Baby Keem “Ca$ino” Review
Written by Beau Croxton
Baby Keem courtesy of pglang
Baby Keem's highly anticipated sophomore effort Ca$ino is an exciting, concise and potent record that binds sonic diversity and raw truths together seamlessly for a hell of a ride.
On February 10th, Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr. (aka Baby Keem) broke the news that his long awaited second album was arriving on Friday, Feb 20th. There’s loads of hype for this exciting moment, especially considering Keem got off to a great start as a young artist; his single “Orange Soda” went platinum and he appeared on the Black Panther Soundtrack (courtesy of his cousin— Kendrick Lamar). Baby Keem’s 2021 debut full length LP, The Melodic Blue, was an excellent record that served as a great blueprint for Keem to become the next big thing.
Judging by the 4 year gap between The Melodic Blue and Ca$ino— perhaps Keem wanted to make sure his next album lived up to his own standards set by his debut. After all, in interviews he mentioned he wanted to “outwork everybody” in a competitive fashion.
The rollout for Ca$ino was kicked off by a short 3-part documentary that provided the ultimate context for the albums themes– Booman I, II, and III were complete with retro home videos and interviews that detailed Keem’s early life and all the people who banded together to raise him between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. This past Friday, Ca$ino finally arrived to reveal itself a deeper exploration into both Keem’s turbulent youth and a wide variety of new sounds and flows. Keem spends a lot of the album detailing his family affairs, (no matter how complicated it gets) and how he processed it all.
There’s a lot of deserved hype around Keem's long awaited comeback. The real question is— does it live up to the hype? In many ways, yes. Let’s take a look.
Opener “No Security” is a tone setter where Keem’s flow floats over a nostalgic, beat-less swing instrumental. The lack of drums bring the focus on his raw narrative and flow, and right off the bat, he keeps it real by aiming to dig deeper on his come up:
“I'm a product to the world, it's some things that I ain't told / Like when my mama walked me 'round with no shoes in the cold / When I was dyin' for my b*tch, my ma' was sleepin' in a tent / Goin' back and forth to jail, should I bail? Where can I vent? / Fuckin' up my credit card when I tried to pay her rent / Usually go on stage and fake a smile, but I can't”.
“No Security” is an epic intro that serves as a brilliant assist to the massive slam dunk that is the following track, “Ca$ino”.
“Ca$ino” starts with the noise of slot machines and morphs into a dissonant banger that sounds like the audio equivalent of a Sega game short-circuiting after being possessed by The Terminator…The dark production on this track from the likes of Cardo and Scott Bridgeway is insane. The track is largely one of the best cuts on the record, with the explosive first half boasting tons of chest-beating bravado and quotable bars. The second is cued by a wild beat-switch full of shimmering synths, and cartoonish, harmonizing “lala” vocals– again, it's a highly creative display of production. In the finale, Keem leans much further into personal themes while keeping his “chain snatching”, braggadocious attitude.
“Birds & Bees” does a great job of segueing into Keem’s melodic rapping mode, and it's served over a pitch-shifted Feist sample. Simply put, it's a straight-up bop with great production that keeps up the hit rate. “Good Flirts (featuring Momo Boyd & Kendrick Lamar)” defies expectations for another hyped up Keem X Kendrick collab– here, Kendrick’s contribution is a far cry from the adrenaline-tinged anthem “Family Ties” that fans might be hoping for. Lamar’s verse on this flirty love song feels far more akin to him goofing around on SZA’s “Doves In The Wind”. Momo Boyd and Keem’s poppy vocals blend and complement each other very well here. “Good Flirts” is a nonchalant love song with a really classic feel– it yields some good, low-key fun.
“House Money” is an anthem that dials the bravado back up to ten. Keem’s versatile shifts in genre on the album usually rotate between pop vocal bops, introspective cuts, and hard trappy bangers– with “House Money” being a supreme example of the latter. Keem’s fast flow catches fire and Lamar reappears here to contribute a badass hook over some brilliant, minor-key operatic vocal samples. It’s a powerful cut that makes you feel like you can walk through walls– this track will go crazy in the whip or at the gym.
“I am not a Lyricist” is an outstanding track (with an hilariously inaccurate title) that finds Keem channeling new flows that resemble Andre 3000 and his cousin Kendrick by the way of Section 80 or Good Kid Mad City. Keem’s sung vocals on the track even sound akin to The Weeknd, and his versatility shines throughout the song, as he shifts through many modes. Keem really stepped up his pen game on this record, and this standout track is the most shining example.
“$ex Appeal (ft. Too $hort)” taps into a funky West Coast beat – it's a poppy and bouncy cut that lands in between a fun roller-rink anthem and an R-rated strip club hit. It has infectious, funky synths and a verse from Oakland legend Too $hort that oozes old school– respectfully, he’s known for his collabs with Biggie and Tupac.
“Circus Circus Free$tyle” opens boldly with fast flows and cinematic production, only to be cut off 40 seconds in, by a slot machine sample that cues an entirely brand new beat. It boasts triumphant horn samples and an even wilder flow when it revs up. This is truly an insane cut where Keem cycles through so many different tones, cadences and flows, that you would think there are unlisted features from entirely different rappers. It's a huge banger that hits the gas hard and serves as the ultimate aggressive showcase on Ca$ino.
It’s clear Keem is capable of operating at a high level in styles that have been popularized by many highly acclaimed artists. Whether it’s hard rap, melodic pop, or his introspective and soul baring approach as seen on Ca$ino– there’s something for everyone. He manages to magically pull it all off well in one album, all while holding a credit as co-producer. Keem also displays a plethora of different cadences, flows, and styles that feel fresh to his discography.
The Melodic Blue was a great debut, but Ca$ino feels equally exciting in its own right– it will surely be endlessly debated which is the better of the two. Favoritism aside, its clear Ca$ino is highlighted by Keem's improvements as an artist overall. It has more concise writing, more mature themes, a more refined tracklist/runtime and it's very successful in its multifaceted approach. Sure, "Family Ties” might still be considered Keem’s most hyped-up banger– but personally, I believe Ca$ino has at least 5-6 of his other best songs right behind it.
Largely lifted by the context of his “Booman” documentaries, Ca$ino digs deep into Keem’s unique upbringing in a pensive way. Importantly, it’s not just about addressing the trauma— but processing it all. Keem’s forgiveness to his mother on the final track “No Blame” documents this beautifully, and it brings the record full circle towards a resolution. Keem breaks through the pain on Ca$ino in front of his audience in a diverse and impressive array of highly repayable tunes.
Baby Keem has proved that he is an artist who deserves to be championed— it’ll be on him if he wants to drop and disappear again, or if he decides to deliver consistently to the growing masses who wanna see him killing it in the rap game….Ca$ino is proof Keem is more than capable of staying on top.
Occult Highlights: Ca$ino, Circus Circus Free$tyle, House Money, I am not a Lyricist, No Blame, Good Flirts, Birds & Bees, $ex Appeal
(… but we recommend you spin the whole thing while dancing like a f*cking caveman with a loose screw)