Jan. 3, 2022
By Gabe Gomez
Staff Writer
In the music industry, relationships are crucial to success. Usually, these relationships aren’t among direct relatives. However, Baby Keem reached his success through his cousin, who is none other than King Kendrick himself, Kendrick Lamar. From this family connection emerged “The Melodic Blue.” This is hip-hop artist Baby Keem’s debut studio album, which was released on Sept. 10, 2021.
Baby Keem’s 19-song album includes tracks that are slow and melodic as well as those that are upbeat and lively. He named his album “The Melodic Blue” to reflect his album cover, which features a photo of him sitting on a dock in the middle of the water. The colorful dock represents Baby Keem’s journey with music and how his musical past affects him today.
Baby Keem’s rise to stardom began on Aug. 27, 2021 when he released the single “family ties.” The single, which features Kendrick Lamar, instantly rose to the top of hip-hop charts on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
“family ties” is a fun and lyrical song with a beat that changes midway through the song. The majority of the album has the same energy as “family ties.” It will leave listeners bobbing their heads, tapping their feet and singing along.
In “issues,” Baby Keem sings, “Don’t let the wolves come get you,” referring to the hate that exists in the world. His message is to stay strong in your convictions and believe in yourself.
“The Melodic Blue” has its hits as well as its misses. Although the misses are limited, they are definitely present in this album.
One song that totally flopped was “trademark usa.” This song’s lyrics just don’t match the beat well enough, and it becomes repetitive. The track has strange beat changes that don’t fit with the rest of the songs on the album. It definitely was not the ideal choice to be the opening track on a debut album. The song starts to get better as the beat switches to be slower and more mellow. However, “trademark usa” still falls flat in the end.
Despite this shortcoming, there are two songs on the album that demonstrate why Baby Keem has amazing potential as an up-and-coming artist in the hip-hop industry.
The first song that blew me away is “range brothers,” which includes a feature by Lamar. He raps a phenomenal verse that complements Baby Keem’s voice and style. Another reason why this song is just pure ear candy is the way Baby Keem’s voice flows on the fast beat of this track.
Another fantastic song on this album is “issues.” This song is so great due to its chill beat and lyrics. In “issues,” Baby Keem sings, “Don’t let the wolves come get you,” referring to the hate that exists in the world. His message is to stay strong in your convictions and believe in yourself.
Baby Keem does a fantastic job throughout this album, but he wouldn’t have such success without features from Brent Faiyaz, Travis Scott and Don Toliver as well as Lamar. Out of these four featured artists, the two best on the album are Faiyaz and Lamar. Faiyaz is featured in “lost souls,” and Lamar appears in “range brothers” and “family ties.”
Faiyaz had contributed to the album by bringing a singing component to the song where he showcased his vocals. Lamar had contributed by performing two classic rap verses that are sure to be remembered.
Baby Keem has created an outstanding debut album that has set his career in motion. He has great potential as a young artist, and we can definitely expect to see his name on the Top 100 charts for years to come.
