I was born to sit in that rain

Ca$ino is Baby Keem's second studio album, and in my opinion, it surpasses 2021's The Melodic Blue by a mile. I am talking heartfelt moments, back-to-back hits, impressive lyricism and the vocal inflections we've come to expect from Hykeem.

This time around, the production feels much more intentional and precise. The samples sound clean, the drums are balanced, and the whole thing is a delight sonically.

The best cuts

After the mellow intro of No Security, where Booman sets us up for the topics of loss and family, Keem drops us straight into the title track.

Ca$ino has a great beat switch, and in classic Baby Keem fashion he mixes flexing with emotional moments.

The bars on this one are good, even if they are not that deep. Why the hell would you bring up H. pylori? Still, that Run. Me. My dough! sample elevates the whole track.

Upbeat tracks like Birds & The Bees and Circus Circus Free$tyle had me headbanging and rapping along, and I did not expect Hykeem to go full 3 Stacks spoken word on I am not a Lyricist. That kind of vulnerable moment is something hip-hop albums need more of.

Where it loses me

The cuts where Keem sings are underwhelming. Not even Kendrick Lamar could save Good Flirts, though I guess House Money partly makes up for it.

I did not care for $ex Appeal. It is just as bad as Drake's Way 2 Sexy, unironically.

I am a stickler for consistency, and this album wavers between mid, pop-influenced tunes, and absolute bangers. I hate how almost there it is. I like how Keem talks about his struggles, how confident he sounds, and how good his rapping is, but the singing is just not it.

Dramatic Girl should not be on the same album as Highway 95 pt.2 and No Blame.

I'm still mad about the singing

Hykeem's autotune use feels tasteless. It is not used as an artistic tool, but rather as a cheap way to keep him on tune, when there are better sounding ways to do that without making him sound robotic.

That is what keeps Ca$ino from being great for me. The highs are very high, the rapping is strong, and the production is a real step up, but the weaker pop instincts hold the album back.

Rating: 6.5, maybe 7, out of 10.