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
MY EX
Baby Keem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I think it's time to face it that I hate my ex
If you want to get complacent, think I'll hate you next
And I want to see you naked, but I hate safe sex, yeah
Show some emotion, make it multiply
You don't like to focus, cause I'm in and out your life
Show some emotion and I'll make it multiply
You don't like to focus, cause I'm in and out your life
Smokin' big protein and it's potent
Now I'm on to the next, ay
Had a feelin, now I'm on to the next, ay
And I put in my songs cause I'm stressed
Either way it's still fun, yeah yeah yeah yeah
I'ma laugh at your wrongs, yeah yeah yeah yeah
Put your ass in my arms, yeah yeah yeah yeah
You want it fast, want it long. Yeah yeah yeah yeah
I'm the one
What would you say
When I see you it's like staring at him in the face
My life changed when I seen you with your new bae
Not the fact you moved on, it's the principle
Why you talk to bums, treat the louie like a visitor
You say this nigga average and that's just what you like
You hate when I ignore you, I have to board my flight
This won't be the first time that I confess
And I think it's time to face it that I hate my ex
If you want to get complacent, think I'll hate you next
And I want to see you naked, but I hate safe sex, yeah
Show some emotion, make it multiply
You don't like to focus, cause I'm in and out your life
Show some emotion and I'll make it multiply
You don't like to focus, cause I'm in and out your life
This won't be the first time that I confess
And I think it's time to face it that I hate my ex
If you want to get complacent, think I'll hate you next
And I want to see you naked, but I hate safe sex, yeah
Show some emotion, make it multiply
You don't like to focus, cause I'm in and out your life
Show some emotion and I'll make it multiply
You don't like to focus, cause I'm in and out your life
The lyrics of Baby Keem's song "MY EX" is centered around the rapper’s complicated relationship with his ex. He confesses that he hates his ex and will hate the next person who tries to get comfortable with him. Baby Keem wants to see his ex naked but hates safe sex, which may be a metaphor for how he wants to take risks with his relationships, but he doesn't want to play it safe. He wants his ex to show emotion and multiply it, but she doesn't like to focus because he's always in and out of her life.
The second verse indicates that Baby Keem has moved on to the next person without much remorse. He put his feelings about his ex in his songs, hoping that it would ease his stress. He laughs at her mistakes while putting his arms around the next person. He mentions that his ex is talking to a "bum," treating his Louis Vuitton bag like a guest, and liking an average person, all of which irritate Baby Keem. He hates it when she talks to him, and he has to leave to board his flight.
Overall, the song portrays a complicated relationship with mixed emotions, including love and hate, but both parties must move on.
Line by Line Meaning
This won't be the first time that I confess
I've said this before, but I need to say it again
And I think it's time to face it that I hate my ex
I finally need to acknowledge that I have negative feelings towards my ex
If you want to get complacent, think I'll hate you next
If you act like my ex, I'll start to hate you too
And I want to see you naked, but I hate safe sex, yeah
I desire you sexually, but I don't like to practice safe sex
Show some emotion, make it multiply
Express your feelings and deepen our connection
You don't like to focus, cause I'm in and out your life
You have a hard time staying committed to me because I'm not always around
Smokin' big protein and it's potent
I'm smoking a strong strain of cannabis
Now I'm on to the next, ay
I've moved on to someone else
I'ma laugh at your wrongs, yeah yeah yeah yeah
I find amusement in your mistakes
Put your ass in my arms, yeah yeah yeah yeah
I want to hold you close to me
You want it fast, want it long. Yeah yeah yeah yeah
You desire sex with me to be quick and passionate
I'm the one
I'm the best option for you
What would you say
What do you have to say for yourself?
When I see you it's like staring at him in the face
Seeing you with someone else feels like a direct insult to me
My life changed when I seen you with your new bae
My life shifted when I saw you with your new partner
Not the fact you moved on, it's the principle
It's not that you moved on, it's the way you did it that bothers me
Why you talk to bums, treat the louie like a visitor
I don't understand why you waste your time on losers and don't appreciate luxury
You say this nigga average and that's just what you like
You claim to prefer an average person, but your actions say otherwise
You hate when I ignore you, I have to board my flight
You dislike being ignored, but I have to leave quickly
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hykeem Carter, Johnny Kosich, Lyle Anthony Leduff, Matt Schaeffer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind