Edwin Kenneth Green Jr. (born December 17, 1994), better known by his stage name Kenny Mason, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from West Atlanta, Georgia. He is known for his distinctive sound which consists of a fusion between grunge, hip hop, and elements of shoegaze.[2][3]
Kenny Mason | |
|---|---|
 Mason in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edwin Kenneth Green Jr. |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | December 17, 1994 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | RCA[1] |
| Website | angelichoodrat |
Kenny Mason began gaining recognition after releasing his breakout single "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 as Denzel Curry and Freddie Gibbs. He released his mixtape Ruffs a year later, which was met with critical acclaim and featured rappers Young Nudy and Jean Dawson.
Early life
editKenny 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
editIn 2014, Kenny Mason formed a group called House 9 with his friends, where they 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] On September 28, 2022, Kenny Mason released his mixtape, Ruffs.[11] On June 6, 2023, Mason released an EP titled 6.[12] On December 8th, 2023, Mason released another EP titled Highway 9. He released his second studio album 9 on March 14, 2024.
Artistry
editKenny names Lil Wayne, Future, Young Thug, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Kid Cudi as the influence to begin making music at an early age, as well as alternative bands Nirvana, Title Fight, Coldplay, My Bloody Valentine, Pixies, Deftones, The Smashing Pumpkins and singer Fiona Apple.[7] He cites fellow Atlanta artists Bankroll Fresh and Peewee Longway as his main influences on his rapping style.[13]
Kenny Mason uses Dog/puppy imagery in a lot of his music. You can hear this in his lyrics, and some barking in songs. As well as this, on his instagram, he only follows dogs. With K9 Magazine, he mentioned he had many dogs growing up, one of which was a lab chow mix named Rocky, after the red power ranger. He also mentioned Dogs have been a big part of his life since he was born, which explains all the dog imagery in his music and works.
Discography
editStudio albums
- Angelic Hoodrat (2020)
- Ruffs (2022)
- 6 (2023)
- 9 (2024)
- Angel Eyes (2024)
Tours
editHeadlining
- Ruffs Tour (2022)
- Route 9 Tour (2024)
Supporting
- Melt My Eyez Tour (Denzel Curry) (2022)
- Scaring the Hoes Tour (Danny Brown & JPEGMafia) (2023)
References
edit- ^ "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. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
- ^ "Balanced Duality: Kenny Mason On PTSD, Mental Health, And 'Angelic Hoodrat'". Clash. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- ^ "Kenny Mason Is Living Outside the Lines: Interview". DJBooth. 15 April 2020.
- ^ 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. 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Kenny Mason and Denzel Curry Slay Verses Back-to-Back In New Song "A "". Hypebeast. 10 December 2020.
- ^ "Kenny Mason Ruffs". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ "Kenny Mason drops surprise EP 6". The FADER. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ C.M., Emmanuel (15 April 2021). "Kenny Mason raps as well as he rocks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 15, 2021.