Kenny Mason
Kenny Mason | |
|---|---|
 Kenny Mason in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edwin Kenneth Green Jr. |
| Also known as |
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| Born | December 17, 1994 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | RCA[1] |
| Website | angelichoodrat |
Edwin Kenneth Green Jr. (born December 17, 1994), better known by his stage name Kenny Mason, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and producer from West Atlanta, Georgia. He is known for his distinctive sound which consists of a fusion between grunge rock, hip hop, and elements of shoegaze.[2][3]
Kenny Mason began gaining recognition after releasing his breakout single titled "Hit" in 2019. He released his debut album Angelic Hoodrat in 2020 which was met with public praise from fans and artists alike. He followed this album with a deluxe edition a year later titled Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut which was also met with praise and featured prominent rappers such Denzel Curry and Freddie Gibbs.
Early life
Kenny started rapping in 2007 at the age of 12.[2] Around the same time, he discovered and fell in love with bands such as My Chemical Romance, The Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody Valentine, and Deftones through video games. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he explained; "I get a lot of ideas listening to them, from the heaviness of their guitars and their melodies."[2] Kenny first started taking music seriously and actively pursuing it as a job at the age of 19, after working at Krispy Kreme for a few weeks and realizing that job was not for him.[4]
Kenny talks about growing up in a rough area and being accustomed to violence at a young age in his music and interviews. In an interview with Clash he recalls a time when he was shot in 2014 and explains how it was a life changing experience that made him accept himself due to his mom being by his side in the ambulance. [5]
Musical career
In 2014, Kenny Mason formed a group called House 9 with his friends, where the released mixtapes TvDinner, The Super Tape, The Big 9 Theory, on SoundCloud between 2014 and 2016. Mason described these mixtapes as "That was me trying to teach myself how to make beats for [me and] my homeboys, and figure out how to work Auto-Tune, how to record and make art at the same time. It's the definition of experimental."[6]
From 2016 to 2018, Mason released the singles "22" and "4Real", which started to gain attraction. In 2018, he released the singles "Nike 2" and 2019's "G.O.A.T", before "Hit" broke out to receive millions of streams after release in 2019.[7] In April 2020, Kenny Mason released his debut album, Angelic Hoodrat, described as an experimental fusion of melodic alternative-rock, trap, and R&B.[8] In August 2020, Mason appeared as a guest feature on the single "Cereal" by IDK and JID.[9] On December 9, 2020, Mason released three singles on the capsule [ruffs], including a feature from Denzel Curry.[10]
Artistry
Kenny names Lil Wayne, Future, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Kid Cudi as the influence to begin making music at an early age, as well as alternative bands Nirvana, Coldplay, My Bloody Valentine, Pixies, Deftones, and The Smashing Pumpkins.[7] He cites fellow Atlanta artists Bankroll Fresh and Peewee Longway as his main influences on his rapping style.[11]
Discography
Studio albums
- Angelic Hoodrat (2020)
- Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut (2021)
Mixtapes
- Ruffs (2022)
Collaborative Mixtapes
- TvDinner (with Clark Scott) (2014)
- The SUPER Tape (with DvDx) (2016)
Extended plays
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Free Mason[12] |
|
| Free Mason 2[13] |
|
| Avondale Angels[14] |
|
| Avondale Angels 2 |
|
| November '19 |
|
| [ruffs] |
|
| Pup Pack |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "22"[15] | 2016 | KennyTurns22 |
| "4real"[16] | 2017 | — |
| "Nike 2"[17] | 2018 | — |
| "G.O.A.T"[18] | 2019 | A3C, Vol.8 |
| "Hit"[19] | Angelic Hoodrat | |
| "Angelic Hoodrat"[20] | ||
| "Metal Wings"[21] | 2020 | |
| "A+" (featuring Denzel Curry) |
[ruffs] | |
| "Much Money" | ||
| "Freak" (featuring Jayxin) |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Illiterate" | 2018 | Boregard. | Non-album single |
| "Talk Is Cheap" | Boregard. | Free Action | |
| "Deal" | Boregard. | Free Action | |
| "It Rains" | 2019 | Wiley From Atlanta | Non-album single |
| "Yums!" | Jelani Imani | Non-album single | |
| "Cereal" | 2020 | IDK, JID | USee4Yourself (Deluxe) |
| "Grip 3:16" | Grip, JID | Proboscidea | |
| "How Does It Feel" | Deante' Hitchcock | Better (Deluxe) | |
| "Raygun" | redveil | Non-album single | |
| "Tweak" | DavidTheTragic | How It Feel | |
| "Pennies...Exit Stage Left!?" | 2021 | Grip, Kay Nellz | I Died for This!? |
| "Pyro (Sango Leak)" | Denzel Curry | Unlocked 1.5 | |
| "ANEMIC" | DavidTheTragic | Non-album single | |
| "Starts Right Here" | League of Legends, Foreign Air | Non-album single | |
| "Burning Bush" | Grip | Non-album single | |
| "Stick" | 2022 | Dreamville, JID, J. Cole, Sheck Wes | D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape |
| "Overseas" | Powers Pleasant, Maxo Kream, Bas, Erick The Architect | Non-album single | |
| "Dance Now" | JID | The Forever Story | |
| "Just In Time" | JID, Lil Wayne |
! scope="row" |"Dawg!" |Marco Plus | rowspan="2" |Tha Soufside Villain |}
References
- ^ https://www.rcarecords.com/artist/kenny-mason/
- ^ a b c Conteh, Mankaprr (2021-04-15). "Kenny Mason Raps as Well as He Rocks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
- ^ "Kenny Mason Is Aiming to Become the Biggest Artist in the World [Q&A] / Ones To Watch". Ones To Watch. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
- ^ "Kenny Mason, Atlanta's Genre-Blending, Rule-Busting Alternative Rapper Who's Shooting for the Moon – "In Another Galaxy"". Vman. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
- ^ "Balanced Duality: Kenny Mason On PTSD, Mental Health, And 'Angelic Hoodrat'". Vman. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- ^ "Kenny Mason Is Living Outside the Lines: Interview". DJBooth.
- ^ a b Simpson, Paul. "Kenny Mason Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ "Kenny Mason Chooses Experimentation over Hit-Chasing on 'Angelic Hoodrat'". Exclaim. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ "IDK, J.I.D, Kenny Mason, and DJ Scheme Are "Cereal" Killers on New Song: Stream". Consequence of Sound.
- ^ "Kenny Mason and Denzel Curry Slay Verses Back-to-Back In New Song "A+"". Hypebeast.
- ^ C.M., Emmanuel. "Kenny Mason raps as well as he rocks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ "Free Mason". Bandcamp.
- ^ "Free Mason 2". Bandcamp.
- ^ "Avondale Angels".
- ^ "22 - Single". iTunes.
- ^ "4real - Single". iTunes.
- ^ "Nike 2 - Single". iTunes.
- ^ "G.O.A.T - Single". iTunes.
- ^ "Kenny Mason - "Hit"". iTunes.
- ^ "G.O.A.T - Single". iTunes.
- ^ "Metal Wings - Single". iTunes.