After a six-year hiatus, Baby Keem finally dropped an album. His 2021 project, “The Melodic Blue,” is considered a modern classic by many hip-hop fans, so his new album “Ca$ino” had lofty expectations considering the wait and the album that preceded it.
Should you take a gamble and listen to “Ca$ino?” The answer is yes. Although it’s not on the same level as “The Melodic Blue,” it is still a high-quality album.
The album sees Keem talking about the struggles he had while growing up in Las Vegas and we see a vulnerable version of the artist, which is heartfelt at times.
One problem with this is that the album features a mix of deep, emotional songs and high energy tracks, which is fine, but the way they are organized on the album can give you whiplash while listening.
“I am not a lyricist” is a heartfelt song that talks about how rapping helped Baby Keem express his struggles, but it is sandwiched between “House Money” and “$ex Appeal.” Both are hype, high energy songs and listening to the album I saw myself going through an uncomfortable rollercoaster of emotions, a trend that pops up more than once in the album.
One thing is that all songs, happy or sad, have in common is amazing production. Every beat is engaging and there are some that had me jumping out of my seat on first listen with how good they were.
Unfortunately, there are some tracks that despite the amazing beat, don’t reach the next level of greatness due to lyrical setbacks, like “Circus Circus Free$tyle” that has some moments I am really into but then questionable lyrics take me out of the experience.
The worst lyrical performance by far on this album surprisingly comes from Kendrick Lamar, who put up a putrid verse on “Good Flirts.” Seeing an artist of his caliber put out that verse felt like seeing Tiger Woods miss a one-foot putt, and not just miss it, but miss it so bad that the ball rolls off course and ends up in the drink.
Those were some missteps on an otherwise great album. Most of the songs take advantage of the great production and Baby Keem feels like he goes unconscious sometimes with amazing flows like on “Highway 95 pt. 2” and “Birds & the Bees.”
The album is short with a 37-minute run time which left some fans feeling cheated as they waited six years for an album. I don’t mind. I would rather have a short album where the artist says everything they need to say instead of an album that drags on for the sake of dragging on.
Ca$ino is a 7.5/10, right on the verge of being a classic. There are some missteps. Whether it is song placement or lyrics that hold it back, it’s unfortunately on the outside looking in on the club of legendary albums.
The best songs on the album are “95 Highway pt. 2,” “Dramatic Girl” and “$ex Appeal.”
The Ca$ino album cover. Picture by Amazon Music.