Las Vegas, NV · rap · hip-hop

Baby Keem

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The family ties run deep — elastic, unpredictable rap with pgLang polish and beat-switches that keep entire songs off balance in the best way.

Baby Keem, born Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr. in Carson, California, grew up mostly in Las Vegas and Long Beach, raised largely by his grandmother until he was eight after his mother struggled with alcohol and his father was mostly absent. His extended family was full of working rappers, including his cousin Kendrick Lamar, and he spent much of his childhood around home studios.

He began producing music around age thirteen and bought a home recording setup at fifteen with money borrowed from his grandmother. An early independent EP, Oct, released under his birth name in 2017, preceded the breakthrough mixtape Die for My Bitch. He first drew wider attention as a producer and writer, contributing to Kendrick Lamar's Black Panther: The Album and Beyonce's The Lion King: The Gift.

His 2019 single 'Orange Soda' became a sleeper hit, later certified quadruple platinum, and built his following as a solo artist. His music is marked by abrupt beat switches, shifting vocal registers and a loose, off-kilter approach to song structure.

He is signed to pgLang, the company co-founded by his cousin Kendrick Lamar, in a joint venture with Columbia Records. His debut album, The Melodic Blue, arrived in 2021, reaching number five on the Billboard 200 and going platinum; its track 'Family Ties', featuring Lamar, won Best Rap Performance at the Grammys.

He also appeared on Kanye West's Donda and on Lamar's Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, earning him two Album of the Year Grammy nominations. His second album, Casino, followed in 2026.

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