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"Range Brothers"
Song by Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar
from the album The Melodic Blue
ReleasedSeptember 10, 2021 (2021-09-10)
Recorded2021
Length5:17
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Range Brothers" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American rappers Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar. The song was released on September 10, 2021 by Columbia Records and pgLang as the fourth track off of the former's debut album, The Melodic Blue. "Range Brothers" made the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip Hop songs charts among others. The third portion of the song's chorus by Lamar was leaked before the album's release and became a viral internet meme.[1]

Background

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On September 8, 2021, two days before its official release, parts of the song were leaked.[2]

Baby Keem and his cousin, Kendrick Lamar, address a variety of themes, including the financial prosperity that comes with fame, their difficult upbringings, sexual prowess, and betrayal.[3]

Composition and lyrics

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The fourth track off of Baby Keem's debut album, "Range Brothers" sees Keem reunite with his cousin Kendrick Lamar.[4] The two real-life cousins sing about their difficult beginnings, how they were fortunate to be in the position they are in today, and the costs of fame.[5] At one point, Lamar warns Keem about fame, saying "Every day, the hate restored and the faith get short." Keem responds with: "Fuck that, let me get some too!"[6]

"Range Brothers" is divided into three parts, each lasting around 1.5 minutes. Changes in beats, cadences, and styles represent shifts in the song's sections.[7] A New York Times review commented that "Punchy drums feel offbeat with pauses punctuated by Keem's staccato delivery, and intertwined vocal and string samples construct a grandiose stage."[8]

A controversial part of the song is Lamar's repetitive verse at the end of the track, where he raps, "Let's get this shit/ Let's get this shit/ Let's get this shit, Let's."[9] He then repeatedly rhymes, "Top o' the morning/ Top o' the morning/ Top o' the morning/ Top o' the morning/ Top o' the morning/ Top o' the morning." Keem appeared to respond to the controversy in a tweet, saying "me and dot [Kendrick] created four new languages bro. rap was boring. so we start making new languages."[10][1]

Reception

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The song was polarizing to audiences, featuring strong orchestral synths,[11] but received generally favorable critic reviews, and was considered by some among the most complex and ambitious of all the tracks on The Melodic Blue.[12][13] Kendrick Lamar's participation was noted by one critic as "bizarre and unconventional for a rapper of his status", but also potentially "innovating toward something new".[14] His use of ad libs and repetitions of the phrases "Let's get this shit" and "top of the mornin'" became viral online and sparked internet memes.[15][16] Vulture called the song Kendrick's first main new attraction in years, saying "Range Brothers finds Lamar trading bars with Keem about all the money and girls he doesn't know what to do with, along with contributing some playful vocals in the song."[17]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Range Brothers"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18] 61
Global 200 (Billboard)[19] 73
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[20] 20
US Billboard Hot 100[21] 53
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[22] 23

Certifications

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Certifications for "Range Brothers"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[23] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Love, Tirhakah (September 16, 2021). "Trolls Be Damned: Kendrick Lamar Deserves to Be Silly". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  2. ^ Fitzgerald, Trent (September 9, 2021). "New Leaked Kendrick Lamar Snippet Has Fans Confused - Listen". XXL Mag. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  3. ^ "Kendrick Lamar is back, features in Baby Keem "Range Brothers"". Sidomex Entertainment. September 10, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  4. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Joins Baby Keem on New Song "Range Brothers"". Pitchfork. September 10, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  5. ^ Cardenas, Enrique (September 24, 2021). "Baby Keem - The Melodic Blue". RadioUTD. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "Baby Keem: The Melodic Blue review – arguably the best rap album of 2021". the Guardian. December 16, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  7. ^ McDonald, Adam (September 11, 2021). "Baby Keem - range brothers Ft. Kendrick Lamar | Lyrics Meaning Explained". Justrandomthings. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Network, The Learning (February 15, 2022). "The Winners of Our Seventh Annual Student Review Contest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  9. ^ Bustard, Andy (September 9, 2021). "Kendrick Lamar Gets Roasted On Twitter For Bizarre Appearance On Baby Keem Song". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  10. ^ "Baby Keem on Twitter". Twitter. September 9, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  11. ^ "Baby Keem - 'The Melodic Blue' review: Kendrick's protege forges his own path on exhilarating debut". NME. September 13, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  12. ^ "Baby Keem Shows Potential But Delivers Half-Baked Songs On PgLang Debut 'The Melodic Blue'". HipHopDX. October 5, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  13. ^ Legaspi, Althea (September 10, 2021). "Kendrick Lamar Is Finally Back With Baby Keem's New Track 'Range Brothers'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "The curious comeback of Kendrick Lamar". The Georgetown Voice. October 11, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  15. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Vozick-Levinson, Simon (September 10, 2021). "Yes, Kendrick Lamar Is Trying to Make 'Top o' the Morning' a Thing". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  16. ^ Rose, Jordan (April 19, 2022). "Everything We Know About Kendrick Lamar's 'Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers'". Complex. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  17. ^ Curto, Justin (September 10, 2021). "Kendrick Lamar Keeps the Cousinly Love Going on Baby Keem's 'Range Brothers'". Vulture. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  19. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  20. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  21. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  22. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  23. ^ "American single certifications – Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar – Range Brothers". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
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