Two Phones, One Goat

He is the best rapper with Baby in the name! It is rumored he worked on “DAMN.” at 16! He is uber-talented and will go down as one of the GOATs! He’s “2 phone Baby Keem!” At 22 years old, he is one of the most exciting young talents in the industry. His mentor AND COUSIN is none other than Kendrick Lamar. Those family reunions have to be LIT!! But his relation to the GOAT has nothing to do with his rising stardom. He has the best sophomore album since “Late Registration.” In fact, I guarantee that within the next decade, we will be talking about him being better than Kendrick Lamar. BABY KEEM WILL BE THE BEST RAPPER EVER! Not only that, but he will challenge Kanye West as the best combination of rapper and producer.

I know I’m a little late. “The Melodic Blue” was released more than a year ago, but the album’s deluxe version was just released two weeks ago. I’m going to discuss the original album first. Then, I’ll dive into the songs from the deluxe edition. “The Melodic Blue” was the best rap album of 2021. Sorry, Kanye and Drake. Keem’s trifecta of production, rapping, and singing is unmatched. He showcases his multidimensionality. He literally goes bar-for-bar with Kendrick on both “Family Ties” and “Range Brothers.” In fact, he is the star of both songs. He mixes egregious rap with thought-provoking rap. Just like he did with Kendrick, Keem shines in the collab with Brent Faiyaz on “Lost Souls.” He has already surpassed his cousin Kendrick; Kendrick’s singing does not come close to Baby Keem’s. The song shows just how well Keem can sing and melodize. It is a great song! Plus, he gets brutally honest about himself and his upbringing on “Issues” and “Scars.” Also, “Issues” has one of the saddest but best lines I have ever heard. He raps, “Are we really made equal? ‘Cause everybody got plans.” As someone who has struggled with mental health, that lyric hits extra hard. Sometimes, I don’t feel like I was made equal because many of my plans during college were taken from me. I didn’t get to study abroad; I didn’t get to enjoy my social life. I was just focused on survival. So “are we really made equal?”

 The deluxe album is all I have listened to since it was released. I am physically unable to turn it off. It shows just how good Keem is. These songs have been out for a year, but it never gets old. Why is that? It’s because no two songs are the same. He doesn’t just rap over similar beats about the same things on every song. He switches it up, and that’s what makes him so intriguing. You could put him on any beat and get S-tier music. On the deluxe, he shows that his freestyling is just as good as his written work. “Naked Freestyle” is my favorite work added and is one of the best on the entire project. He just goes so hard on it. And Pink Pantheress’ feature on “Killstreaks,” with Keem and Don Toliver, is top tier. She is the best feature on that song. And don’t even get me started on “Bank Account” with Lil Uzi. Uzi shows why he is such a fan favorite. Keem is wild, though. First, he has Kendrick sing “Top of the Morning,” then he makes Uzi sing “Doot-doot.” My man is hilarious. And that’s what makes “Bank Account” so good. It is just a funny collab between two great rappers. It’s insane that these were the songs left off the original album. THAT IS JUST HOW GOOD THE ORIGINAL WAS!

The deluxe drop isn’t the most significant thing he did this year. He produced multiple songs on “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.” And it just so happens that the two he produced are my two favorites off the project (No, that is not why they are my favorite). “N95” is the best track, or at the very least, the hardest track. And “Die Hard” just makes me feel good. It is a fantastic, relaxed beat and an overall feel-good song. And the juxtaposition of the two Keem-produced pieces just again shows the range he is capable of. Besides producing those songs, He also shines on “Savior (Interlude).” He goes hard for the entire two-and-a-half minutes of the song, besides the 10-second intro of Eckhart Tolle.

I never thought I would say this because he means so much to me, but Baby Keem might have taken Kid Cudi’s place as my favorite rapper. You know what, no, I can have different favs. I can say that Baby Keem is the more skilled of the two, but I am not ready to say that he is my favorite. I have a feeling that I will eventually say that. I’m just not ready yet. Check back in with me when Keem releases his next project. However, I will say it again for the people in the back. BABY KEEM WILL GO DOWN AS THE GOAT. It won’t be long before he replaces his cousin, Kendrick. As he says, he is a “Jack of all trades.” He can do it all. He can rap, he can produce, and he can sing. It is Baby Keem’s world; we’re just living in it.