LOUIE, Kenny Beats (8/10)

Okay it has been a long time since I've done a review since I was in the process of moving across the country and starting my MFA. I've listened to a bunch of new stuff over the past month, so I have quite the backlog of things to review. I'm gonna start with some more recent stuff though since it's fresh in my mind. 

LOUIE (8/31/22) is the debut album of Kenny Beats, the beat maker behind a lot of the rap and hip-hop scenes today. He's released some collaborative singles and worked on projects of the likes of Denzel Curry, Rico Nasty, Vince Staples and more... but this is his first big solo project. Honestly, I was astonished at how much I enjoyed it. It's a lot more jazzy and chill r&b/soul than I expected (I think I thought it would be much more poppy than it is). The album consists of 17 short songs over 33 minutes in dedication to his father who was diagnosed with cancer in 2021, and is filled with instrumental ballads and vocal recording interludes. It's a really good album to listen to in full; short and rewarding and the songs blend together really well. It also features some crazy folks including Omar Apollo, JPEGMAFIA, Dijon - but none of the songs include the other artists in their name, and each is pretty subtle - showcasing Kenny Beats' talent more than anything else. The second half of the album felt more like great background music than impressive individual bangers, but that was still okay w me. Overall, was very impressed by this debut, and I'd definitely recommend giving it a listen. Favorite tracks: Parenthesis, Family Tree, Hold My Head