Ceebo Explores Black-British Identity On ‘blair babies’ Mixtape

blair babies is Ceebo holding Lambeth up to the light and refusing to blur anything out. Sixteen tracks shaped by the aftermath of New Labour, the pressure of austerity, and the emotional cost of growing up in a place where survival is the default setting. Nothing here feels exaggerated. It’s just the truth as he knows it. 

The production from Jim Legxacy, Chef Bkay and afrosurrealist bends without losing direction. Textures warp, shift, and open up when they need to. It feels experimental but still rooted in clarity. You hear influence without imitation. 

'1997 2007' sets the coordinates. A generation inheriting decisions they never made reinforces the idea that education doesn’t soften the reality waiting outside your front door. It encapsulates the whole meaning of the project, being a political commentary that touches both ends of the generational divide.

The track 'buzzball summer' is deceptively bright. The energy feels fun until you realise the escapism is carrying more weight than celebration. When Ceebo says he knows debt more intimately than he knows love, it reframes the entire track. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrqP-T4yNgA

On 'pentecost of living', the rapper pulls the conversation inward by exploring Faith, Survival and guilt. These are the taboo things young people aren’t supposed to speak on, despite feeling every part of it. And then 'where it at' widens the map across London. The female verse becomes a mirror, calling out authenticity in real time. 

'the gospel (as according to tony blair)' is like a document from another era that never ended. It reminds you why resentment becomes a language of its own. Then 'jook' breaks everything open, a release of tension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDVQ2LEHq_9YA&v=VQ2LEHq_9YA

With '018', which pieces together the texture of adolescence to demonstrate how easy it is for friends to drift, to fall into the trap of chasing money chasing and to defer to humour as a coping mechanism. He also skilfully looks at the contradictions that define whole postcodes.

'do it all again' sits between regret and gratitude, the kind of reflection that only comes when you’ve lived through both ends of the spectrum, whilst 'how many training days' is arguably the emotional cliff edge. A moment spoken plainly, with no metaphor to soften it. It forces stillness. 

The closing track, 'ceebo 3:16, is a direct address to his generation about all of the troubles. Cost of living. Racial tension. Housing instability. The exhaustion everyone feels but rarely names. He pushes honesty forward as the only tool left. 

blair babies feels like Ceebo a step up from LAMBETHNOTLA. The writing is sharper. The risks are bigger. The perspective is more defined. He’s documenting an ongoing narrative and his truth for the people of today, but more importantly, the people of tomorrow.

Listen here