While digging through records with Nardwuar, Baby Keem revealed just how deeply Eminem influenced the making of Ca$ino, and how far that connection goes back.
The legendary Vancouver interviewer took Baby Keem to the local store, Beat Street, and showered him with gifts. Surrounded by records and a wealth of music memorabilia, Baby Keem revealed some deeply embedded early hip hop influences and the work he had done to get his recent album ready.
Common, Tupac, Lil Uzi Vert – Keem was flipping through eras and styles, studying for his album and looking for inspiration in classic beats and the art of storytelling.
Passing by the Eminem section of the store, Baby Keem noted, “[He is] one of my favourite artists here, ever”. Keem discovered Em’s music early in life, thanks to his uncle. Actually, Keem comes from the big extended family of musicians. You know his cousin, Kendrick Lamar. However, it was his uncle Khaotic Lyricist, a rapper himself, who first played him Em’s record.
“He’s actually the one that made me an Eminem fan”, Keem admits. But he does not stop there. Apparently, that early influence still shapes Keem’s creative process. “I never knew when he was showing me, Eminem, when I was six, three, four, whatever, eight, seven years old, that I would end up being 24-23, and heavily inspired during that whole process of Ca$ino”.
Movie classic
Moreover, this appreciation goes beyond just music. Growing up, the young rapper watched the same movie with Eminem countless times, because the grandmother who raised him used to play the VHS tape nonstop. However, that was not 8 Mile, if it was your first guess. It was The Wash, a cult comedy starring Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Eminem plays a small part there and also appears on the soundtrack with D12, listed as a performer, writer, and producer.
In fact, this is where his sense of humour comes from, admits Baby Keem. Watching films like this on repeat from the age of three or four, Keem has developed a very particular comedic sensibility that seeps into his music. “This is one of the movies we watched on repeat”, says Keem about The Wash, clearly excited by the memory. “This is monumental right here, for sure. This is a monumental movie”.
Nardwuar gifted Keem an original The Wash poster, a VHS tape, and a vinyl promo single from The Wash, “Bad Intentions” by Dr. Dre and Knoc-turn’al, which also included instrumentals. To Nardwuar’s enthusiastic suggestion that Keem can now rap over it, the artist responded with equal enthusiasm promising to put it to use.
The legacy lives on
In the ideal world, every time a young rapper credits Eminem as his influence and acknowledges Em’s legacy, ten online haters who said that “nobody listens to Eminem” would have to come to their senses and eat their words. However, we live in a world where too many people disregard facts and bend reality to their own beliefs. So, this video might not change anybody’s mind. But it certainly shows that the impulse Eminem gave to hip hop still drives the culture forward. Em’s influence, his approach to storytelling, and his ability to make an impact on listeners continue to live on in the music younger rappers make today.
Wrapping up the interview, Nardwuar asked Baby Keem if he wanted to grab something from the store, something he was looking for. The answer was just as sincere as everything Keem said during the episode. “I might pay homage to some of my inspirations for the album Ca$ino. I might grab some Eminem stuff”.