This album was released on September 10th this year. Baby Keem is an artist who I first heard of around 2019 when he dropped his DIE FOR MY BITCH album. I thought it was a pretty mediocre project to be honest. However, I’m curious about this latest project because I’ve enjoyed some of the singles that Baby Keem has dropped in the past year. Also, Baby Keem is Kendrick Lamar’s little cousin, so Kendrick is featured on this project multiple times. That’s the main reason I’m checking it out to be honest. I’m hoping this album will be less of a snoozefest than DIE FOR MY BITCH, but I’m gonna keep my expectations low.

---

As always, I’ll write about the songs I actually like before covering the material that I won’t be returning to. The album begins with trademark usa, which I honestly think is really fucking great. There are multiple beats on this track, and all of them are fire. I became afflicted with the coveted involuntary head nod at multiple points throughout the song. The production is top notch. One issue that I had with Baby Keem on his previous project was that his flows were very one dimensional and kind of rudimentary. However, I think he did a great job of switching things up on this track. I think the second verse is fire.

You niggas not ready to settle the war
You niggas not ready to stop bein' hoes
You niggas not ready to open the doors
You niggas run in, take off with the drawer
You niggas not really the richest on Forbes
You niggas not ready to deal with the sacrifices
And instead, you're passin' the torch
And check the surveillance camera at the cemetery
See me dancin' on all of your corpse

That was smooth. I think the uncredited hook from ROSALÍA is a little corny just because of the way she sings “iM a HoT gUrL.” I don’t mind it too much though. The rapping from Baby Keem at this point is very entertaining to me.

Twenty years long, I never had dad
My dad was a fraud, I had to be tough
Twenty million, ho, that's not enough
Don't ask no questions, bitch, go add it up
I took the light to sacrifice
I sacrificed everything I need
I could probably fuck these bitches in my sleep
Young nigga know the hustle and the Ps
Stressing 'bout money, turned to other things
I was in uncle crib at fourteen
Can't get through to mama 'cause she'd rather drink
Facin' eviction by the thirteenth

Overall, I think the song is really dope, and a great way to start the project. It had me excited to hear the rest of the album. Track 4 is called range brothers, and I think it’s pretty fucking crazy. I mean that in a good way though. The song has like three different beats, all of which are fire. I think Baby Keem’s vocals on the intro are a little grating, but I fucked with it overall. I really like the beat during this part. It sounds like something Gucci Mane would rap over. I really like how dramatic and tense the second beat sounds too though. I really love the hook on this track as well. It kinda made me think of Travis Scott for some reason. I don’t know why. Anyway, I really love the way Kendrick Lamar & Keem were trading verses at this point. They both sounded awesome here. The final part of this song is hilarious to me too. The hook from Kendrick is so fucking stupid. He’s not even on beat. It’s amazing. The final verse from Keem is cool too. Overall, I think the song is dope as hell. It really takes you on a journey, which I appreciate. Track 7 is called south africa, and I think it’s pretty good. The hook isn’t amazing or anything, but it serves its purpose well enough, and I like the production. I really like the way Baby Keem sounds on the verses. His delivery is really good in my opinion. He still doesn’t have the most interesting flow, but it’s not that big of an issue for me. I really love his delivery on the second verse. That line where he said “we be fuckin’ ’til it stank” was fucking disgusting, but in a slightly humorous way, so I like it. I think the song is pretty good overall. Track 10 is called family ties, and it was released as a single at the end of August.

I think it’s fire. That’s mainly because of the Kendrick Lamar verse at the end of the song, but I think Baby Keem sounded great here too. The first beat is kinda dull to me, but Baby Keem’s energetic delivery keeps things interesting. The second beat is thankfully a lot better, and I like Keem’s flow at this point a lot. However, as I alluded to earlier, Kendrick’s verse is easily the best part of the song. He switches his flow and delivery up at least five times in this verse. It’s amazing. I had these lines stuck in my head for days after I first heard the song…

Smokin' on top fives
Motherfuck that album, fuck that single
Burn that hard drive

My only complaints about the song are that the first beat is kinda bland, and that the song ends super abruptly. However, those are just nitpicks. The song is dope as hell overall. It’s followed by scars, which I think is a pretty good track. I really like the percussion on this song, and I think the hook is pretty good lyrically.

I ask God
Why this life you gave so hard?
Why all the choices that I make leave me with scars?
I feel like everyone I meet confuse my heart

The song sounds pretty Kanye West-ish to me. The cinematic production along with the melodic hook just reminds me of Graduation. Neither of the verses from Baby Keem really impressed me that much, but they weren’t bad at all. I think the song is pretty good overall. Same goes for track 15, vent. I think the production on this track is pretty awesome. The hook is performed by Kendrick Lamar, who did a pretty solid job. It’s not amazing or anything, but it works. Baby Keem’s verse has kind of a boring flow, but his energetic delivery kept my attention thankfully. There’s only one verse on this track, so there’s not much to break down, but I enjoyed what little content is here. The song is pretty good in my opinion. Those are all the tracks that I like, so now I’ll write about the songs that I won’t be returning to. Track 2 is entitled pink panties. I think the beat is cool, and the uncredited hook from Che Ecru is okay, but Baby Keem’s vocals on the verses sound really fucking bad to me. His sweet, squeaky voice just sounds way too sugary to me. It reminds me of something Lil Uzi Vert would do. I really hate it to be honest. Thankfully the song is pretty short, so I didn’t have to suffer too long. The only thing I really like about this song is the production. Baby Keem sounded awful on it to me. I think the song is wack. It’s followed by scapegoats, which isn’t a bad song at all. I just don’t see myself returning to it. It sounds more like an interlude than a full song in my opinion. The serpentwithfeet sample didn’t really do much for me, and I thought Baby Keem’s verse was just okay. The only aspect of the song that really stood out to me was the piano on the outro. I wish that was the actual beat for the full song, but it was unfortunately relegated to the final 21 seconds of the track. Anyway, I think the song is okay as a whole, but it’s just not something I’m gonna be listening to again in the future. Same goes for track 5, issues.

I don’t think it’s a bad song at all, but I just don’t see myself coming back to it. The production is cool, and I suppose the melodies that Keem is singing sound fine. His delivery is just a bit too sleepy to hold my attention. It’s a fine track though. I don’t mind it. Track 6 is called gorgeous. Once again, I think Baby Keem’s vocals sound really bad here. I also just don’t like the melody of the hook itself. I think the actual verse from Keem here is kinda good, and I do like the production a lot. I just find the vocals on the hook to be really grating. I don’t think it’s a bad song though. It actually grew on me a lot as I listened to it more. I don’t see myself returning to it though. I think it’s just okay. Same goes for track 8, lost souls. Nothing about the track stands out in a bad way to me, but it’s just not that memorable of a song to me. Baby Keem’s straightforward delivery and rudimentary flow makes it kind of a boring song. It’s definitely one of the weakest tracks on the album to me, but I don’t think I would call it a bad song. It’s just mediocre to me. The following track, cocoa, is also not that great to me. I just really don’t care for Baby Keem’s high-pitched vocals, especially on the hook. I do really like the production, but I don’t like how Baby Keem sounds over it. His squeaky voice just annoys the shit outta me. Again, it reminds me of something Lil Uzi Vert would do. Don Toliver thankfully doesn’t sound as bad on the second verse, but he’s not good enough to save the song. I think the track is wack overall. Track 12 is called durag activity, and it’s the epitome of midpack to me. It’s one of the most okay songs I’ve heard in years. Nothing about it stands out even a little bit. However, I have to admit that when I heard this song in the club it sounded a lot better. It’s probably because I wasn’t sober though. I’ve always said that if a song requires me to be in an altered state of consciousness to be enjoyed then it’s not good. I don’t like anything about this song. Baby Keem’s sleepy delivery over this generic beat just makes it an incredibly bland song. It’s not like he had an impressive flow or anything interesting to say either. I think the song is mediocre, and that’s me being lenient. It’s followed by booman. I don’t really care for the production on this track, nor do I like Baby Keem’s flow on the first verse. The hook is pretty uninteresting too. I like his flow on the second verse a little more than that of the first one, but it’s still not that great. Honestly, the song is almost as uninteresting to me as durag activity. Nothing about it really stands out in a good way. I think it’s midpack. It’s followed by another mediocre track called first order of business. The production is cool, but aside from that this is an incredibly boring song to me. The melodic hook doesn’t stand out to me at all, and Baby Keem’s delivery is once again very sleepy. His flow is very basic too. The lyrics are thankfully kinda cool.

First order of business, dawg, I gotta thank my mama
Second order of business, share the blessings, no more trauma
Third order of business, do good deeds and get good karma

The song is just super unseasoned. I probably would’ve liked it if the verses were good, but they’re just not. The song is mediocre to me. The final song is called 16, and I don’t think it’s bad at all. It’s just not something that I’d return to. I like the production a lot, and I think Baby Keem’s vocals on the hook sound pretty okay. My favorite part of the song is easily the actual verse from Keem. I think the lyrics are pretty good, and his delivery sounded nice to me too. It’s not a bad song at all. It’s just not good enough to warrant any repeat listens from me. I think it’s a solid track though.

---

^{This is an okay album. I definitely think it’s a big step up from Baby Keem’s previous project. A lot of the problems I had with DIE FOR MY BITCH are still present here though. Baby Keem’s got a very basic flow for the most part. He’s also just not that interesting of a lyricist. Almost none of his lines stood out to me in a good way on this project. I think his singing can be kind of grating too, depending on how high pitched he goes. Honestly, this album felt really long to me. It’s only about 54 minutes long, but it felt like it could’ve been pared down to 10 tracks. I’m glad I listened to it though. I think Baby Keem’s definitely got a baseline of talent that’s very undeveloped. He mainly just needs to work on his flow. It’s too basic to impress me on most of these songs. I think he’s going in the right direction though. As I said before, this is a step up from DIE FOR MY BITCH. I wouldn’t call this a good album, but I think Keem’s fans will be satisfied with it, and it has me curious about what he’ll do next. It’s a decent project.}

Favorite Song: family ties
Least Favorite Song: pink panties

61

Watch the videos below for more thoughts on this album.