By Mick Dillon / The Jambar
Hykeem Carter, known professionally as Baby Keem, released his second studio album Feb. 20. “Ca$ino” keeps up with Keem’s trend of short, hard-hitting rap albums as it features 11 tracks and has a total runtime of 36 minutes.
Hailing from Carson, California, Keem’s rise to fame was spearheaded by his 2019, “ORANGE SODA,” which went on to receive a quadruple-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.
Keem kicks off “Ca$ino” with a lyrical intro track that serves as an ode to his upbringing. The mellow sample gives Keem plenty of breathing room with his soft, introspective delivery.
The following title track gives fans the classic upbeat, rage-style backtrack that they’ve grown accustomed to hearing from the Carson native. Keem’s vocal flexions carry this track for the first half, and he flows effortlessly over the beat switch right around the two-minute mark.
“Bird & the Bees,” the third track, has a redundant loop but Keem pairs weaker production with his extremely catchy hook and West Coast flow. Though repetitive, the beat has the signature California bounce that Keem has built his sound around.
Track four features Keem’s cousin, Grammy-winning artist Kendrick Lamar. This isn’t the first time these two have linked up sonically, as Lamar was featured on Keem’s 2021 debut studio album, “The Melodic Blue.” The duo’s first song together, “Family Ties,” debuted and peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to be certified five-times platinum by RIAA. “Good Flirts” is the first song on “Ca$ino” featuring Lamar, but it wouldn’t be the last as the Compton icon appears again on the next song.
Immediately following the Lamar features, Keem slows down the vibe with “I am not a lyricist.” What seems to serve as an interlude, “I am not a lyricist” contradicts its title, as Keem delivers three emotional verses over a minimalistic piano melody. This track feels like it’s straight out of Outkast’s discography, and Keem sounds eerily similar to the group’s frontman, Andre 3000, known personally as André Lauren Benjamin.
The next three tracks pick up the pace again, all having catchy hooks and thumpy Roland TR-808 kick-drum loops. “Highway 95 pt. 2” showcases Keem’s versatility, as he flows effortlessly over a stripped backtrack that only features a bassline and drums. This song is already an earworm for fans, garnering millions of streams across all platforms.
Keem rounds off the album by slowing it down again with “Dramatic Girl,” featuring Chinedu Vincent Echeruo, known professionally as Che Ecru, and the outro track, “No Blame.” “Dramatic Girl” might be the catchiest song on the album, and feels adjacent to a summertime pop track. Keem appears to be having tons of fun on this one and the good vibes are infectious. Listeners can try not to dance to this song, but it won’t work.
With high peaks and few valleys, “Ca$ino” might be Keem’s best project to date. Fans have been waiting five years for this one and to say he delivered would be an ‘understatement.’