Baby Keem

Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr. (born October 22, 2000), known professionally as Baby Keem, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Las Vegas, he gained recognition in the late 2010s with his contributions to '' Black Panther: The Album'' by his cousin Kendrick Lamar, as well as '' Redemption'' by Jay Rock, ''Crash Talk'' by Schoolboy Q, and '' The Lion King: The Gift'' by Beyoncé. As a lead artist, he gained initial recognition for his 2019 sleeper hit single "Orange Soda", which received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Keem signed with PGLang, in a joint venture with Columbia Records, to release his debut studio album, '' The Melodic Blue'' (2021). A critical success, it peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA; its single "Family Ties" won Best Rap Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. His collaborations with Kanye West on ''Donda'' (2021) and Lamar on '' Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers'' (2022) earned him two nominations for Album of the Year at the 64th and 65th Annual Grammy Awards, respectively.

Early life

Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr. was born in 2000, in Carson, California. His mother had issues with alcohol, while his father, Hykeem Carter Sr., was not an active parental figure. Carter was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, by his grandmother until the age of eight, and considers her to be his second mother. Much of his childhood was spent in music studios as he watched his aunts and uncles burn CDs using LimeWire. Carter also underwent eviction and was reliant on food stamps.

Carter was brought up around a musically talented family, where all of his uncles and cousins were rappers. His older cousins include rapper Kendrick Lamar and basketball player Nick Young; he may also be related to rapper Tanna Leone. He always expressed an interest in rapping, but was not confident with his naturally high-pitched voice and chose to wait until it was developed. When he was thirteen, Carter began producing music using Apple software on his computer. At fifteen, he borrowed $300 from his grandmother and purchased a small recording setup for his bedroom on Craigslist. Carter expressed disdain for his hometown where "everybody neweverybody", and cited its obsolete music scene as a key factor in his decision to move. He spent much of his teen years playing video games and "cooking up" in games such as '' Geometry Dash'', ''Fortnite'', and ''PUBG''. He used to post and livestream ''Minecraft'' and ''FIFA'' gameplay on YouTube and Twitch. Baby Keem attended school and produced music in his Las Vegas bedroom until his breakthrough mixtape, ''Die for my Bitch'', was released. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles to pursue a full-time career in music.

Career

2014–2018: Career beginnings

Carter made his first song, "Come Thru", during his freshman year of high school; it was removed from the Internet and he hopes " nobody will ever find it". His first extended play (EP), ''Oct'', was independently released under his birth name on November 7, 2017, but was removed from major streaming media services shortly after its release. According to ''RapTV'', the 9-track EP showed traces of Carter's future musical style by "featuring a mix of bouncy, hard beats and slower, emotional cuts". He released his second EP, ''Midnight'', on January 16, 2018. Although it showcased the same production as ''Oct'', ''RapTV'' noticed that Carter's delivery was "more confident and loud". In an interview with ''Complex'', he admitted that ''Midnight'' did not have any real artistic direction, and described the project as "just nine songs in my stash that I liked and put out".

After emailing a sample of his production to independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment, Carter contributed to the soundtrack album for the superhero film ''Black Panther'' (2018) as a producer. During the summer, he released two EPs, ''No Name'' and ''Hearts and Darts'', and produced two songs on Jay Rock's third studio album '' Redemption''. He considers ''Hearts and Darts'', which was his first project under his stage name Baby Keem, to have personality that ''Midnight'' lacked. In October 2018, he released his debut mixtape, ''The Sound of Bad Habit'', through the Orchard and Sony Music. The mixtape was executive produced by Cardo.

2019–2020: ''Die for My Bitch'' and breakthrough

In 2019, Keem released his debut single "Orange Soda". Keem produced two songs on Schoolboy Q's fifth album, ''Crash Talk'' (2019). On July 19, 2019, he produced a song for singer Beyoncé's soundtrack album '' The Lion King: The Gift'' and released his second mixtape, '' Die for My Bitch''. The alternative hip hop mixtape carried strong pop-punk and alternative rock elements, and received significant media attention. Its lead single, "Orange Soda", became a sleeper hit and helped Keem make his first appearances on the ''Billboard'' 200, ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and Emerging Artists charts. He supported the mixtape with his first concert tour, the Die for My Bitch Tour, which visited select venues across the US from November 12 to November 20, 2019.

Keem's partnership with creative services company PGLang, founded by Kendrick Lamar and filmmaker Dave Free, was announced through his appearance in the company's visual mission statement on March 5, 2020. He was included on '' XXL''s annual Freshman Class list in August. Upon signing a recording contract with Columbia Records, Keem released the single album "Hooligan / Sons & Critics" on September 18, 2020; the latter song confirmed his familial relation to Lamar after rumors began to emerge. A remix to his debut single “Orange Soda” was released featuring American rapper Rich the Kid in 2020.

2021–present: ''The Melodic Blue and Child with Wolves''

Keem was featured on Kanye West's song " Praise God" alongside Travis Scott for the former's tenth album, ''Donda'' (2021). '' The Melodic Blue'', his debut studio album, was released on September 10, 2021. He co-produced 14 of the album's 16 standard tracks. It received generally positive reviews from music critics, with praise towards its ambitious nature and Keem's growing potential, but criticism towards its "half-baked" production. The album debuted at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200, becoming Keem's first top-10 album in the US. Two of the album's four singles, " Durag Activity" with Scott and "Family Ties" with Lamar, enjoyed critical and commercial success. Keem embarked on the Melodic Blue Tour, which visited cities in North America and Europe from November 2021 to July 2022, and appeared on ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' to promote ''The Melodic Blue''. A B-side to the album was released on September 22, 2021, while the deluxe edition was released on October 28, 2022.

At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards (April 2022), "Family Ties" won Best Rap Performance. Keem produced two songs and was featured on Lamar's fifth album '' Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers'' (2022), and served as the co-opening act on the accompanying Big Steppers Tour. He also appeared on the tour's film companion. On May 30, 2023, Keem and Lamar surprise released " The Hillbillies". They headlined the first night of the 2023 Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival as the superduo of the same name. Keem made his acting debut in the short film adaptation of ''The Melodic Blue'', which was released on December 5, 2023. He executive produced the film through his in-house company, Eerie Times. In 2024, Keem announced his second studio album ''Child with Wolves''.

Artistry

Influences

One of Keem's favorite artists and main musical influences is Kid Cudi. He was heavily inspired by his cadences and emotional connection, particularly on the single "Immortal" (2013). As a child, Keem recalled listening to Kanye West's ''808s & Heartbreak'' (2008) during a rare snow day in Las Vegas and being inspired by the album's cinematic quality. He has admitted that he will "never say anything ill" about West, and credits him for consistently challenging music genre boundaries. Keem self-identifies as part of the Mike Will Made It and Metro Boomin generation of record producers, and derives inspiration from both artists.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' The Melodic Blue'' (2021)
* ''Child with Wolves'' (TBA)

Filmography

Film

Tours

Headlining
* Die For My Bitch Tour (2019)
* The Melodic Blue Tour (2021–2022)
Supporting
* Kendrick Lamar – The Big Steppers Tour (2022)

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keem, Baby
Living people
21st-century American rappers
American hip-hop record producers
Rappers from Los Angeles
Rappers from Nevada
West Coast hip-hop musicians
2000 births
American hip-hop singers
African-American male singer-songwriters
American male singer-songwriters
African-American male rappers
21st-century American male rappers
African-American record producers
21st-century African-American male singers
21st-century American male singers
Singer-songwriters from Nevada
Grammy Award winners for rap music
Minecraft YouTubers
American music YouTubers
American gaming YouTubers
YouTube channels launched in 2011
American trap musicians
Alternative hip-hop musicians
PGLang artists
People from Carson, California
YouTubers from California