Kendrick Lamar has shared a personal memory that wound up bringing he and his cousin Baby Keem closer together.
While the duo are known in the public eye as being very close, there was a time when this wasn't the case. However, this changed after Keem's uncle, Gerrell, died in December 2015 after he was struck and killed by a truck.
In a new interview with The New York Times, Keem explained that he "felt lost" following his uncle's death, before recalling the eulogy he gave at Gerrell's funeral. It was there that he spotted Kendrick Lamar — his mother's cousin — in the crowd, after having not seen him for some time.
Adding some context to the moment, Lamar weighed in, sharing (via email) that he felt like "watching Keem speak at the funeral displayed the making of a man."
"It reminded me of all the realities I faced, which shaped who I am today," he continued. "I watched Keem carry the burdens of everyone’s grief, including his own, all while maintaining the dignity and honor of his uncle. We're merely a reflection of our leaders, and Keem led the family to a place of love, compassion, and closure. Another level of respect was my gratitude."
From that point on, Keem and K.Dot kept in touch — a relationship that ultimately changed the trajectory of the 25-year-old's life and spawned their Grammy Award-winning collaboration, "Family Ties."
In February, he released his second album, Ca$ino, the follow-up to 2021's The Melodic Blue. Ca$ino went on to debut at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart.
