A RAP STAR HOUSE PARTY

Writing about MGM TB reminded me how discovering new artists is always a bit like seeing who they are in the moment and imagining who they might become given the proper time and resources. Covering music as a journalist puts you in close proximity to endless amounts of aspiring artists at different stages of potential. You never really know if you’re in the company of a giant, a genius, or some guy you’ll never see again. 

Atlanta is a city where the music scene is musical chairs. Artists enter and exit the game at various speeds, some lasting only a few seconds compared to those who remain in seats long enough for them to become thrones. I first noticed West Atlanta rapper Kenny Mason in 2018, after a friend raved about his live performance at A3C. A normal enough name. In person he was also a normal enough guy. No face tattoos, or dyed hair, or the larger-than-life personality of a caricature. Our shared enthusiasm for Lil Wayne mixtapes and his lack of an image left the biggest impression before hearing his music. Here was someone who believed that good songs and great performances would be enough to stand out, and I wanted that to be true even when countless examples say otherwise. 

We continued to see each other at random times and these encounters proved him to be a people magnet. I never saw him alone. He was always at the center of friends and peers like the eye of a gentle storm. Always relaxed and reserved. Never loud or imposing. Only on stage is where he would show the rockstar, otherwise, just easy going Kenny. I remember a party at his old house. I got there at the same time as two of his friends in their early to mid 20s. They were supposed to do security but were late and now the house was full. Something about the scene was funny. Like kids needing to be careful but wasn’t exactly sure how. They laughed it off, went inside to a calm kickback, not knowing by the end of 2019 Kenny Mason would have over a million views on his first official single, “Hit.” 

A million views doesn’t make you famous, but your name becomes recognizable. A viral song can bring stardom faster than the time it takes to make the songs. Look at Jack Harlow. Nothing has been the same for him since “What’s Poppin” dropped. I began to wonder how many parties Kenny Mason had left where the people would see him as a guy in the room if what happened to Jack happens to him. It’s been a year since his debut album, Angelic Hoodrat, brought the newcomer industry attention and larger fanfare for being a world-building storyteller that could merge rap talents with rock ambitions. Which is great to witness because Kenny Mason doesn’t feel like a fly-by night success. 

Maybe I’m biased for liking him and the music but there’s a certain spark to what he’s doing. Watching him grow over the last two years is what it felt like discovering Chance the Rapper during Acid Rap, or Isaiah Rashad after Cilvia Demo, or Kendrick Lamar right at Overly Dedicated. They all had to look normal at some point and now they’ll never be normal again. Even if you don’t trust my enthusiastic review of his latest album, there’s something about Kenny Mason that’s not ordinary, and soon the world will know it.

Hopefully he’ll have better security by then.

-Yoh