Photo courtesy of i-D Magazine
During the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (April 3), Baby Keem further clued fans in on a potential joint project with his cousin Kendrick Lamar.
Last month, the first-time Grammy winner spoke with Grammy.com about the possibility of a collaboration tape with King Kendrick. The Melodic Blue rapper said there was a “50-50” chance that he and Lamar would create a full-length project together, as he caught up with Billboard’s hip-hop editor Carl Lamarre on the red carpet to talk more about his relationship with K-Dot.
“It’s up to him. I’m down… [But] It’s up to him, that’s all I can say. The way we work — the chemistry is there. I think everybody was very instrumental [in making The Melodic Blue], but the Kendrick one is the one I definitely hold close to my heart because it was the first few collaborations that we had. And to be here based on those collaborations is really special to me.”
Baby Keem on the GRAMMYs red carpet
Keem, who was the inaugural artist signed to Lamar’s coveted pgLang label, worked with K-Dot on his debut album last September. Their innovative, high energy collaborations “Range Brothers” and “Family Ties” are both nominated for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance at the Grammys, as Keem also received a nomination for Best New Artist and scored an Album of the Year nod for his contributions to Kanye West’s DONDA.
“That’s a good question. It’s like it’s 50-50… It could happen and it couldn’t, I don’t know. It just really depends on a lot of factors that I don’t have control over. So, it’s just what the world wants. The world wants it, then it can have it.”
Baby Keem to Grammy.com
Following Kendrick’s impending departure from Top Dawg Enterainment, it seems as though the pgLang label mates would have everything in their power to make this happen if they wanted. Their chemistry is certainly undeniable, as the first-time Grammy nominee previously opened up about his tight-knit bond with Kendrick, saying it “goes beyond music” in an interview with Apple Music.
“Whenever I need anything regarding, like, life, and if I need some wisdom, then that’s who I go to. That’s one of the first people I look towards, him and Dave Free… I think it’s important to have your own individuality, but also be able to reference art from the past.”
Keem to Apple Music
The 21-year-old wordsmith also dropped off the final visual to The Melodic Blue’s universe “16” on Feb. 24. Captaining his sound at each twist and turn the album takes, Keem’s art is dark, delirious, futuristic and teeters reality at its core — and as Grammys week sets in — here’s hoping that it gets recognized by the Recording Academy with some hardware to take home.
Check out Keem and Kendrick’s work below!
