Washington, D.C. rapper, songwriter & model Yung Kayo celebrating his 21st birthday by putting out his debut mixtape ahead of his sophomore effort D.F.T.K. 2 (Down For The Kount 2). His first 3 EPs + + + as well as – – – & Sweet 16 in 2019 would catch the attention of Young Thug, who signed Kayo to YSL Records at the beginning of the following year. Work in Progress came out the following summer preluding his debut album D.F.T.K. (Down For The Kount), the latter of which would become a standout in the rage scene. 19 was a cool celebration of his 19th birthday & exactly 2 years later, some Holy Grails are being dug up.
“rockstar” gets the tape going with this averagely intoxicating trap intro that longtime collaborator Warpstr laced rapping about going too hard these days whereas “flex” produced by Pi’erre Bourne stands out as a favorite of mine in the tracklist from the cloudy instrumental to the boastful lyrics getting a bag. “taycan key” takes a bombastic approach to the beat explaining that he wants to know what’s too see leading into “jedi” hopping over synths & hi-hats to get in your mind.
As for “tony hawk”, we have Kayo talking about his whip being jurassic in addition to skating on bitches in the same vein as the greatest skateboarder of all-time whom this track is named after while “in my room” gives off a bit of an experimental trap vibe instrumentally admitting that he can’t control himself feeling like he’s on the verge of going insane. “generous” hooks up these prominent sirens talking more than Ellen DeGeneres, but then “robin hood” gets back on an ethereal trap vibe talking about protecting your heart.
“heads or tails” brings some rage-inducing undertones throughout clarifying that he has 2 personalities as if he’s YNW Melly just before “run that” talks about coming from rags to riches denying a comeback. “hellofaman” samples “Flowers” by PinkPantheress flexing that he got a sure bitch although the money talks while “bye” was an enjoyable trap single talking about seeing what he wants at the store & buying it eventually.
Another favorite has to be “cold” whether it be Maaly Raw cooking up one of the best beats on the entire tape or Kayo bragging that he jumps in the snow with a Moncler coat on since he’s that cold while “psych out” goes for an appropriately chaotic trap atmosphere wanting to know what these muhfuckas gon’ do when the lights go out. The synth-based “energy” talks about time being the only thing stopping him wanting to know why people are copying his swag & “all in” rounds it all out optimistic that all is right.
“fujiwara hiroshi” starts the deluxe run of the tape heading for a pluggier direction hoping that he don’t leave with anyone tonight while “prada shirt” has a bit of a Whole Lotta Red-era Playboi Carti bite to it with this distorted rage instrumental talking about the suit being linen. “come in” featuring A1 finds them on an experimental trap tip coming from nothing & having to run in while the hypertrap joint “sight” warns that he got a 30 round on his right side. The final bonus track “coma” ends with him playfully whippin’ the bands
Yung Kayo basically compiled all of his most anticipated snippets that’ve surfaced online ever since he initially signed to YSL almost 5 years ago & give them an official release is actually a really smart move that feels reminiscent to the Grails EP that Pi’erre gave us a year & a half ago ahead of Made in Paris whenever it finally comes. However, I’d say Grails is a more consistent listen than Holy Grails & that it’s a minor step down from D.F.T.K. (Down For The Kount). You still get the trap/rage sounds that made his debut exciting except it’s a bit of a mixed bag with slightly more hits than misses.
Score: 3/5
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