The Melodic Blue

by Baby Keem

Overview

With the dismissive "hooligan" and the downcast "no sense," Baby Keem's 2020s singles gave him a "moment of clarity." On Melodic Blue we find a self-focused but deeply jaded figure poised atop a mountain of nocturnal hedonism and industry backstabbing. While his debut album doesn't completely follow suit, it's marked by a pensiveness lacking in the rapper's earlier works; "I can't help but feel neglected" runs the opening line of intro "trademark usa," Keem's words surrounded by a chorus of disembodied vocals. The album's strengths manifest at polar extremes, at Keem's moodiest and at his most outlandish. At the peak of the former is "scars" -- a self-reflection in the image of Kanye's 808s and Heartbreak -- as well as the Toronto R&B-esque closer "16," which dwells on broken relationships with a candid "won't you think about you and I?" From the other end of the spectrum come some of his most ignorant anthems to date: "south africa" stomps forward with a "Mo Bamba"-style melody, the heavily Future-like "cocoa" glides with the trap pioneer's effortless flow, and "family ties" is a Keem-Kendrick rollercoaster of beat switches and cocky verses. Keem is a necessary, forward-thinking presence in the rap zeitgeist, and The Melodic Blue continues to provide his fans with plenty of unique takes on the trap genre. ~ David Crone

Product Details

Release Date:	11/04/2022
Label:	Columbia
UPC:	0194399969915
Rank:	11468

Tracks

Disc 1

1. trademark usa
2. pink panties
3. scapegoats
4. range brothers
5. issues
6. gorgeous
7. south africa
8. lost souls

Disc 2

9. cocoa
10. family ties
11. scars
12. durag activity
13. booman
14. first order of business
15. vent
16. 16

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Baby Keem   Primary Artist
Kendrick Lamar   Primary Artist
Travis Scott   Primary Artist
Brent Faiyaz   Featured Artist
Don Toliver   Featured Artist