Kenny Mason Flexes His Versatility on '9'
With features from Toro y Moi, Veeze and BabyDrill.
It’s rare we get a full-length project mid-week, but, as promised, Kenny Mason dropped off his highly anticipated second studio album earlier today. 9 arrives as a follow-up to Mason’s 3 and 6 EPs (as well as the three-track Highway 9 project which spontaneously arrived last December) and finds the rapper more confident in his capabilities than ever before.
“The 3 and 6 EPs [were] a part of an 18-track unique rollout leading up to 9,” a press release from earlier in March explained.
Mason marries a melange of genres on 9, specifically continuing to carve out his space in the intersection of hip-hop and hard rock. Aptly complete with nine tracks, Mason enlisted three artists for help on the project: BabyDrill, Veeze and Toro y Moi.
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Previously released “JUMPIN IN” kicks off the album, followed by two slick trap cuts “EASY DUB” with BabyDrill and “4 MY” with Veeze.
“FEEL IT” and “MONEY SIGNS” begin to introduce the album’s rock and indie undertones, each led by a chorus backed by a distinct string strumming. The album’s sixth track (and second single) “US” sees Mason fully step into his rocker persona.
Toro y Moi slows things down on the atmospheric “SLIP” and Mason spits for nearly two-and-a-half minutes on the album’s closer “LUMINOUS.”
Stream 9 on Spotify and Apple Music now.
