The Melodic Blue is Baby Keem’s debut studio album. The project has been in the works since late 2019 and was announced to be “on the way” via Instagram in early August 2020.
On September 18, 2020, Keem released hooligan / sons & critics, a two-song package of promotional singles for the album. On October 19, he released a hoodie, called “the idea hoodie,” with track titles from the album, such as “16,” “booman,” and “south africa” printed on it.
On March 5, 2021, Keem released the album’s third promotional single, “no sense.” On April 30, Keem released the proper lead single, “durag activity” with Travis Scott. The second single, “family ties” with Kendrick Lamar, was released on August 27.
Following the latter single’s release, Keem began indicating that the album’s release was imminent. On August 31, Keem announced that he had turned the album in and, on September 2, he stated that it would be arriving that month.
On September 6, Keem unveiled the LP’s artwork and release date in a tweet, alongside a trailer. On September 8, he revealed the tracklist.
Seven hours prior to the release of The Melodic Blue, Baby Keem tweeted about limited edition merchandise:
The Melodic Blue debuted at #4 on Rolling Stone’s Top 200 Albums Chart during the week ending September 16, 2021.
The Melodic Blue was certified gold by the RIAA on April 13, 2022.
Yes, Apple Music features animated artwork for this release.