Track2Track: Keem Home

8/27/2019

Champagne. A celebratory drink that has been around for centuries. But to even be considered Champagne your drink has to be produced from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France and in the European Union it's against the law to even label your drink as Champagne if not grown there. The drink is so culturally popular that it even has it's own etiquette for all to follow. Hakeem Eli'juwon has similarly grew up on an etiquette and code that he talks about on his new track "Keem Home".

Ankle monitors won't hold us down
Eating sugar will

There's plenty of Champagne on the road to success, there's also plenty hard times. And it's these hard times that are what teaches you the most. It's easy to be everything you say you are when everything is up. But about when your are truly tested. That's when you show your true colors. But as Nipsey said "Never let a hard time humble us." I remember videochatting with Keeng Cut while he was in the studio. We chopped it up for a second and then a few moments later he pressed play, and as the studio speakers began to play a familiar voice began to explode out of the speakers. The voice began to fade in and out of the track. As the voice spit the first bar I knew that Hakeem Eli'juwon was back. His words saber through the beat through like a knife opening a Champagne bottle. Anyone that knows the process knows that you don't use the knife to cut, You use it to apply pressure. That is exactly what Hakeem is doing on this track. Applying pressure to the people who counted him out. To the people who thought he wouldn't get back.

Here's a Behind-The-Scenes look at the making of "Keem Home".

Hakeem Elijuwon has always had a way with words that told stories that were wise beyond his years. In this instance Hakeem's words seemed more impactful and more deliberate. It was as if he had never even left. Lines like "Niggas hollerin WELCOME HOME like I been down for 20 years", express a sort of what else would you expect attitude. And what else could you expect? His flow is on point. His bars still clever. He was even more in his pocket. This can be attributed to his many collaborations with producer Seriously K 5ive. Who was instrumental in in getting the record from idea to it's digital form. It started with a DM about a record. But not just any record. A record that celebrated life. That was exactly what the record that he provided. It's how the beat builds that takes the listener on a journey. Then it's Hakeem Eli'juwon who narrates the listener in this journey of success. Lastly, as the beat played out and his verse finished, I remember hanging up the phone and thinking to myself. "KEEM HOME" .

Checkout the song "Keem Home" now streaming everywhere: