Casino (stylized as Ca$ino) is the second studio album by American rapper and record producer Baby Keem. It was released by PGLang and Columbia Records on February 20, 2026. The album features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Too Short, Momo Boyd, and Che Ecru. Production on the album was handled by Keem himself, along with Cardo, Danja, FnZ, Jahaan Sweet, Michael Uzowuru, Ojivolta, Sean Momberger, Scott Bridgeway, Sounwave, Teo Halm, and Yara Shahidi, among others. It serves as a follow-up to his previous album, The Melodic Blue (2021). == Background == On February 10, 2026, Baby Keem announced the release via Instagram, revealing the album cover artwork and announcing the availability of a limited edition vinyl release. The tour was also announced that it will be starting on April 15. Casino makes Keem's return after almost 5 years, following his debut studio album, The Melodic Blue (2021). Rolling Out described the time between the release of the two albums as "an eternity in modern hip-hop", considering this extended interval "a double-edged sword" for the rapper, between fan anticipation and skepticism about his return to the music scene. During his absence, Keem teased some new music, mentioning an album, titled Child with Wolves. Accompanying with the album announcement, Keem shared a short documentary film, titled "Booman I", on YouTube. The media contains video clips of Keem in the studio, showing personal videos and interviews with his family, including his cousin Kendrick Lamar. The nearly 10-minute video clip was directed by Alexandre Moors and LaConnie Govan, it was co-produced by Lamar, Dave Free, and the duo's label PGLang, along with Eerie Times, and in association with Good Company. After leaving speculations about a collaboration with Lamar at the time of the announcement, this was then confirmed when the tracklist was revealed, also revealing that the album would contain 12 tracks, with Lamar being listed as a feature on the fourth track, titled "Good Flirts". The album cover artwork features a photo of Keem as a child. Hypebeast interpreted this choice as "a deeply personal and introspective audiovisual endeavor" that explores different themes and subjects from the previous album, writing that the themes of vulnerability and introspection are present in the associated YouTube teaser. The aesthetic of Casino echoes the vintage vibe of Las Vegas, Nevada, with Keem's social media profile having been redesigned to match this style. The second short documentary film, "Booman II", was released on YouTube on February 16, just four days before the album's release. The third short documentary film, Booman III, was released on YouTube on February 19, one day before the album's release. == Release and promotion == On February 19, hours before the album's release, Keem held a listening party in Los Angeles, California, where the album was played in its entirety. He also live performed some of the tracks and features surprise guest appearances by Desmond Johnson from RDCWorld, alongside singers Momo Boyd, and Che Ecru; as well as fellow rapper Too Short. The event was directed by Mike Carson. == Critical reception == == Track listing == === Notes === ^[a] signifies a co-producer "Casino" is stylized as "Ca$ino" "I Am Not a Lyricist" is stylized as "I am not a Lyricist" "Sex Appeal" is stylized as "$ex Appeal" "Circus Circus Freestyle" is stylized as "Circus Circus Free$tyle" The original eighth track, "Tubi", also featuring Che Ecru, was removed from streaming services for an unknown reason, but Scott Bridgeway, who is frequent producer for Keem, responded to fans, confirming it as a vinyl exclusive on Twitter/X, and the latter was confirmed by Sounwave, after listening to "Tubi" on vinyl on his Instagram story. === Sample credits === "No Security" contains a sample of "You Can Have Me", as performed by Natalie Bergman "Good Flirts" contains an interpolation of "The Light", as performed by Common "No Blame" contains a sample of "I Never Learnt to Share", as performed by James Blake == Personnel == Credits adapted from Tidal. Baby Keem – vocals Gavin Finn – engineering (tracks 1, 2, 5, 9, 10, 11) James Hunt – engineering (3, 4, 6–8) Ray Charles Brown Jr. – engineering (4) S. Blake Kanicka – engineering (4) Johnathan Turner – engineering (5), engineering assistance (1, 2, 9, 10, 11) Oli Jacobs – mixing Cam Gilfro – mixing assistance Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering Zach Brown – bass (1, 10) Shawna Higginson Peters – background vocals (4) Denzel Curry – background vocals (5) Kendrick Lamar – background vocals (5) Citizen Cope – background vocals (6) Bekon – background vocals (9) == Release history == == References ==