Review: Baby Keem - The Melodic Blue
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| Label: pgLang/Columbia Records |
This was predestined to be polarizing. BABY KEEM is the cousin of KENDRICK LAMAR and gets quite the attention at the age of 20. When KENDRICK was 20 he was releasing his first mixtapes, who got laughed at years later and was four years away from releasing his debut full length. Which was really good, but miles away from the production value that "The Melodic Blue" has...
Is BABY KEEM's early succes a case of nepotism? Sure, KENDRICK definitely paved the way for him and was supporting him in numerous ways. Still, KEEM has a lot of talent and manages to come into his own on "The Melodic Blue". There's a great chance of you liking KEEM, when you like KENDRICK. There are various similarities between the two. They both are totally open-minded when it comes to mixing different styles, "The Melodic Blue" is even more varied than anything KENDRICK ever released. Then, sure, the young cousin took some lessons when it comes to his deliverance. Last not least, both guys love some kind of boldness within their music.
To get it straight out of the way: KEEM's lyrics are more shallow than his cousin's, but then again, he's only 20 years old. That's not to say that "The Melodic Blue" hasn't its strong points lyrics-wise. Anyway, quite possibly every rapper would pale in comparison to the great KENDRICK LAMAR, so I better keep my comparisons to a minimum. Rapping-wise KEEM is not as sick as his relative (fuck, I did it again!), but I can refute that too, as he uses many different vocal-styles, which is a strong point for himself. There are tracks where he nearly takes the role of a R'n'B-singer, pushing his MC-tendencies aside. His flow is solid throughout and I like his expressive, charismatic voice.
What's really impressive about "The Melodic Blue" is his overall picture. From the voice to the lyrics, from the beats to the melodies, from the hooks to the atmospheric pieces, from the compelling feeling to the entire production, this album is well-rounded and slightly epic indeed. You can hear all the money that went into the recording, producing and engineering process, but KEEM and company spend the money wisely. The production ist just awesome! The sound is full, the instrumentation is thick and they managed to create a tight, coherent mood throughout, which is a massive strength of the album. There are some weaker tracks (I mean, this is a Hip-Hop-record lasting 54 minutes), but the album never drops significantly in terms of quality. The last quarter is the weakest, no doubt, it's nowhere near a fiasco though.
"The Melodic Blue" is packed with epic and creative beats, highly atmospheric melodies, surprising breaks, various vocal styles and many, many ideas. There's no Uber-hit to destroy anything in sight, but there are a lot of awesome tracks to haunt you for weeks to come. What is fascinating, besides the strong production, is how diverse KEEM's debut turned out to be. He blends a wide range of styles, while settling somewhere between KENDRICK's "Damn." and KANYE WEST's "808s and Heartbreak". The mix of Pop-Rap, R'n'B and the more soulful stuff from LAMAR's last album, works wonders, but I gotta admit, that you probably have to be a sucker for this equally sensitive and open-minded style of Hip-Hop, to truely enjoy "The Melodic Blue".
So, yeah, keep hyping. Keep bashing. I totally understand the mixed receptions this album is getting, as nowadays it seems that everything is out there to be shit on by the anonymous, individual thinkers. My two cents are: This is one of the most stunning debut albums the genre saw in a long time, it's a rocket start for BABY KEEM right into the mainstream and it's likely to become my Hip-Hop-record of the year.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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