In his latest studio album, The Melodic Blue, Baby Keem shows off his playful and versatile music-making capability.
This album comes after his 2019 debut album, Die For My B----. This album is different, in that you see more development in the overall lyrical aspects of his songs, as well as the subject matter. The debut album was a great first attempt, but left his audience wanting more. He ultimately delivered an album that could substantiate his listeners’ desire for more fun and energetic songs like his hit song, “ORANGE SODA”.
In many of the songs, the lyrics are actually very serious and thought out. Songs like soppy “Issues” are very hard-hitting, talking about his mom and his inability to resent her, as well as reflecting on his time growing up. As we see more vulnerability in the artist’s lyrics, it’s easier to feel connected to them. Knowing more about artists and the things listeners wouldn’t expect for them to share with a larger audience, makes the music so rewarding, as listeners are able to feel like he/she has a better connection to the artist.
The track, “16” provides a soft close to the album, speaking on a love interest feeling lost in the way they view themselves, and not knowing how to react. This song also allows Keem to connect with his audience, as every person has gone through a relationship in which they can’t help the other person gain a perception of themselves. Another hard hitting song, with a somewhat cheesy piano loop and drum pattern, is “scars”.
This song, though lacking a very good beat, offers a solid concept, not knowing why life can be difficult, and questioning why God gives us struggles. This song also is very lyrically and conceptually appealing in that it offers a lot for the audience to digest, and it’s one of the more easily comprehensible concepts on the album.
These more vulnerable tracks are not to fool anyone, this is still the same artist who brought us “ORANGE SODA,” so we’re bound to have some energetic and hard hitting beats with classic lyrical capabilities that we’ve seen before. Most of the songs off the album are classically fun whereas some outshined others. “Booman” shines supreme, with a hard trumpet loop, and a chorus “uhhh I’m sexy and blessed”.
Another song that is satisfying to the ears is “South Africa”. This track sounds like a classic 2000s Chief Keef anthem with a boasting lyrical display, the most memorable line being, “Catch a flight out of the blue, South Africa.” This is accompanied by songs, “do rag activity,” featuring Travis Scott, “pink panties” and “cocoa” with Don Toliver. These songs are easily identifiable as the type of songs Baby Keem makes, hopping beats with funny rhymes and nothing too provocative. These types of songs are a trademark for the rapper, and they’re what his audience comes back for. To be fair, Baby Keem is one of the most talented lyricists of his generation of rappers, coming up with some of the best verses we’ve seen from many mainstream rappers in the past couple years.
This album is notable for more than those reasons. The majority of the hype around the album came from what is largely seen as a return of Kendrick Lamar, as we haven’t seen new music from The South Californian rapper since his album, untitled unmastered. Kendrick appears on many of the songs in different capacities. The first was “family ties,” a single Keem put out before the album’s initial drop. This track is most notable for the part of the song where Kendrick uses a flow deriving from him saying, “amazing, brother” in a country accent, or the attempt of one.
Lamar appears on other songs, such as “vent’ and “scapegoats,” providing an introduction in “vent” that has blown up on TikTok, and hilarious adlibs in the second half of “scapegoats”. This leaves audiences hopeful that Kendrick Lamar will make his return to rap after being gone for so long, maybe this will be the year he drops a new studio album.
For many reasons, this album has such a profound sound. Whether it’s from the possible return of a rap legend, a more vulnerable view at an artist we love or if you’re just listening for the trademark sound of Baby Keem. Whatever the reason for the audience draw, it is undeniable that this album gives us yet another listen to one the best rising rappers to date. Baby Keem’s ‘melodic blue’ shows audiences he isn’t a one hit wonder, that we can expect more and more masterful projects from this young artist for time to come.
