly advanced for a young artist. The 11-track, 36-minute “Ca$ino” accomplished what “The Melodic Blue” did, with 15 fewer tracks and 44 fewer minutes. This album only has me wondering what Keem will look to accomplish next, even if I have to wait another half-dozen years.
“Ca$ino:” ★★★★★
