Atlanta, Georgia rapper/producer Zukenee back for his 8th extended play. 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 singles 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 & it looks like we’re getting a Trapped in the Dungeon sequel ahead of Blunts & Blades and the Cardo-produced Zudo.
“Flintstones Vitamins” opens up cautioning the woman who wants to fuck him that she’s gonna have to make her bed first whereas “Pull Up 2 da O” produced by Cade flexes that he pulled up on Playboi Carti & he told him he was the hardest although there are points where the delivery reminds me of Tezzus. “P.A.H. (Pussy Ass Hoe)” leans towards a bouncier vibe telling us what he thinks of snitches altogether leading into “DeadToMe” reaching midway point of the EP likening himself to the reaper over this sinister beat from Toom of Vanguard Music Group.
Cade returns behind the boards for “Kris Vect” to kick off the 2nd half of Trapped in the Dungeon 2 combining some hi-hats & a woodwind for a couple minutes to get in his gangsta bag lyrically just before “Draco Bow” talks about gunfire & not being anything like the people who claim to be on the same level as him. “Start the Day” finds PROJECT4PLAY mixing chimes & 808s for what could be the finest moment of this backend explaining that he focuses on money right when he gets up & the outro “I Got What She Need” incorporates a violin to assure his partner that he has everything she desires.
Holding off a little longer until Blunts & Blades and Zudo, Trapped in the Dungeon 2 doesn’t sound any better or worse than it’s predecessor a few months earlier since I’d still put it above Zuminati although it’s structured similarly in that Zukenee gives us some of his hardest songs outside of a small handful of skippers. The experimental trap, rage & crunk production feels reminiscent of the original Trapped in the Dungeon other then the terror plugg & dirty south undertones being ditched for regular plugg & the performances are on par to the preceding tape.
Score: 3.5/5
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