Baby Keem released their second album today, five years after their celebrated debut, ‘The Melodic Blue’. ‘Ca$ino’ was announced less than a month ago and today it has reached all platforms with two collaborations, one unofficial, with his cousin Kendrick Lamar. ‘Good Flirts’ is a throwback to the R&B/hip hop of the early 2000s, with all the focus on a memorable melody.
Over a minimalist beat with guitar and piano, Keem sings about a recently ended relationship. The tune is instantly catchy: “You used to call me on Friday nights / It’s over twice.” Momo Boyd appears in the post-chorus with even more melodies in which the singer asks the key question of the song: “Don’t you love a good fool around with a stranger?”
When Kendrick Lamar isn’t in combat mode, he’s a master of quotable lines. Something that Drake already perfected at the time, but coming from Lamar, who normally shows his most serious side, has more impact. That’s why while rapping about his relationship with his partner he sneaks in mentions of Young Thug and Mariah The Scientist’s leaked conversations from jail (“I gossip with my bitch like I’m Young Thug”), the movie ‘Sinners’ or Pinterest.
The last part of his verse is dedicated to his funniest and flirtatious side, with the rapper admitting that being “street” is compatible with being “goofy.” Kendrick demonstrates this in the following lines: “You must have a platinum record in your pocket,” he says. The theme, which doesn’t go much further, is at least as catchy as it is fun.
