Don Toliver
picture by Alexander-Julian Gibson, Highestnobiety
Of Astroworld, the songs that stuck out to me the most were ASTROTHUNDER, WAKE UP, and my personal favorite CAN’T SAY. CAN’T SAY according to Fader was produced by wondaGURL and Frank Dukes featuring Don Toliver. It was Toliver’s voice that particularly drew me to the music because it was unique to any voice I’ve ever heard before. If I could describe it I would say it is sort of nasally, great range, the butter of any song he is featured on, and deep. Not only is his voice one-of-a-kind, but his flow is too.
Toliver’s feature on the album was one of the key indicators to me of his future success, and inspired a curiosity within me to go deeper into his already-released music. No Idea, one of his singles is also another one of my current favorite songs and has gained increased success due to the use of the song in TikTok videos that have become a popular trend. He has spent now 10 weeks on Billboard charts and continues to rise in ratings because of Travis Scott’s album JackBoys featuring artists from Scott’s own Cactus Jack Records. I am particularly excited for Toliver’s future success and can’t wait for any new projects he has planned.
Hykeem Carter aka Baby Keem
picture by Modern Life Mag
“LIL BITCH SHUT THE FUCK UP, TELL YOUR BEST FRIEND SHUT THE FUCK UP,” I sung at the top of my lungs with a group of strangers who were walking on the opposite sidewalk as I made my way to Day n Vegas 2019. They had a speaker, and they were bumping Baby Keem’s Orange Soda loud enough for everyone to hear.
I was excited hearing the song because I had come across it on Spotify prior to my small interaction with those hyped up strangers. I had been forcing my friends to listen to the song and claiming confidently that Baby Keem was going to blow up. Little did I know that he had already begun making a name for himself in the music industry under his real name, Hykeem Carter. This curiosity towards the artist led to my discovery of his album DIE FOR MY B*TCH, which has Orange Soda as one of its tracks.
According to Ones to Watch, Baby Keem had received production credits on Kendrick Lamar’s Black Panther: The Album, Jay Rock’s Redemption, Schoolboy Q’s Crash Talk, and Disney’s Lion King: The Gift. I had no knowledge of this until I did some research and it caused me to pay close attention to who he was as an artist, and appreciate his craft that much more. Not only do I enjoy his music, but his music videos are engaging and unique to the artists of today.
Baby Keem’s music is refreshing in the way that his sound is completely original to other hip hop artists today. These days it is not uncommon for hip hop music to sound similar with their repetitive flows and beats. However, Baby Keem offers a diversity of trap hip hop as well as a melodic flow along with his unmistakeable voice and touch to his music. I am extremely excited for his future success as an independent artist and achieved recognition for his previous works. That is why Baby Keem, in my books, is an artists to watch out for in 2020.
Bumpin with Meeks 