Featured Image: (Pacer Graphic / Darby Self)
In hip-hop culture, there comes an artist every few years who stands out from the crowd. From the lyrical poet Kendrick Lamar to the charismatic Childish Gambino, these performers do such good work that it can transcend hip-hop and become something else entirely. The next in line to make an impact will undoubtedly be the rising star that is Kenny Mason.
Born on Dec. 17, 1994, in Atlanta, Georgia, Edwin Kenneth Green Jr. enjoyed listening to music from a young age. He never limited himself to what he would listen to. One moment, he would listen to the aforementioned Kendrick Lamar and the next, he would enjoy the shoegaze stylings of the Irish-English rock band, My Bloody Valentine. This would influence how Kenny would create his music later down the road.
Kenny began his career as an artist at the age of 19, after he decided a dead-end job at Krispy Kreme was not for him. In 2014, Kenny began creating music with his friends under the group name House 9. Between 2014 and 2016, House 9 released multiple mixtapes on the music streaming service, SoundCloud. Kenny would eventually describe these tapes as “the definition of experimental.”
Kenny began gaining traction through the years as a solo artist. In 2020, he released his first studio album, Angelic Hoodrat, to very positive reviews. The album combined alt-rock with trap and R&B to create melodic tracks that were praised across the board by fans and critics alike. Through collaborations with artists such as JID, Jean Dawson and even Denzel Curry; Kenny became undeniably recognizable as a star.
On Oct. 16, 2025, I interviewed three students on their familiarity with the music of Kenny Mason. Out of the three, only one recognized who Kenny was. I then played them a track from Kenny’s mixtape, Ruffs, called ‘NOSEDIVE’ and asked for their opinions on it.
“[the track] is a great hype song,” said Kate Mills, a junior Mass Media and Strategic Communications major.
“It reminds me of Lil Uzi Vert and Yeat,” She said. ”It’s something you can listen to in the gym.”
“Yeah, definitely. I think that they would like it,” said John Glass IV, a guest student, on if he’d recommend it to his friends.
Davion Primm, another Mass Media and Strategic Communications major, was very familiar with Kenny. In fact, when NOSEDIVE was playing, he began reciting it bar for bar.
He reminisced over the song, saying that, ”My friends and I used to listen to this in the car while driving around.”
Even with 1.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Kenny Mason grows in popularity every day. His experimental combination of wildly differing genres serves only to boost his talent in the field. It’s only a matter of time before he goes mainstream like those before him.
RECOMMENDED WORKS: Play Ball / NOSEDIVE / A+ / HOODRAT
