ALBUM REVIEW: Ca$ino

Album: Ca$ino

Artist: Baby Keem

Label: pgLang LLC/Columbia Records/Sony Music Entertainment

Grade: A

It took four years for Baby Keem to return after the masterpiece that was The Melodic Blue, and while Ca$ino is less than half the size of its predecessor, it is more than enough to showcase the Californian rapper’s broad range of skills.

Baby Keem opens the album by reflecting on the pressure of wanting to produce more great art, comparing it to the pressures of life before fame and the desire to continue to save his family from financial burdens. The song then abruptly ends on the sound of a spinning slot machine. 

Across the album, Keem likens his life and decisions to gambling at a casino and the confidence that he gained from winning his bets on himself. 

Kendrick Lamar makes ad-lib appearances on multiple tracks, but gets an official feature credit on “Good Flirts,” where both artists speak on on-and-off relationships. On “Highway 95 pt.2” and “I am not a Lyricist,” Keem explains that if he didn’t bet on himself and win, he would fall into the bad habits that plague his community. 

He balances that with bouncy California vibes on “$ex Appeal,” featuring Too $hort, a filthy five-minute freestyle on “Circus Circus Free$tyle,” and “Dramatic Girl,” featuring Che Ecru, the most melodically pleasing track on the project. 

Keem ends off with “No Blame,” venting about his mother’s tragic death and the abuse she endured while alive. As a prodigy of Kendrick Lamar, we couldn’t expect anything less than perfection, and after the wait since his last masterpiece, Baby Keem delivered on all fronts.

— Zafir Nagji