This is the 2nd mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia rapper/producer Zukenee. Starting in the spring of 2021 off his debut EP Undiscovered, he would continue to make a name for himself in the underground by putting out a couple more EPs in Castle & Playful alongside the debut mixtape Stop Playing. Subsequent exclusive singles like “OJAYS” & “Chest” would later become amongst his best since both of them were released in the span of a year & a half preceding Player Slayer. Guillotine, Birth of St. Slay, Slaytanic, Knight Shift, Eye Love U & Zuminati all followed except I hoped Trapped in the Dungeon would make up for the latter’s mediocrity.
“Que Lo Que” kicks off the tape flexing that spending an entire month in the studio over a beat with this quirky synthesizer whereas “Soso Sammy” produced by Bugz Ronin hits us with some nostalgic crunk vibes talking about him & his girl being hood. “Glahhh” incorporates some handclaps & pianos so he can talk about how Ice Spice stinks leading into “Impersonation” takes a darker approach instrumentally thanks to Cade boasting his double life.
As for “Fuck the Tab”, it could be the weakest track here because of the annoyingly distracting beat rather than Zukenee’s lyrics describing him breaking banks & punching faces for 96 seconds while “Masterplan” treads the terror plugg waters asking this person if he led them on & suggesting he can make their minds disappear if they’d like. The rage-inducing “Account” talks about having more love for his accountant than all of his bitches combined to open up the 2nd half while “Rappers” discusses having work & dope.
“Qooler” would be another favorite of mine talking about being a rich muhfucka over a lively instrumental Wheezy & Taurus made together while “U Made Me?” talks about moving both cake & bass along with shrugging off the notion of anyone being flyer than him. “Evel Knightvel” poses the question of whether or not one’s coming the way he does preceding the luxurious trap outro “Slimeball” talking about nobody questioning if he fucks with them because they would already know.
Already a quarter way through the year & Zukenee already makes up for Zuminati’s disappointing reception with a mixtape that I find to be more enjoyable although there are some moments I don’t see myself revisiting more than others. The experimental trap, dirty south, rage, crunk & terror plugg production feels like a breath of fresh air compared to the repetitiveness of it’s predecessor & that raises the stakes for the next tape Blunts & Blades and the Cardo-produced Zudo.
Score: 3.5/5
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