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
TOP RAMEN
Baby Keem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not finna slide if your block hot
Big rock band, he's a shooter
Heard him talkin' about the hacks, no computer (yeah)
Eat a drumstick (yeah)
Top dawg, but my bitch still eat top ramen (yeah)
Met my mom
My mom said she a top woman (yeah)
I don't sneak around, if I do, I have fun (huh)
If they cancel me, then I retire, get the drum (yeah)
If they cancel me, then I might have to pop the trunk (yeah)
If they cancel me, I black on black my air force ones (yeah, let's go)
Tired of rah-rah-rah
Serve a look, bitch face like raw, raw, raw
Say he quit the double cup, that's raw, raw, raw
Hit your ho, I'm finna nut, say bye, bye, bye
Leave a nigga stranded
I'm a fuck nigga (yeah, yeah)
I'm a fuckin' bandit (yeah)
On my momma janice (okay)
Eatin' church's chicken (chicken)
All I eat is chicken (yeah)
Beat the box like (let's go)
Beat the box like (let's go)
Whole foods on my neck, fuckin' up
Pink clothes to my neck, fuckin' up
My bitch messy, my neck fuckin' up
I get bands, you pay respect, fuckin' up
Check, check, check, check, check please
Check one, two, get your bitch off me
Your bitch on tv if my sex tape leak
Your bitch on dvd, she won an espy
Tired of raw, raw, raw
Serve a look, bitch phrase like raw, raw, raw
Say he quit the double cut, that's raw, raw, raw
Hit your ho, I'm finna nut, say bye, bye, bye
In "Top Ramen," Baby Keem expresses his frustration with the superficiality and hype-driven nature of the industry. He starts by declaring he's tired of the "rah-rah-rah," which can be interpreted as the constant noise and promotion of a certain lifestyle and image. He then mentions that he's not willing to engage in dangerous activities like sliding in hot blocks just to keep up a certain image. He also references a shooter who talks about hacking without the help of a computer, which could imply that the person is skilled at manipulating things to his advantage without leaving a trace, be it in the music industry or elsewhere.
Keem then proceeds to talk about his humble beginnings, where he and his family used to eat cheap food, like top ramen. He proudly mentions his mother, who he refers to as a top woman, highlighting the importance of family and values. His girlfriend, who also eats top ramen, seems to be more interested in his fame and status than in these basic principles, as she is described as "messy" and causing chaos. Despite this, Keem claims he remains conscious and true to himself, refusing to sneak around or compromise his values. He concludes the song with a threat that if he were to be canceled, he'd respond with violent measures.
The song appears to be a commentary on the superficiality of the music industry, the cost of fame and celebrity, and the importance of staying true to oneself. Baby Keem seems to be reflective of his upbringing and appears frustrated by the changes he's encountered since entering the industry, with his values remaining unchanged.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sick of the rah-rah-rah
I'm tired of all the hype and nonsense.
I'm not finna slide if your block hot
I'm not going to come over if it's too dangerous there.
Big rock band, he's a shooter
The guy with the big rock band is also an excellent shooter.
Heard him talkin' about the hacks, no computer (yeah)
He knows how to break into things, but he doesn't need a computer.
Eat a drumstick (yeah)
I love fried chicken drumsticks.
Top dawg, but my bitch still eat top ramen (yeah)
I have a lot of success, but my girlfriend still eats cheap instant noodles.
Met my mom
I introduced my girlfriend to my mother.
My mom said she a top woman (yeah)
My mother thinks that my girlfriend is amazing.
I got fame and she help me keep my conscious (yeah)
My girlfriend keeps me grounded and helps me stay true to myself despite my fame.
I don't sneak around, if I do, I have fun (huh)
I prefer to be honest, but occasionally I like to be sneaky just for the thrill of it.
If they cancel me, then I retire, get the drum (yeah)
If people stop liking me or cancel me, I'll retire and go back to eating fried chicken drumsticks.
If they cancel me, then I might have to pop the trunk (yeah)
If people don't like me, I might have to physically fight them.
If they cancel me, I black on black my air force ones (yeah, let's go)
If people don't like me, I'll wear all black clothing with my black Nike Air Force 1 shoes.
Tired of rah-rah-rah
I'm tired of all the hype and nonsense.
Serve a look, bitch face like raw, raw, raw
She has a dirty look on her face and is annoyed.
Say he quit the double cup, that's raw, raw, raw
He says he no longer drinks lean, but I don't believe him.
Hit your ho, I'm finna nut, say bye, bye, bye
I'm going to have sex with your girlfriend and then leave her.
Leave a nigga stranded
I'll abandon you if things get too tough.
I'm a fuck nigga (yeah, yeah)
I'm a player and like to have sex with many women.
I'm a fuckin' bandit (yeah)
I'm a thief and take whatever I want.
On my momma janice (okay)
I swear on my mother's name that I'm telling the truth.
Eatin' church's chicken (chicken)
I'm eating fried chicken from Church's Chicken fast food restaurant.
All I eat is chicken (yeah)
I really love fried chicken and eat it all the time.
Beat the box like (let's go)
I enjoy having sex and make a reference to it here.
Whole foods on my neck, fuckin' up
I'm wearing expensive Whole Foods jewelry that's causing a commotion.
Pink clothes to my neck, fuckin' up
I'm wearing expensive pink clothing around my neck that's causing a commotion.
My bitch messy, my neck fuckin' up
My girlfriend is causing trouble, and my expensive jewelry is getting ruined.
I get bands, you pay respect, fuckin' up
I'm making a lot of money, and people respect me.
Check, check, check, check, check please
I want to pay for this and leave.
Check one, two, get your bitch off me
I don't want your girlfriend around me.
Your bitch on tv if my sex tape leak
If my sex tape gets leaked, your girlfriend will probably be on TV.
Your bitch on dvd, she won an espy
Your girlfriend won an award for her performance in my sex tape.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hykeem Jamaal Jr. Carter, Kalon Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind