On a warm night in early June, Baby Keem dropped by Philadelphia for one of his last US stops on his “CA$INO” tour. Despite nailing huge hits on 2021’s “The Melodic Blue,” “CA$INO” didn’t see the same type of commercial success, and while I was initially skeptical at his decision to play smaller venues, it was one that paid off immediately.
The Fillmore was practically overflowing when I stepped in, and the energy was palpable. The set opened with the instrumental of “No Security” and quickly launched into the “CA$INO” title track. It was tough to find Keem among the sea of phones in front of me, but I eventually made out the red speck on top of a slot machine structure on the right of the stage.
After “CA$INO” he went right into “STATS,” a fan favorite from his 2019 mixtape, “DIE FOR MY BITCH.” As soon as the intro started the entire venue erupted into the opening verse, and Keem let it ride for a little bit before joining in. The beat switch on this song is so incredible, and the audience went nuts when the drop finally hit.
He switched back and did a couple of songs from “The Melodic Blue.” The first one, “booman,” is an affirmation song with a great bounce, and Keem provided even better ad libs throughout. The next was “vent,” another intense mosh song. Kendrick Lamar gets an uncredited feature on the chorus, and the crowd roared for Keem’s cousin.
“Circus Circus Free$tyle” was a huge highlight of the new album for me, and Keem made sure to get in every single word. It’s heartwarming that in an age where rappers frequently rely too heavily on the energy of the crowd and don’t actually rap, Baby Keem is a genuine performer and an artist who isn’t afraid to test his range.
Keem continued to stick closer to the hits early on though, adding on his breakout song, “ORANGE SODA,” and “trademark usa” to keep riding the Fillmore’s hype. After a few more came “HONEST,” one of my most-listened to songs of all time. The live harmonies that he added to this song have not left my head, and by no surprise, was one of my favorite songs of the show.
“Family ties” was obviously going to be a spectacle, but even I wasn’t expecting the boom that ensued. It felt like there wasn’t a body in the venue that wasn’t off the floor, and voices were lost around every corner. The entire room went word for word, which made for a magical experience.
Keem ended things with the closers from “The Melodic Blue” and “CA$INO,” which are “16,” and “No Blame” respectively. “16” is another favorite of mine, a slower, more contemplative song that tied together the themes of that album quite well.
In all honesty, I was more indifferent toward “No Blame,” but it’s slowly been growing on me. The beat is just unimpressive to me, but that’s not to say it doesn’t have its merits. The subject matter is moving, and Keem displayed a memorial for his late family members on the video board behind him. It worked well as the last song of the show.
The lights went up and getting out of the Fillmore felt like trying to surface from an anthill. But despite the shoving and bodies flying past, I realized that a small venue is totally the way to go for a bigger artist. As long as the infrastructure can take it.
