Keem has both songwriting and production credits on his cousin Kendrick Lamar's project, Black Panther: The Album, TDE member Jay Rock's Redemption, Schoolboy Q's Crash Talk, and the song "Nile" from Disney's The Lion King: The Gift. Keem worked with record producer Cardo, on his two mixtapes, The Sound of a Bad Habit (2018) and Die for My Bitch (2019).
In March 2020, Keem was featured in the visual mission statement for Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free's company, pgLang. In August 2020, it was revealed Baby Keem was included on XXL's 2020 Freshman Class.
On September 18, 2020, Keem returned with the release of two new songs, "Hooligan", and "Sons & Critics Freestyle". He then released "No Sense", on March 5, 2021. On April 30, Keem released "Durag Activity" with Travis Scott. The song was followed by another collaboration with Keem’s cousin Kendrick Lamar, titled "Family Ties", which was released on August 27, 2021. These songs are featured on Keem's debut studio album The Melodic Blue, which was released on September 10, 2021. The album also included the single "Issues", which Keem performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a collaboration with Don Toliver titled "Cocoa", as well as previously-teased tracks "Vent" and "Range Brothers". Keem also made an appearance on Kanye West's tenth studio album Donda, on the song "Praise God", alongside Travis Scott.
Prior to beginning his rapping career, Hykeem Carter spent his early life (as early as 4 years old) in music studios watching his Aunts & Uncles "Burn" CD's using the famous platform Limewire, which was the most common source of free music listening back in the early 2000's. Just a few years later, he shared his memories of hearing Kanye West's album "808s & Heartbreak" on the radio while living in Las Vegas during the Winter of 2008. This sparked his interest for music even more, which spurred his music research the following year. Keem looked up to artists such as Ye, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Eminem, 50 Cent & more. [5]
Keem became a small, yet prominent YouTuber who was involved in the Minecraft Survival Games mini-game scene during the early 2010's. Keem's Minecraft account was under the in game name "hykeemc" and his YouTube account went by the alias "AllMightyModz". Keem was known for being a highly skilled player on The Hive and MCGamer Network servers, amassing more than 1,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel because of his prowess. Keem would frequently hold Skype calls where his fans could play along with him.Today, Keem's channel is inactive, however, the links on his channel direct you to Keem's current SoundCloud account.
It wasn't until 2014 that Hykeem decided to start pursuing his own musical career.
In a 2019 interview, Keem cited American musician Kid Cudi, as a major influence: "I was inspired by Cudi's cadences and shit like that. Kid Cudi's one of my favorite artists."[22]
In a 2021 interview with Billboard, Keem reportedly identified as part of the Mike WiLL Made-It and Metro Boomin generation, saying he derives inspiration from the two producers, as well as from Kanye West
Issues
Baby Keem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Memories about people all in my head
First come to mind is my mama buyin' me Jordans
Are we really made equal? 'Cause everybody got plans
I can't go ghost, I face demons
Don't let it defeat you, all in my hands
I know it's hard for you to come out that trance
I look myself in the mirror when I can
I know it's you, I know just what you do
I knew since we first got evicted out our roof
Might knew since rehab, I was six, tryna see you
How could I resent you? Demons and tissue
Grandma and I missed you
You don't know what we've been through
Don't let the wolves come get you
Please don't let them come get you
How could I resent you? Demons and tissue
Grandma and I missed you
You don't know what we've been through
Don't let the wolves come get you
Please don't let them come get you
Run away from home, run away from home
When the night's gone, when the night's gone
Run away from home, run away from home-ome-ome-ome-ome
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why y'all seem to be convinced?
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why y'all question my exit?
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why y'all livin' on the fence?
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why I'm sleepin' on it?
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why it get me so upset?
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why y'all want me dead?
Why you listen to the demons in your head?
Why do we play victim? Good times are ahead
Attention, this is my life sentence, huh, huh
You're committed, huh, defensive 'bout your vision, huh, huh
Don't you get offended, huh
When the darkness hits, I'll show you all that I'm not kiddin', huh
Grow a tree, plant the seed, let it breathe
My sister RiRi only see me on the screen
I know she needs me, I can't help but feel T
How could I resent you? Demons and tissue
Grandma and I missed you
You don't know what we've been through
Don't let the wolves come get you
Please don't let them come get you
How could I resent you? Demons and tissue
Grandma and I missed you
You don't know what we've been through
Don't let the wolves come get you
Please don't let them come get you
In "Issues" by Baby Keem, he reflects on his past and the struggles that come with it. He describes how he has distanced himself from his friends and becomes caught up in the memories of the people in his life. The first memory that comes to his mind is his mother buying him a pair of Jordans, which makes him question whether everyone is truly made equal. He wrestles with his demons and tries not to let them defeat him, even though they are always in his mind.
The lyrics speak to the deep pain that Baby Keem carries with him, stemming from his past. He talks about running away from home and questioning why people are so convinced that he should stay. He also questions why people question his decisions and why they are living on the fence. Despite all of this, he is determined to move forward and create a better life. He talks about growing a tree and planting the seed, emphasizing the importance of taking responsibility for one's life and not giving up.
Overall, "Issues" is a powerful song that explores themes of pain, struggle, and resilience. It is a reflection on the challenges we all face in life and a reminder to not let the demons in our heads defeat us.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been duckin' my friends, I've been stuck on my ends
I have been avoiding my friends and focusing on my own goals
Memories about people all in my head
I have memories of people stored in my mind
First come to mind is my mama buyin' me Jordans
The first memory that comes to mind is my mother buying me Jordans
Are we really made equal? 'Cause everybody got plans
I wonder if we are all truly equal since everyone has their own plans
I can't go ghost, I face demons
I cannot disappear, I must confront my fears and problems
Don't let it defeat you, all in my hands
I must not let my problems defeat me, it all depends on my actions
I know it's hard for you to come out that trance
I understand it can be difficult for you to break free from your current state of mind
I look myself in the mirror when I can
I try to analyze myself when I can
Let's speak the truth, tell me in pieces
Let's be honest, tell me bit by bit
I know it's you, I know just what you do
I know it's you and I understand your actions
I knew since we first got evicted out our roof
I knew since we were first evicted from our home
Might knew since rehab, I was six, tryna see you
I might have known since rehab at the age of six, when I was trying to see you
How could I resent you? Demons and tissue
How could I hold a grudge against you? We have both faced our own inner demons
Grandma and I missed you
Both my grandma and I have missed you
You don't know what we've been through
You don't fully understand what we have experienced
Don't let the wolves come get you
Don't let the negative forces in life overcome you
Please don't let them come get you
Please do not let them defeat you
Run away from home, run away from home
Escape from your surroundings, flee from your problems
When the night's gone, when the night's gone
When the darkness and difficulties have passed
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why y'all seem to be convinced?
Why are you all so convinced of something?
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why y'all question my exit?
Why are you all questioning my decision to leave?
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why y'all livin' on the fence?
Why are you all indecisive and not taking sides?
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why I'm sleepin' on it?
Why am I struggling to come to a decision?
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why it get me so upset?
Why does it make me so upset?
Why, oh why, oh why, oh why y'all want me dead?
Why do you all want me to fail?
Why you listen to the demons in your head?
Why do you let your inner demons control you?
Why do we play victim? Good times are ahead
Why do we keep playing the victim? Good times are coming
Attention, this is my life sentence, huh, huh
Listen up, this is my life and I am committed to it
You're committed, huh, defensive 'bout your vision, huh, huh
You are committed to your own vision and become defensive about it
Don't you get offended, huh
Don't become offended
When the darkness hits, I'll show you all that I'm not kiddin', huh
When the difficult times come, I will show you all that I am serious
Grow a tree, plant the seed, let it breathe
Let something grow, start from the beginning and give it space to develop
My sister RiRi only see me on the screen
My sister RiRi only sees me through the media
I know she needs me, I can't help but feel T
I know she needs me and I cannot ignore this feeling
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Hykeem Jamaal Jr. Carter, Jahaan Sweet
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SteezyKane
The composition/framing at 3:30 is so beautiful
@Vlad79X
steezyy!
@lxwkey_biggz4074
The whole pictures and visuals in this is beautiful to
@alfiansyaharrazak5502
LEST GO ON FKIN SINGING IN PUBLIC STEEZYYY!!
@solartea_
almost cried
@ultimavillain
annotations spoiled this visual moment
@theJGGLS
Easily the best song on the whole album 🔥🥲
@iamlivehere5067
https://youtu.be/KusJPhptgTg ❤️
@vloggangingtv9253
YO BROOKLYN STAND I BELIEVE THIS KID GOT WHAT IT TAKES 🚀 https://youtu.be/mo5cc9fpZDI
@payten8103
Silver gold copper
https://youtube.com/shorts/3-hcafyPyCA?feature=share
🎵