"Durag Activity" is a song by American rappers
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'' ...
and
Travis Scott
Jacques Bermon Webster III (born April 30, 1991), known professionally as Travis Scott (formerly stylized as Travi$ Scott), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Scott has had five number-one hits on the U.S. ''Bil ...
. It was released through
and
PGLang
PGLang (stylized as pgLang, an abbreviation for "program language") is an American independent multidisciplinary creative communications company headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded and owned by Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free, it specializes in ...
as the lead single from Keem's debut studio album, ''
The Melodic Blue
''The Melodic Blue'' is the debut studio album by the American rapper and record producer Baby Keem. It was released on September 10, 2021, by PGLang and Columbia Records, with Keem serving as the executive producer. The standard version of the ...
'', on April 30, 2021. Released on Scott's 30th birthday, he and Keem wrote the song with producer Justin "Brick!" Howze. A
durag
A durag ( alternate spellings) is a close-fitting cloth tied around the top of the head to protect the hair; similarly a wave cap is a close-fitting cap for the same purpose. Durags may be worn to accelerate the development of long curly/kinky ...
is a close-fitting cloth tied around the top of the head to protect the hair.
Background
The song was announced by Baby Keem on April 21, 2021, before it was released on Travis Scott’s birthday, April 30.
In May 2021,
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
posted a photo of herself wearing a bandana with "durag activity" in the captions on
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
. Keem responded with, "...Can I send you a Durag?" and then, "did I humble Madonna?"
Composition
Wongo Okon of
Uproxx
Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...
describes the song as Baby Keem "leading the way with near-
mumble rap
Mumble rap (sometimes referred to as SoundCloud rap or non-lyrical rap) is a loosely defined microgenre of Hip-hop, hip hop that largely spread via the online audio distribution platform SoundCloud in the 2010s. The term implies "mumbling", or ...
s" before Travis Scott "arrives with his trademark autotune croons".
In the song, Baby Keem and Travis Scott talk about "money, influence, and women in their lives", which they describe as "durag activity", over a "clicking, slinking" beat. "Distorted piano chords" can also be heard in the instrumental.
Critical reception
Sophie Caraan of ''Hypebeast'' writes, "The effortless delivery from both Keem and Scott provide a new layer of texture for the bars they drop — which are mostly about getting rich — and almost gives it a new meaning, putting emphasis on the importance fusion of flow, cadence and lyricism."
Erika Marie of ''HotNewHipHop'' called the song "laid back" and "slow-burning".
Music video
An accompanying music video was released on April 30, 2021. Directed by Eliel Ford, it depicts Baby Keem as a
mob boss
A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, mafia don, mob boss, kingpin, or godfather is the leader of a criminal organization.
Description
A crime boss has absolute or nearly absolute control over the other members of the organization and is ...
and opens with him in a suit, rapping his verse while someone in the background is beat up.
After "laying hands on an enemy", Keem gets tied to a chair with Travis Scott, but they "reverse the situation".
Charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
2021 singles
2021 songs
Baby Keem songs
Columbia Records singles
Songs written by Travis Scott
Travis Scott songs