Baby Keem

Kendrick Lamar And Baby Keem’s ‘The Hillbillies’ Has Fans Thinking That It’s A Nuanced Drake Diss

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For years, rap fans have maintained that Drake’s greatest foe and rival is not Kanye West or Pusha T, but Kendrick Lamar. While neither rapper has released any overtly disrespectful material mentioning the other by name, fans are convinced that Drake and Kendrick have been subtly shading each other for nearly a decade despite Drake giving Kendrick a leg-up on his 2011 album Take Care and even going to his concerts.

Baby Keem and Kendrick’s new song “The Hillbillies” has added fuel to the flame, with fans noting Kendrick using a similar flow to Drake and wondering whether it’s yet another subtle jab at the Canadian star. As one fan noted, “Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem used Drake’s Sticky flow and this is how it came out.” Another noted the similarity between Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind track “Sticky” and Kendrick and Keem’s use of Jersey club drums and similar cadences, writing, “Now give Drake his credit for predicting dance music was the new wave cause Hillbillies is just Kendrick’s version of Sticky.”

However, some fans have interpreted the use of the so-called “Sticky flow” a sneaky dig at Drake, with one comparing their lyrics and asserting that “kendrick is not jacking drake he’s CLOWNING HIM.” Others are using the wording of Keem’s own tweet promoting the track as evidence it’s meant to be a parody or spoof of Drake’s, noting that Keem himself called it “Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar – The Hillbillies (Sticky Dub).”

There is, of course, the third option: that it’s a homage, made out of respect for Drake’s efforts in pushing the boundaries of hip-hop. After all, the use of “dub” is a nod to the Jamaican dancehall practice of “dubbing” popular hits with remixes and covers. In fact, the soundclash battles upon which hip-hop was founded stem from DJs competing to find or mix the rarest dubs in order to draw bigger crowds and responses with their respective sound systems.

Now, whether it’s a diss, a dub, or a case of follow-the-leader, it’s still pushing forward the genre and the culture — and goes to show how both Drake and Kendrick aren’t just fixtures of rap, but pioneers in guiding it to its future.

Will Kendrick Lamar And Baby Keem Headline Camp Flog Gnaw 2023?

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Last year, Tyler The Creator did not host his annual Camp Flog Gnaw festival. “It’s really not that deep,” his manager Chris Clancy explained at the time. “Tyler toured all year and was busy with a number of projects. Reading the tea leaves and what’s happening with festivals coming out of the pandemic, we thought it would be best to come back next year.”

Fans are awaiting an announcement. But Tuesday, May 30 was a big signifier of exciting things en route. Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar, noted cousins and collaborators, teamed up for a new song called “The Hillbillies,” in which they rap over a sample of Bon Iver’s “PDLIF.” The video catches the pair in LA’s Beverly Center Mall as well as Dodger Stadium.

Where Camp Flog Gnaw comes into play is when Tyler The Creator makes an unexpected cameo toward the end of the video, appearing alongside Keem and Kenny at the Dodger Stadium entrance where a button on his shirt announces that the festival is returning for 2023.

So, are Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem headlining this year’s Camp Flog Gnaw? It’s not confirmed, but it’s looking quite safe to assume so. Why else would the announcement occur in their music video?

Watch the video above.

“The Hillbillies” Earns Kendrick Lamar & Baby Keem Mostly Praise From Twitter

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Much to his fans’ enjoyment, Kendrick Lamar is making his presence felt his month. 2023 has been a quiet year so far for the father of two, following the massive success he found in 2022 with his long-awaited Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers album. He likely won’t be turning out a full-length project anytime soon, but he did make his voice heard on the remix of Beyonce’s “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM,” which arrived just a few dates into her RENAISSANCE World Tour.

That taste of Lamar was enough to satisfy our itch – for now – but he wasn’t done there. On Tuesday (May 30), he and little cousin Baby Keem joined forces for yet another collaborative track. In the past, we’ve heard them connect on “Savior” from the DAMN. hitmaker’s aforementioned LP, as well as “family ties” and “range brothers” on Keem’s The Melodic Blue. Now, they’ve joined forces for “The Hillbillies,” which arrived exclusively on YouTube along with a video featuring an appearance from Tyler, the Creator.

Read More: Beyonce Taps Kendrick Lamar For “America Has A Problem” Remix

Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar Reunite on “The Hillbillies”

Not only does the OFWGKTA head show off his iconic style and unique dance moves, but he also confirms that the next CAMP FLOG GNAW event will be taking place at Dodger’s Stadium later this year. The news was incredibly exciting to Twitter users, who have been praising Tyler for his work. As for Lamar and Keem, not everyone is a fan of “The Hillbillies,” though many are pleased with the interpolation of Drake’s “Sticky” from Honestly, Nevermind along with the use of a Bon Iver sample.

“It’s cool but if this is the single for a collab album then I’m worried,” one person expressed, seemingly expecting more from the legendary lyricists. “Yeah that Kendrick Lamar x Baby Keem collab album is bound to happen at some point,” someone else chimed in, hopefully speaking the project into existence.

Read More: Are Baby Keem And Kendrick Lamar Related?

Twitter Reacts

Keep scrolling to take in more social media reactions to Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem’s “The Hillbillies” collaboration. Which of the duo’s joint releases has been your favourite so far? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more pop culture/hip-hop news updates.

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Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar Return (And Sample Bon Iver) With The Irreverent New Single, ‘The Hillbillies’

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The West Coast’s favorite cousins continue their collaborative chemistry as Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar reunite and return with their first new single in almost two years, “The Hillbillies.” Over a bass-led, Jersey Club-inspired beat that samples Bon Iver’s “PDLIF,” the dynamic duo trades cheeky bars about their favorite subjects: girls and clothes. In the grainy, low-fi video accompanying the release, the cousins galivant through LA’s Beverly Center Mall (get it? “The Hillbillies?”) and get a private tour of Dodger Stadium.

Tyler The Creator also makes an appearance toward the end of the video, hanging out with Keem and Kenny at the Dodger Stadium entrance, where he reveals (via a button on a T-shirt) that his Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival is returning to the venue in 2023 after being away since the pandemic. Since he’s revealing it in their video, presumably the pgLang boys will be involved somehow — either as investors or performers.

We last heard from Baby Keem in October, when he released a deluxe version of his debut album The Melodic Blue after both headlining his own tour for the album and joining Kendrick on the Big Steppers Tour, where Kendrick called him a “musical genius.”

Listen to Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar’s “The Hillbillies” above.

Are Baby Keem And Kendrick Lamar Related?

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People are wondering if Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem are related. Kendrick Lamar is one of the biggest names in the music world. People who don’t listen to rap know who he is. People that dismissive of most current rap approve of him. Whenever the greatest rappers of all time are discussed, they bring his name up. For many people, he is the epitome of what it means to be an artist – not just a rapper. Many audiences universally celebrated and acclaimed him. His album, To Pimp A Butterfly, has been praised by many for its innovation. His most recent album, Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers, has been praised for its vulnerability. Kendrick has done multiple collaborations throughout his career. Overall, one of the most prominent ones was with Baby Keem.

Baby Keem is a rapper from California. He built a buzz for himself around singles before dropping a full length project. The cover art for his singles became instantly recognizable. One of the first ones he released was called “FRANCE FREESTYLE”. The cover art for this single looked like a dark blue paint swatch. Many people saw this as aesthetically pleasing. He used the same template for a single called “ORANGE SODA”. But, this time used an orange paint swatch. He continued this for three more singles. Often, he could simply post the artwork and people would know it meant a new single was coming. However, his single titled “family ties” departed from that format. It featured a family photo with almost all the members’ eyes covered by a black bar. This was the artwork for his single with Kendrick Lamar.  

They Have Made Music Together

Baby Keem’s most recent project is titled The Melodic Blue. One of the singles for it was a song called “family ties”. Before the song was released, there was quite a buzz surrounding it. For many people, the interest in it came from the Kendrick Lamar feature. Before this point, Kendrick had not dropped a project since DAMN. in 2017. Within the video for the song, there was someone holding a pgLang flag behind Kendrick. PgLang is the collective that Kendrick Lamar started with Dave Free. Before this, Kendrick had only released a teaser advertisement for it. Many listeners were not sure exactly what it was. However, they did know it could be seen in the copyright information during the title card in the song’s music video. The fact these two artists had a song together was very exciting for listeners.

There was another song on The Melodic Blue that had a lot of people talking. This song was called “range brothers”. This was another song on the album that had a Kendrick Lamar feature on it. A portion of Kendrick’s verse leaked before the album was released. Song leaks are not uncommon these days. In fact, there are some places that specialize in finding and sharing them. The portion of Kendrick’s verse that leaked confused many listeners. Out of context, it seemed very odd and yet humorous. People were parodying it quickly and discussing what its purpose could be. Others concluded it was someone doing an impression of him. Once the song was officially released, listeners learned it was real and the entire verse was unique. Still, the memes and parodies of it continued. 

Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar Know Each Other

Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar are related. In fact, they are cousins. But, many people did not become aware of this until recently. Kendrick Lamar is older than Baby Keem and put out music before he did. However, the two of them have been working together for years. In fact, one of their earliest connections is on the song “Redemption Interlude” from the Kendrick Lamar and TDE helmed Black Panther Soundtrack. Baby Keem, who is credited by his government name Hykeem Carter, has production and writing credits on the song. Baby Keem did not use his connection to Kendrick to jumpstart his music career. In fact, he produced for other TDE artists like ScHoolboy Q and Jay Rock before officially making a song with Kendrick. 

Many people have tried to decipher how far back Kendrick and Baby Keem’s relationship goes. The cover art for “family ties” presents them with a very clear indicator. In it, Kendrick can be seen looking very young and Baby Keem looks even younger. This shows that they were truly around each other back in the day. In an even stronger confirmation, Baby Keem refers to Kendrick as “Man-Man” in his “family ties” verse. Kendrick’s family members were the only people who called him that. To see where they are now is a success story for both of them. Also, it’s even more impactful that Baby Keem is signed to Kendrick Lamar’s label, pgLang. The two of them have stuck by each other to the point that they have both made waves in the music world together and separately.

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Converse Announces the Addition of Baby Keem to Its Creative Community

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Converse Announces the Addition of Baby Keem to Its Creative Community

With the inclusion of Grammy Award-winning singer and producer Baby Keem into its creative community, Converse has announced the extension of its creative roster to include up-and-coming voices in music, sport, and culture.

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Keem will partner with Converse on original experiences with the Converse All Stars, the brand’s creator community that gives up-and-coming talent access to mentorship, experiences, and opportunities, for his first brand partnership. Keem will explore various Chuck Taylor All Star dimensions through his creative vision.

Keem created and produced a short film honoring his passion for music and the “iconic and ageless” Chuck Taylor All Star to announce the collaboration.

Keem starts his work with Converse as a part of the company’s continuing Create Next initiative, which aims to provide creatives from all over the world and across disciplines a platform to create Converse’s legacy.

In addition to pgLang, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Natasha Cloud, Alexis Sablone, and Tyler, the Creator, Keem is the newest voice to join the Converse roster.

The post Converse Announces the Addition of Baby Keem to Its Creative Community appeared first on The Source.