THE MELODIC BLUE: ALBUM REVIEW
Baby Keem’s career has been forged in the music industry. Many have even gone as far as to call him an “industry plant” because of his deep ties with Kendrick Lamar and the Top Dawg record label. Normally, this would get an artist dismissed immediately, but instead, Keem has managed to win almost everyone over. I’ve heard his off-kilter flow so often that he’s become a soothing presence. While on previous efforts Keem seemed determined to prove himself, on his new project, The Melodic Blue, Keem sounds completely in his comfort zone. It’s a low-stakes yet complete project that serves as a perfect mainstream introduction for an artist who was designed to blow up.
Baby Keem’s voice sounds like a perfect blend between Kendrick Lamar and Playboi Carti. Even though his vocals sound similar to other artists, he incorporates wholly original flows and lyricism which separate him from the pack. On the lead single “family ties” it’s hard to tell Lamar and Keem apart as they go bar for bar with each other. Both artists have nasally, rapid-fire flows that knock you over with their rhythmic complexity. Keem and Kendrick display a similar dynamic on “Range Brothers” where they go back and forth until Kendrick creates the most memeable moment of the year with his “top of the mornin’” vocal line.
On The Melodic Blue, Baby Keem shows off his immense versatility. He easily slips between bangers and melodic, auto-tune heavy tracks like “Scars” and “Issues.” On every type of song he executes at a high level, however, on the more melodic tracks his influences are a bit too clear. Both “Scars” and “Issues” sound like outtakes from Kanye’s 808s and Heartbreak. On the other hand, the bangers like “South Africa” show an incredible amount of control over flows and rhythms that help Keem take songs to the next level structurally.
Thematically, this album revolves mostly around girls and fame. Unfortunately, Keem has nothing interesting to say about girls or fame, and Keem even acknowledges that he uses these subjects as his scapegoats. Often, when Keem gets close to talking about something deeper, his mind holds him back and pushes him towards a topic he knows well. There are exceptions to this rule. The track “issues” is a deep exploration of fear and the majority of “range brothers” is a complex web of ideas. These tracks are a welcome departure as it is clear Keem is still looking to find his perspective on much of this project.
Baby Keem is most interesting when he ventures into more unconventional territory. On the track “booman” he incorporates a vocal sample that creates interesting pockets for him to latch onto. It takes him out of his typical flows and makes him deliver something completely new. Another great example appears on “durag activity,” which is conventional enough for Travis Scott to hop on, but Keem uses the song as an opportunity to change his vocal affect: he essentially whispers most of the lyrics on the song, creating a creepy vocal that crawls across your ears.
Baby Keem tries to do a lot of different things on The Melodic Blue, and while only some of them work, when he latches onto a successful sound he creates some of the most exciting music of the year. His collaborations with Kendrick Lamar alone make this album a wonderful listen.