A ‘00s baby growing up in Vegas, Hykeem Carter couldn’t be any less interested in a City of Sin devoid of a hip hop scene. But, maybe, it was that very boredom that fuelled the budding Grammy Award winner’s hunger to explore new horizons; working on his craft largely under the radar; purposely not reaching out or revealing his connection to his cousin – a one Kendrick Lamar – until he reached at least an adequate level of prowess.

Baby Keem’s debut album, The Melodic Blue, came in 2021, a forceful, mostly self-produced statement of intent from the burgeoning artist. Trap bangers high on ‘durag activity’ with the likes of Travis Scott pierced through wistful, cinematic moods akin to indie song-making, all the way to number five on the Billboard 200. The now LA-based rapper also had the confidence to stand proudly beside Lamar. Enter ‘family ties’, a combative, horn-laden showstopper of a track from the album, and the cousins’ first official collab. Nominated for two Grammy Awards, the single won them Best Rap Performance the following year.

While shedding the layers to allow a new vulnerability shine through, Baby Keem bolstered his resume with high-profile collabs on either side of his first studio release: he got production credits on Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift, Jay Rock’s Redemption and Schoolboy Q’s Crash Talk. He joined Kanye West’s ‘Praise God’, alongside Travis Scott, on the chart-topping Donda in 2021, and Lamar’s conscious hip-hop opus Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers in 2022, winner of Best Rap Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

Still in his early 20s, a break for this life-long student of hip-hop was long overdue. But, even away from the spotlight, Baby Keem is always writing his next chapter. Hear him roar.