This past Friday, Atlanta rapper Lil Keed released his official studio debut, Long Live Mexico. Following his 2018 mixtape release, Keed Talk to ’Em, the 20-track project features collaborations with Young Thug, Gunna, Roddy Rich, and more. The album celebrates the life of Keed’s fallen friend, Mexico, who he considered a brother.
Lil Keed is one of Atlanta’s fastest rising stars who first made an impression on the music-sphere in 2018 with his single “Nameless” which has almost 54 million streams across all platforms. His big break arrived by mere chance when Young Thug (who grew up in the same apartments as Keed) discovered him playing his music in the apartment complex parking lot. That same day, Thug invited him to the studio and later signed Keed to his label, Young Stoner Life Records.
“He just be telling me, ‘Don’t lose focus, you’re doing everything right’,” Keed said about Young Thug in a recent interview for Jagurltv.com. “[He said] ‘You really just have to stay focused; don’t worry about everything that’s going on, just worry about what you’re doing and keep the tunnel vision’.”
The most controversial point on the album, by far, is the song, “Pull Up” which features YNW Melly and Lil Uzi Vert. “Pull Up” is one of very few songs with Melly to be released since his arrest. In February, authorities arrested Melly on double first-degree murder charges. Florida State Prosecutors allege that he and YNW Bortlen killed two members of the YNW crew in South Florida last Fall. Melly pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, but the State of Florida plans to seek the death penalty.
Despite the controversy in the wind of his album’s release, XXL Magazine nominated Lil Keed for their 10th Freshman Spot in 2019. “I’m just dedicated to this shit, for real,” he said in his XXL Freshman Pitch video. “It’s like a real job. Whatever you do in your life that’s like a job, this is like my job. I gotta feed my family off this shit, so I’m working hard everyday just to get where I’m trying to go.”
2019 promises to be a life changing moment for Keed, so we look forward to his next move. Listen to Long Live Mexico below!
