One thousand six hundred twenty-four.
That’s the number of days there was between the release of Baby Keem’s debut studio album, “The Melodic Blue,” and his most recent effort, “Ca$ino.” You may ask what’s changed in that time.
The answer is simple: Baby Keem gained a level of expectations he hadn’t had before. To the masses, he was mostly unknown before the release of his 2021 record. Unless you were a dedicated rap fan at the time, you probably knew him just as Kendrick Lamar’s cousin.
“The Melodic Blue” exploded. In just a moment, Keem was pushed to the forefront of the culture, embraced at first listen. The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum in 2023.
These concerns aren’t just brought up for no reason, however. Keem needed this experience to step into a new bag on “Ca$ino.” It takes time to make a triumphant return after a debut album of that magnitude, and his new venture demonstrates the craftsmanship necessary to measure up to heightened expectations.
The name for the album is inspired by his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, which is famously one of the world’s casino capitals. Keem makes several references to his city in the project, sometimes referring to it as “The Desert.”
The rollout moved fast. Keem announced the album on Feb. 10 and dropped it just 10 days later. On the same day, he released the first of his three-part video series titled “Booman I | Ca$ino Documentary” on his YouTube channel.
The videos showcase a mixture of old home movies of Keem, interviews with his family and snapshot recordings of studio time during the creation of the record. These videos were put together with the purpose of telling his life story and contextualizing his mindset behind the project.
Throughout his earlier work, Keem was no stranger to blending introspective moments with bouncy rap songs that are perfect for the club, but now it seems like he’s committed to making both sides of himself known separately.
He makes several references to his bipolar disorder rooted in previous trauma, and he’s also characterized that in the music by letting the sad songs be sad, and the fun songs be fun.
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The intro track, “No Security,” embodies his newfound vulnerability. Keem goes in-depth about family loss, burnout and the pressures of constantly being in the public eye. It’s immediately followed up by the braggadocious title track, which touches on some of the same themes, but flips them on their head to be upbeat and victorious.
The feature list is short and sweet, with every guest appearance adding a welcomed touch to their respective songs.
Track four, “Good Flirts,” features Kendrick Lamar, Keem’s cousin and frequent collaborator, as well as Momo Boyd, member of the family band Infinity Song. The song “Dramatic Girl” has a feature from Boston-born singer and producer Che Ecru, who was sampled in Baby Keem’s 2021 song “pink panties.”
The most unexpected feature is Bay Area legend Too $hort on the song “$ex Appeal.” Over a classic West Coast beat and a signature slick verse from Too $hort, the song is a surefire club anthem that is sure to be played all over the Golden State.
The closing song, “No Blame,” is likely the most emotional moment on the album. A somber piano beat is met with Keem telling the stories of his early life and traumatic experiences involving his mother.
Keem details mother’s absence in the beginning of his life due to drug abuse and relationship struggles with Keem’s father, who was seemingly never around. With age, he reveals his newfound understanding of her situation, ultimately declaring his forgiveness as he processes that she was a product of her environment.
There were additional powerful moments in other parts of the album, including the lyric from “Ca$ino,” where he says, “I watched my grandma die in the house I bought, I’m livin’ my truth.”
Not only is it a way for him to say that having money isn’t a guaranteed solution for his problems, but it doubles as a callback to “The Melodic Blue,” highlighting his growth and changing life at the same time.
In the music video for the song “first order of business” from the 2021 project, Keem shows the house he bought for his grandma with his first $1 million earned, inspiring the name for the track.
“Ca$ino” has 11 tracks and a total runtime of 36:55. While it does feel like he was trying not to waste a second, it’s hard not to think that the length of the album doesn’t match the length of the break.
Not every song present on the record meets the mark. Track three, “Birds & the Bees,” has its moments, but the chorus comes across as too gimmicky to be a fully enjoyable listening experience.
The high points come mainly from the production on “Birds & the Bees,” which is co-produced by famous actress Yara Shahidi alongside Keem and Danja, with the latter doing a majority of production on “Ca$ino.” It samples “Honey Honey” by Feist, a Canadian indie-pop singer.
At just under 37 minutes, the album leaves a looming sense of something missing, as if he didn’t give himself enough time to lay out all of his feelings. Upon the album ending, it’s like Keem still had more to say.
“Ca$ino” is a worthy follow-up to Keem’s previous efforts, showcasing a more balanced and mature version of the artist introduced on “The Melodic Blue.” However, the heights of the music itself fails to reach the same peaks. It’s consistently solid and emotion-inducing, though feels incomplete at the end of the day.
