NEXT Album Review
KENNY MASON - ANGELIC HOODRAT: SUPERCUT
With these reviews, I can’t skip, rewind, replay, or stop the music once I start. I got to play the entire album, straight through, and give my immediate reactions. At the end of each song I’ll decide if I’d replay it or if I’m ready for the NEXT track.
Kenny Mason’s sophomore studio album, Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut, was released on April 16th, 2021. This follow up to his 2020 debut, Angelic Hoodrat, features Denzel Curry, Freddie Gibbs, Angel White, and Amber Lucid across the 12 tracks. Angelic Hoodrat stood out last year as an introduction to a keen observer who saw in his West Atlanta surroundings, much like himself, a duality not unlike what Kendrick Lamar expressed throughout his 2012 classic, good kid, m.A.A.d city. What differentiates the two Kenny’s is how Mason contrasts rap acrobatics and rock aesthetics to construct a collection of vignettes inspired by nightmares lived, paranoia experienced, victories accomplished, and vulnerable recollections from when a boy came-of-age in a city where hard times mold angels within hellfire.
I’m excited to see how Kenny Mason expands the cinematic world he built exactly a year after his first offering. With these reviews, I can’t skip, rewind, replay, or stop the music once I start. I got to play the entire album, straight through, and give my immediate reactions. At the end of each song I’ll decide if I’d replay it or if I’m ready for the NEXT track.
1) “43” (prod. Kenny Mason & Julian Cruz)
The production begins with a swell of sounds. A textured build up that wraps around his voice as the first verse begins. Kenny Mason starts with a tone the weight of an eagle’s feather. “I know I’m fortunate I ain’t get shot up.” This is already more layered than how AH began. “43” makes “Firestarter” sound thin as Majin Buu’s second form. When he starts singing his voice pops out, adds meat. Shows he can get loud. A rush comes when his energy shifts. “43 do it for the 3.” He loves his home and the homies. This is a community rap star. The hero of a town. The electric guitar and piano chords just burst with life. Kenny Mason doesn’t make music over type beats. How detailed the instrumentation is displays a focus on a distinct presentation. Song ends with a growling dog. Boys talking.
Strong start.
2) “Rih” (prod. Julian Cruz & SKUFL)
The snare taps lightly like a batter tapping the home plate before a big swing. The drop lands with the force of a big stepper walking on water bugs. Loving the bounce. Kenny's deadpanned rapping reminds me a bit of Vince Staples. A detached style. They both have deliveries that never feel jagged. Two fluid wordsmiths. Huckleberry Finn could sail a raft on his flow. “Came from the same scene in the city that gave me Gucci, Thugger, and Fresh.” Beat switch in the middle. A barking dog in the background. He’s still going. “Ain’t scared of hell no more, we already here.” Well written lyricism. “Now they tell me I look better in person, now they tell me I look better than perfect.” The energetic rhythm jumps in the shoulders. Hook comes back at the end.
Keeper.
3) “A+” ft. Denzel Curry (prod. Jubilee & Roark Bailey)
Brighter chords. Doesn’t sound like hell. Slow build up. Drums that pop and an infectious flow. There’s a jublience to it. “My little block so ratchet” sounds whimsical. His voice is a jack knife of various inflictions. This flow has the pep of a man that is carefree. Love how his delivery can take these sudden shifts. This third verse ups the speed. His lyrics are moving faster than Frank Ocean out the Def Jam offices when he turned in Endless knowing he had Blonde. Denzel! Kenny sets the stage. Denzel is not wasting the alley-oop. “I went through mad hell the boy cannot fail.” Denzel’s rapping has been one of the most consistent rappers from his era. He’s a young OG now and it’s nice to see him appear on a newcomer like Kenny’s project.
Three songs and each one has been enjoyable.
4) “Fasho” (prod. Kenny Mason & SKUFL)
The beat pounds like a closed fist knocking on a closed door. He wants us in cars or standing by stages. The rapping almost sounds like a chant. “My niggas did the kind of shit that came with affidavit.” Kenny Mason is still an observer in a mad city. I’m feeling Three 6 Mafia’s influence here. Not quite tearing up the club, but I might throw a chair to this. “Imma make it look like sorcery when I obtain it.” A break in the middle. He’s good for letting a track breath. The high hats fade before coming back in with a second wind of aggression.
Here’s the beat change. Tempo is increasing to a high hat that sounds possessed. Much slower than I anticipated. The beat has so much life. “I just put a knife in my sock.” I called him an observer but he is prepared to participate in the surroundings he describes. He sounds hungry. Rap from an empty stomach. My favorite so far. Feels like the character from AH is growing up but hasn’t grown out of the place that raised him.
5) “Much Money” feat. Freddie Gibbs (prod. SKUFL)
What is this sample loop? It’s pitched at a haunting speed. Like a choir from underneath the ground. Every verse is well detailed. Always an observer to share. Chuckled at the Target line. “With this little beam on it won’t miss a martian.” He’s been chiseling his verses to get leaner. The deadpan voice isn’t particularly energized but the way he delivers each syllable fits the bounce. Already ready to run this one back. Freddie Gibbs as a feature makes me want to see what Kenny would do over Alchemist and Madlib beats. “I swear to God” was a funny way to switch the pace. Production value has gotten richer. A much higher quality than his early Soundcloud cuts.
I wonder where Gibbs would place in a ranking of best rap voices? It’s immediately recognizable and always feels like an instrument that blends well on any bed of sound. “Labels get fed and these artists they starving, I was gonna be a rich nigga regardless.” He raps with a flow that never loses vigor. Gibbs is a rap titan. A flow switch. This is fun. He even mimicked Kenny’s vocal inflection. He really got into this performance. Keeper. They complimented each other well.
6) “Play Ball” (prod. Kenny Mason & Julian Cruz)
Guitar riffs say this is where the tone shifts to the rock-leaning side of Kenny’s artistry. Reminds me of those band songs you would hear in the early 2000s in the morning on MTV. Thick bassline and live hammering drums. My taste in rock isn’t as expansive as my hip-hop interest. I do like the soundscape shift that increases the album’s liveliness. He sprinkles these random audio clips in songs. Love the riffs. The music reminds me of Lil Wayne during the Rebirth phase. Wasn’t enough band in his reimagining of the rapper as a rockstar. Kenny commits all the way. “Leather so Soft” is still a classic. I like this. Flow changed as did the pitch of his voice. Love how the beat lays dormant underneath. Strong performance. The production has a largeness that says it's made for Festival stages to erupt when the band brings this one out.
Not my favorite, the closest NEXT yet, but I like it enough for a replay.
7) “Pup” (prod. Kenny Mason & Julian Cruz)
A nice chopped-and-screwed intro. Crazy how quickly I relate this pitch to A$AP Rocky. He really did leave an impression by blending Harlem swagger with Houston sauce. “Shawty wanna rap with a nigga from the 3.” I like how the production keeps the album centered in the south. Lyrically he’s establishing the character of AH as a rapper of some success. I like how the guitar chords burst in the background. Makes the track electric. The drop hits like an Anderson Silva reverse elbow. I imagine bodies moshing. Ramming into each other like football helmets on the front line. I like the blending of rap and rock. It does well to crossover the genres seamlessly. They don’t feel glued together by force, but careful construction. Seven tracks in and not as much singing as AH. He’s carrying the verses with mostly raps. Not my favorite, but there’s personality here.
I’ll come back.
8) “Titan” ft. Angel White (prod. SKUFL & Julian Cruz)
A quiet guitar melody. Slow progress. Pianos keys and reversing vocals come in together. This is moody. These songs are well paced. Not too short, not too long. Here’s the singing. He doesn’t have a voice that’s as striking as his rapping. But it does present mood. A lot of live instrumentations in the production. Plenty guitars scattered about. They give the music electricity. Drums just came in. Feels like something Kanye would have done somewhere between Late Registration/Graduation albums. The rhythm section gives the song an energy that isn’t present at its most stripped and intimate. “You see the traces of horrors they sit on my face.”
The lyricist really stands out as an extended cut of his debut. The more polished version. More introspective lyricism. Reminds me of the third verse on “Sing About Me.” How Kendrick allowed us to peer in his thoughts at the moment. It even has the fade out. Quiet singing into the production remerging. Not in love with the outro, but it does bring the quiet from the intro back full circle.
I like this record.
9) “Breath Again” ft. Ambar Lucid (prod. Julian Cruz)
The album is slowing down to an intimate pace. You can imagine him telling a crowd to come close during this section. An acoustic guitar strums beneath his singing. I wonder if rock radio stations will play him? What are rock stations playing these days? I like the drums. The songs play uses each second as a scene. “Sleep with demons.” Even how he pitches his vocals each song wants to keep each vocal unexpected. “Tweet with us it’s up like sleep disorders.” He sounds like he’s rapping from the same side of the moon as Pink Floyd. “Reap rewards for leading wars.” I like this. It’s a short one. Doesn’t push too hard but feels like a transition into the final act.
10) “Partments” (prod. Kenny Mason)
I love this song. I played it on repeat when it dropped as a single. It’s sonically transfixing. Always enjoyed the way he describes his block. Both him and Kendrick are savvy at setting scenes. “I can make a fortune with my pain” speaks to his music. He draws from the dual thoughts of what the world shows. All the positives and negatives. “Tell me you got my back.” The drop is well-timed. Right before the song feels too repetitious. I wouldn’t miss “Partments” if it wasn’t on the album, but I think I’ll appreciate the placement during future listenings. Keeper.
11) “4ever” (prod. Michael Uzowuru, Kenny Mason & Julian Cruz)
Drums didn’t waste any time. I wonder how Michael Uzowuru and Kenny Mason connected. Nice to see him in the production credits. Kenny comes in slightly beneath the beat. His voice doesn’t have its usual prominence. I like it though. He is a whirlwind of words. “Saving my mental from breaking.” He wears his self-belief like armor. Reminds me of Drake. Need to replay this one. I wonder who he is talking to? No effects on his voice. You hear him at his most honest. This is the end of the album mission statement. He wants the listener to know he wants it. Dog barks in the background. He doesn’t lack details.
12) “Storm” (prod. Kenny Mason)
These keys sound familiar. Feels like a callback to another track. Doesn’t sound much like a storm. More like the clouds are parting. Not much punch in the vocals. He is laid back in a quiet way. It’s easy going as far as outros goes. “I ain’t from this planet.” He’s been going hard with the alien references. Very Wayne-esque. The trap line stood out. “Storm” is the credits rolling. No dramatic close, it doesn’t end with a gunshot, but more like a sunrise after a long night of deep reflection. I would say next but there’s nowhere else to go.
Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut is properly titled. How Kenny Mason picks up where the prior album left off is like a DLC expansion pack for a year old video game. Any familiarity isn’t an exact retelling, but instead, an elaboration. Although I miss the vulnerability that gave the original works its personal depth with stories of the night he was shot and the voicemail from his absent father, this extended edition demonstrates what the debut offers stylistically, but with an enhanced palette of galvanic production, more flexible rap performances, and a narrative that allows for sharper sequencing.
If Angelic Hoodrat was a demo tape of raw ideas from an unrefined talent, Supercut chisels away the rougher edges to reveal a well-rounded polish expected of rappers on XXL Freshman Lists. This isn’t a redefining release, but a new battery that recharges all the reasons he’s expected to be a star.
Final Tally: No Skips (of 12)