Hykeem Carter, better known as Baby Keem, has managed to do a good job of hiding his face from the public early on in his career. The 19-year-old Las Vegas native started releasing his EPs in 2018 such as Midnight and No Name under his given name. Carter later emerged a few months later as Baby Keem with his EP Hearts and Darts and The Sound of a Bad Habit, and began releasing music videos, one of which was directed by Shia Labeouf, giving us a look into his personality and mind.
The artist/producer/songwriter has already made his mark in the industry with production and songwriting credits on Schoolboy Q’s CrasH Talk, and TDE projects like Jay Rock’s Redemption and The Black Panther soundtrack.
The underground rapper has managed to create his own distinctive style that blends trap, rock, and melodic rap. His songs are catchy, funny, and filled with an infectious energy.
Baby Keem has kept it quiet since his career began taking off in 2018, but I’m thinking 2020 will be anything but quiet for him. His most recent and notable EP, Die For My B*tch, was released this past July. His song “Orange Soda,” off the album reached number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100. It received praise from celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Tyler, the Creator and Vince Staples, who all took to social media to talk about the album.
On his recent rap radar interview, Drake was asked to acknowledge the work of other artists that had stood out to him this year. He started off by saying that Young Thug’s So Much Fun, was the best album of the year and then mentioned that Baby Keem’s Die For my B*tch was also one of his favorites. “I think Thug had one of the best albums of the past year. Actually between him and Baby Keem Die for My B*tch. Those are my two picks for album of the year.”
No Name
The short EP spanning 5 tracks, is a great introduction into Baby Keem’s flow and style. The melodic rap tracks are filled with catchy beats that showcase Carter’s superb production skills and soft melodies. Standout track: “Truce.”
Hearts & Darts
Hearts & Darts opens with a track produced by Cardo Got Wings, who Carter got the chance to work with after direct messaging him on Twitter. Cardo is best known for his work with artists such as Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa, Dom Kennedy, and more. Carter describes his working with Cardo on the track “Baby Keem,” as a turning point that lead to the producer helping him with his next project The Sound of Habit. Hearts & Darts is short and sweet, and every track is fire. The EP is filled with trap tracks as well as smooth R&B ones filled with tantalizing melodies. Standout tracks include “Vicious” and “Half.”
The Sound of Bad Habit The EP is 12 tracks long, but each track maintains it short and sweet style like its predecessors. The tracks are filled with hard bass kicks and cool lyrics, that make his distinctive style and energetic presence addictive. It’s a fun project that reached 10.6 thousand plays 14 days on Audiomack alone. Standout tracks include “Gang Activities” and “So What.”
Die For My B*tch
Here we are able to see Baby Keem’s personality; he’s humorous, fun and full of teenage mischief. Tracks like Stats, Mosphit, and France Freestyle are fun tracks that make you want to mosh and bang your head along, but the tempo changes in between with softer melodic tracks like honest, slice interlude, and bullies. Die For My B*tch, showcases Baby Keem’s artistic range, especially on the acoustic track “My Ex.”