Baby Keem Breaks His Silence With New Album Ca$ino

Article by Dexter Hargreaves, University Union Editorial Board

Staff Writer | Photo by Anthony Blue Jr./PG Lang

Five years after his breakout album The Melodic Blue, Baby Keem returned suddenly with the release of his second studio album Ca$ino. The elusive Las Vegas rapper made a huge splash in hip-hop in 2021, winning the 2022 Grammy for Best Rap Song with his smash hit “family ties” featuring Kendrick Lamar. The pair of cousins went on a national tour together and released another single with “The Hillbillies”. After that, Baby Keem went away. Years went by without a word, but he never left the public consciousness. Then, in February 2026, Baby Keem announced his long awaited follow up album, Ca$ino.

Compared to cities like Atlanta and Los Angeles, Las Vegas doesn’t have a strong hip-hop tradition. Baby Keem is one of the only rappers from the city to reach a national and global audience. It’s always been an influence on his sound, drawing from multiple places and eras to create something unique. Here, he draws directly from Sin City, creating a concept album about his upbringing in Vegas.

Along with the announcement, he released a series of short documentaries on YouTube called Booman I, Booman II, and Booman III. The films featured home videos and interviews with Baby Keem’s family, including his aunt Connie and his cousin, Kendrick Lamar. Keem grew up surrounded by drugs, addiction, gambling, and violence, but throughout it all, he had family and music. 

These documentaries set the stage for Baby Keem to create an almost autobiographical concept album, reflecting on his whole life and career. The opening track, “No Security,” is filled with references to past songs, like the line “Going back and forth to jail, should I bail? Where can I vent”, as well as direct references to family members, like the death of his Uncle Andre. The drumless instrumental and vocal sample lulls the listener into the album before the first real banger.

The title track “Ca$ino” samples a casino slot machine to create a buzzy, rage-like synth. Coupled with powerful 808s and a killer beat switch, “Ca$ino” is the standout track from the album. Next in the tracklist is the quirky and effortlessly infectious “Birds & the Bees”. The plucky synths and airy vocal samples create a truly unique sonic character that at times falls flat. Keem’s easy flows save the track, with one of the best earworm hooks in his catalogue. 

The relaxed and melodic track “Good Flirts” has the first features of the album, from none other than Kendrick Lamar and singer Momo Boyd. Simple production forces the listener's ears to the sensual storytelling. Like the last track, when the production fails to engage, the performances from Keem and company keep the track from completely falling flat. 

Though not listed in the track title, Kendrick is also featured on “House Money”. Switching back to the bangers, “House Money” feels much like the past collabs between self-called “Hillbillies”. However, again, the production doesn’t quite keep up with the bite of the duo’s performances, something that felt completely level on “family ties” and “range brothers”. The duo will always deliver, turning even completely nonsensical and random bars into hard moments. 

“I am not a Lyricist” brings back the contemplation seen on the opening track. Keem bears his soul, telling the story of his experience in Vegas. On this track, as the title suggests, Keem describes himself as not a lyricist, but someone telling their story. Not twisting words or creating careful bars, but channeling their life lived into music. Being serious hasn’t always been Keem’s strong suit, but from this track, he shows how much he’s matured. He’s created personas, like Booman and Two Phone Baby Keem, but this is the real deal. 

“$ex Appeal” featuring rapper Too $hort is one of the more forgettable tracks from the record. Keem nor Too $hort leave much of an impression in their performances, and the production is flat and unexciting. For what is supposed to be a sexy, danceable track, it comes off more awkward and off-putting. 

A sequel to the track from the deluxe edition of 2022’s The Melodic Blue, “Highway 95 pt.2” is another personal track. Lyrics about running away from abuse and a broken home, escaping on the highway, develop in the stories told on “I am not a Lyricist”. The producer samples the classic  “I Do Love You” by G.Q., but that doesn't save the instrumental from being boring and one-note. Keem’s honest lyrics do the heavy lifting again. 

“Circus Circus Free$tyle” is another standout track from the album. Featuring more than two beat switches and flow changes, this is one of the most alike Baby Keem’s catalogue, fitting right in with tracks as far back as his 2018 mixtape “The Sound of Bad Habit”. Though it has the punch of his old bangers, the new, mature Baby Keem is still in full swing here. His quirkiness is still there, but he’s got something important to say. 

The most light-hearted and summery track of the album is “Dramatic Girl” featuring Che Ecru. Expect this one to blow up once the weather warms up later in the year. The bright production and infectious melodic performances from Keem and Ecru would put a smile on just about anyone's face. A true love song, it almost doesn’t fit with the album as a whole, but it's a welcome change after the often deeply sad tracks from the tracklist. 

Wrapping up the album is the final track “No Blame”. After telling the story of his struggles in Vegas and beyond in the previous tracks, here he speaks directly to his mother in a heart-aching fashion. Keem exclaims, “I don’t blame you momma,” accepting her life’s struggles, in particular her gambling addiction. Where the other story-heavy tracks on the album flounder in their production, here it all clicks together. Powerful but low-key piano keys support the heavy material of Keem’s lyrics, and the sample flip establishes the perfect atmosphere. A neat bow on a mixed bag of tracks, it ends the album the right way. 

Though perhaps not quite reaching the heights and overall quality of his debut album, Baby Keem tells the story he needed to with “Ca$ino”. Struck with grief and still coming to terms with his newfound fame, Keem established himself as more than Kendrick Lamar’s quirky cousin and frequent collaborator. Never defined by a single sound or style, Keem flexes his range on every project. Even when he misses here, it’s hard not to respect that he is being himself more than artists are brave enough to. For any fan of hip-hop, it’s worth a spin.