Baby Keem Hits No. 1
Baby Keem's *Ca$ino* debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 72,000 units first week. He celebrated with his first live show in three years at NYC's Webster Hall on March 4, performing new material and older hits.
The No. 1 debut for *Ca$ino* significantly outperforms that of his first studio album, *The Melodic Blue*, which landed at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 with 53,000 units in its first week. That album was widely praised by critics and was considered by some to be the best rap album of 2021. A key part of Keem's rise is his collaboration with his cousin, Kendrick Lamar. Their 2021 single "Family Ties" won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance, earning Keem his first Grammy and Lamar his 14th. Keem has also contributed production and songwriting to projects like Lamar's *Black Panther* soundtrack and Schoolboy Q's *Crash Talk*. The 25-year-old artist is a hands-on producer for most of his own work, known for his distinctive vocal delivery, beat switches, and experimental sound. He is one of the flagship artists for pgLang, the multidisciplinary media company founded by Lamar and former Top Dawg Entertainment president Dave Free. Prior to his major-label debut, the Las Vegas-raised rapper built a following with mixtapes like 2019's *Die for My Bitch*, which featured the sleeper hit "Orange Soda." He also gained wider recognition through a feature on Kanye West's 2021 album *Donda* on the track "Praise God."
