Kenny Mason is one of the most intriguing rappers out.
Following his electrifying performance at Camp Flog Gnaw 2024, ATL rapper Kenny Mason released a nine track mix-tape that seamlessly blends multiple styles of rap and rock into an electrifying sonic experience.
The mix-tape opens with ‘INTUITION’, a meditative journey Kenny embarks on as he reflects on the losses he has experienced up to this point. This song serves as such a refreshing start. Production-wise, the song maintains a heartfelt integrity with the same ambient-style lead cloaking itself with various drum and 808 patterns. The varying percussion takes the track in so many directions, however Kenny maintains a flow that keeps you right on pace with him as he ponders moral dilemmas. Perhaps the most impactful line on the tape reads, “I know the root of evil, but what’s the root of loving?//It must be intuition.” This bar stuck with me throughout the entire listen. It’s a natural conclusion, but it was entirely new to me. Love, coming from a divine, internal guidance that nudges you in the right direction, if you let it.
On ‘HOW TO SURVIVE’, Kenny describes how he survives where he comes from, while swearing to dream beyond it. This song didn’t strike me that much. The beat is a basic trap beat, however Kenny still flaunts one-of-a-kind rapping on it. “It ain’t no need to go off on a tangent, they know I don’t need a cosign.”
Kenny Mason cannot be put into a box. On the mix-tape’s title track, he raps, “F* I need a genre for?//I shift this sh** like underscore.” Ironically, this cleverness shines most clearly on ‘BEEN HAVIN’, ‘RELIEF’, and ‘TEEN GOHAN.’
‘BEEN HAVIN’ was, and still is, my favorite song from this record. From the very first listen, I knew this song was the one. Lyrically, the song is purely braggadocious, but the production on this song moves me. The fleeting space shuttle sound effects coated in the background of the track feel straight off of Space Invaders. The drums are hard-hitting, yet evocative. The faded guitar that comes in a little bit on the pre-chorus, then a little more on the chorus, then punches through entirely on the all-out rock bridge is priceless. The drums slowing down in speed and powering up in punch. Truly one hell of a song.
‘RELIEF’ is a pure love song. A break from the chaos. Finding solace in someone you love just for a moment. A feeling as old as time has never been depicted the way Kenny does on this song. The melodies, the harmonies, the message – all uniquely his own.
‘TEEN GOHAN’, on the other hand, is a complete 180. Nevertheless introspective, this song feels the most haunting. Lyrically, Kenny takes a nihilistic perspective. He questions those around him, isolating himself from those who keep ‘making him try’. He impatiently awaits his demise. Sonically, this song feels like a surrender. The slightly distorted vocals coat the barren wasteland of an instrumental quietly, slowly. Kenny’s angst builds and builds, exploding in a moment piloted by a strikingly singular guitar lead, surrounded by hard-hitting drums once more. It’s quite an emotional ending to the mix-tape. The video game-like sound effects build right at the end, and the cycle repeats. The narrative repeats itself.
Kenny Mason is a force to be reckoned with. Since his breakout single ‘Hit’ in 2019, he has consistently put out quality bodies of work. He stays in his own lane, prioritizing his artistic integrity over vapid mainstream glory. ANGEL EYES is yet another incredible project.