Kenny Mason Is Unleashed on BULLDAWG
“The Atlanta artist treats rap, rock, and gospel like born bedfellows, and the intricacy of his amalgamations speaks to the depth of his grounding in all three genres.”
—Pitchfork
Kenny Mason has always sounded most comfortable somewhere between worlds, and on BULLDAWG, that refusal to fit neatly into one box becomes part of the point. The Atlanta artist’s third studio album uses the idea of a junkyard as a metaphor for a world that can make people feel disposable, then spends 15 tracks pushing back against it. “FIND GOD,” featuring Dominic Fike, wrestles with what happens when the noise of the outside world becomes almost impossible to tune out. Division, uncertainty and the search for something solid to believe in run through the track, with Fike also contributing to its production. On “TEST ME,” fellow Atlanta rapper JID joins Mason for something more volatile, as anger and paranoia collide with the question of whether getting even is worth what it might cost. Both songs get to the root of BULLDAWG: how do you hold onto who you are when everything around you is trying to tell you what you’re worth?
That question keeps resurfacing as BULLDAWG moves through songs like “BULLKILLER,” “JUNKYARD FREESTYLE,” “BE WHAT I WANT” featuring Paris Texas, “BLACK FIT” and “COME TRUE.” Mason’s mix of hip-hop and guitar-heavy alternative music feels especially at home here, borrowing the urgency and emotional release of the rock bands that influenced him without sacrificing the directness of his rapping. But underneath the aggression is an album with a surprisingly vulnerable center. BULLDAWG is ultimately rooting for the person who has been overlooked, underpaid or underestimated—the one who has been told they’re worth less and decides not to believe it. Mason isn’t just interested in reaching the top; he’s asking what happens to your identity when getting there becomes the only thing that matters. That makes BULLDAWG as much about self-worth as ambition, and its underdog spirit gives all that noise something meaningful to fight for.
Southwest Atlanta native Kenny Mason first broke through with “Hit” before establishing his genre-blurring approach on Angelic Hoodrat and Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut. Later projects including Pup Pack, 9 and Pup Pack: 3rd Shift to build a catalog where intensely personal hip-hop could live comfortably alongside the influence of bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, My Chemical Romance, My Bloody Valentine, Deftones and Title Fight. He has toured with artists including Denzel Curry, Danny Brown and JPEGMafia while developing a reputation for high-energy live performances of his own. With BULLDAWG, Mason brings those different sides of himself together around one clear idea: nobody else gets to decide your value. For an album made for the underdog, that may be its biggest victory.
For more info on Kenny Mason and BULLDAWG, visit https://kennymason.lnk.to/bulldawg.
REVIEWS
“…Atlanta rapper Kenny Mason has made it his mission to erase the line separating rap from rock for a new generation.”
—Pitchfork
“A seasoned lyricist and storyteller, Mason has a gift for building cinematic worlds over genre-bending instrumentals that pull from grunge, trap, jazz rap and neo-soul. His music has always lived somewhere between the mosh pit and the cipher. On BULLDAWG, that collision feels sharper, more intentional and more fully realized.”
—Ones To Watch
“…He moves through moments of vulnerability and intensity, using every part of his voice and production palette to capture different sides of who he is. It’s a project that reflects growth, creative freedom, and an artist continuing to trust his instincts.”
—Clash
“BULLDAWG doesn’t treat genre as a gimmick or a clash. Instead, Mason moves through those different sonic languages with the confidence of someone who understands all of them as tools, choosing whichever one best conveys the feeling.”
—Newsweek
