Zukenee – “Blunts & Blades” review

Brand new mixtape & the 3rd overall 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 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 & the Trapped in the Dungeon series have all followed since. B4BB came out over a week ago & the main course Blunts & Blades is here sooner than anticipated.

“Kelly Chanelly” opens up talking about feeling like a monster soon as he hops out of the Jeep over a minimally dark Cade beat whereas “Mixinggg” goes for more of a standard trap vibe instrumentally speaking of combining lean & xanax in his cup. “Break My Scale” talks about exposing all these bitch-ass wannabe thugs for who they are leading into “Calibrated” runs it back with Cade to flex he’s gotten so dirty, that his cleanliness has become an urgency.

As for “50+50”, we have Zukenee talking about spending hundreds of dollars on guns & drugs while “Walked Out” calls for all his young shooters to continue robbing all these pussy ass rappers. “Who DF” ends the 1st leg of Blunts & Blades talking about how it took him a long time to get to where he’s at in his career presently just before “Funky Monkey / Characteristics” kicks off the 2nd half with a 2-parter boasting of being the type to drop a bag & get it back.

“Kisses of Molly” keeps the tape going talking about all of his bitches keeping it solid & staying on some slick shit while the trap/pop rap single “?” asks what he’s supposed to do with his chopper. “Skreet Bitch” incorporates some chaotic synth melodies to break down his preference in women who got a little hood in them while “Face in Pillow” advises not to take it personally if he leaves & leads one one because he’s a youngin’ increasing his revenue.

The song “Jeffrey” talks about making deposits into his bank account every single morning when he wakes up & slimin’ muhfuckas like Young Thug while “French Tip” goes for a crunk sound so he can keep showing off his wealth. “Rags to Rick” produced by BNYX of Working on Dying was a great way to end Blunts & Blades, talking about going from not having shit to wearing Rick Owens & hoping this chick he considers the one doesn’t wind up lying to him.

Trapped in the Dungeon & it’s sequel each have some of Zukenee’s craziest songs yet like “Qooler” or “Start the Day”, but the disappointment I had for B4BB over a week earlier gets put to rest since I enjoyed a great deal of Blunts & Blades. It’s probably the most experimental thing he’s done so far with Cade’s 40% share of the production & the outro being the most enjoyable moments of the bunch, coming off the feature he did for KARRAHBOOO’s newest EP Not da 2 for his most gratifying 2026 offering & only drawing closer to the Cardo-produced Zudo.

Score: 3.5/5

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Zukenee – “B4BB” review

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 & he’s coming off both entries of the Trapped in the Dungeon series to drop B4BB in preparation for Blunts & Blades.

“Pittslurgh” made for a vibrantly playful intro produced by Cade talking about being more geeked up than a nerd whereas “Chicken Tender” already wraps up the 1st half of B4BB showin’ off the ice shinin’ on his wrist right when he hops outta bed in the morning. “Bouncy House” kicks off the 2nd leg with the goofiest moment here & the only track Cade didn’t produce coincidentally talking about a ratchet hoe who’s convinced herself to be classy while the closer “Pahtment” discusses his swag originating from the apartments he grew up in.

Up until this point: I’ve said that Zuminati was the weakest thing Zukenee has done all year & unfortunately B4BB dethrones it with a 4-pack clocking in at less than 10 minutes that I’d put behind alongside Trapped in the Dungeon & it’s sequel. I’m still confident we’re gonna get something special out of Blunts & Blades and of course & the Cardo-produced Zudo, but Cade’s trap/pop rap production isn’t at his best despite handling 75% of it.

Score: 3/5

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Zukenee – “Trapped in the Dungeon 2” review

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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Zukenee – “Trapped in the Dungeon” review

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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Zukenee – “Zuminati” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper/producer Zukenee is back with his 7th 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 last summer. 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 have all continued to elevate his profile & he’s ending the 1st month of 2026 to drop Zuminati.

“Bait” produced by Cade starts with a fun trap intro talking about not going on Twitter because of incels on there trying to get a rise out of him whereas “Glock Backshots” featuring Sk8star finds the 2 teaming up for a cloudy gangsta rap crossover. “Rich Nigga” goes for a dirty south vibe talking about sleeping with a woman who’s already in a relationship with someone wealthy leading into the rage-inducing “ATL” representing the city that made him who he is today.

The 75 second “Ear Bleed” assures he’ll smoke anyone who makes a bad first impression over some 808s while “Lokey” brings some synths & bells in the fold telling this hoe he’s been seeing to keep their relationship low profile. “Up My Geek” dismisses those waving white flags when there’s smoke when they’re yelling of fires but after the synth-trap crossover “Pyramid” talks about his intents of scheming, “Suicide Note” finishes up by boasting of the exoticness of the weed he’s smoking over a PROJECT4PLAY instrumental.

We only have to wait & see how many more projects Zukenee plans on giving us within these next 11 months because I do remember him confirming that he has something in the works called Zudo fully produced by Cardo, but Zuminat might be the weakest thing he’s done so far although I’d call it average with more highs than lows as opposed to falsely dismissing it as trash. Although his performances may not be the issue, the production sounds a bit samey compared to his earlier output disappointingly.

Score: 3/5

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Zukenee – “Knight Shift” review

Brand new EP & the 5th overall 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 last summer. 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 until Player Slayer came last spring. Cade was brought in to produce Guillotine the previous summer, coming off Birth of St. Slay from last Halloween with Slaytanic & starting November by getting ready for the Knight Shift.

“Ballroom” produced by Cade works in some strings to talk about going fit-for-fit because his closet got attitude whereas “Kino Der Toten” uniquely blends plugg & horrorcore boasting that his diamonds colder than the home state of WWE Hall of Famer Jesse Ventura, who was referenced on the groundbreaking [adult swim] hit series Smiling Friends last month. “Public” talks about being the homage everyone’s been paying over a Cardo instrumental while “WYD?” gets geeked up to watch the Warner Bros. subsidiary HBO-owned Game of Thrones.

Reaching the halfway point, “Skip Rocks” moves things forward with an upbeat vibe talking about not going back to the way things were prior to his popularity increasing just before “Aimy” joyously boasts that he’s higher than the mountains & staying extra clean despite his southern roots. “Nametag” wasn’t a bad attempt at Zuwop self-producing however, talking about his girl fucking him like a king & shutting down traffic when pulling up to the spot.

“Pop Shit / White Beater” starts the last moments of the Knight Shift with an accordion-heavy trap/pop rap song making an OnlyFans hoe into his 1 & only while the piano-tinged “Nobody” talks about carrying swords & sticks beside him due to him growing up roughly. As for the outro “Ribbon”, we’re treated to the Atlanta rapper boasting his new racks & his new bitch over some rage beats.

Birth of St. Slay marked the beginning of Zukenee fusing trap & crunk together although Slaytanic removed the Chicago drill & pop rap influences to give his dirty south origins a chance to shine, which Knight Shift eventually swaps out for his plugg & experimental hip hop in preparation of an eagerly awaited body of work called Zudo entirely produced by Cardo for those who couldn’t tell.

Score: 4/5

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Zukenee – “Slaytanic” review

Here we have the sophomore effort from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer 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 last summer. 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 until Player Slayer came last spring. Cade was brought in to produce the highly acclaimed Guillotine EP the previous summer, coming off Birth of St. Slay from on Halloween with Slaytanic.

“Cut Ya Hand” is an anthemic regalia intro with strings, organs & retro trap drums referencing one of my favorite clothing brands ア・ベイシング・エイプ founded by ニゴー whereas “Game Winner” produced by Cade & Murda Beatz talks about the real relating to him in addition to the fakest backstabbing him. “Bromance” shows off an effortlessly distinct flow admitting that he’s fallen in love with the money he’s been making prior to “Hindu” finds him rapping as if the rent is due.

Meanwhile on “Roof Roof”, we have Zukenee boasting about this girl being just as equally wild as he is mixing that with some street talk just before “Stoopid Fool” talks about his preference in women who’re insane to the point where they gotta have new screws in their heads. “Gimmie Gimmie” boasts catching the Holy Spirit the way he baptizin’ these racks leading into “Nun” embarking us on a trip to the trap house right ‘round the village.

“Sticks & Swords” pulls influence from Playboi Carti’s new album MUSIC down to the Cardo instrumental & “Yoga” finds him flipping a 0 into a 100 until “Spontaneous Slay” speaks on living that Slayer life the weekend after former Slayer guitarist Kerry King performed during the intro of former ROH World Television Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, WWE United States Champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & NXT North American Champion Damian Priest at WrestleMania XLI.

The song “Hot Ass Greece” boasts that nobody out here is poppin’ on the exact same level as he is preferring to count his wishes whilst blowing that stick simultaneously & the closing track “In the Woods” details his life in the streets along with the violence that comes with it, his sexual relationships, what it was like for him growing up in the hood & the constant conflict with the police conveyed through medieval metaphors.

Yes I didn’t get the chance to cover Birth of St. Slay, but I still thought it was fun way for him to celebrate the Halloween season listening to it almost 6 months ago & would tell you that Slaytanic in comparison reaches the same quality of trap his debut Player Slayer taking it a step or 2 down from Guillotine. The unique production on this one is prominently influenced by plugg pioneer Zaytoven, presenting a dark take on late 2010s pop rap & the early mixtape days of the 2000s.

Score: 3.5/5

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Zukenee – “Guillotine” review

Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Zukenee following up his debut Player Slayer with a 4th 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 last summer. 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 until Player Slayer came this spring. Interestingly enough, Cade’s being brought in to produce Guillotine.

“Dungeon Detour” has a quirky trap feeling to get us started warning that the roundabout route to the dungeon has begun & to prepare for imminent battle whereas the vibrant “Dragons” talks about catching plays & running shit now. “Village” comes through with a rubbery dedication for all the slayers out there while “Trap Candle” flexes that he got money bustin’ out both of his pockets.

Meanwhile on “Checkmate”, Zukenee aggressively explains to u that you have to choose between the 2 sides of life being a boy or a slayer just before the synth-trap crossover “Warplay” declaring that he’s ready for war. “Bend” has an acoustic trap quality to it reworking a brick & a bitch, but then the rage-inducing “Trimlewinsky” balls hard. The trippy “Por Favor” warns he might fuck around & rinse you leading into “Blow Up” ending the EP by keeping the Glock hot.

If you weren’t feeling Player Slayer when it was first given to us over 4 months ago like a couple people were, you might find yourself enjoying Guillotine more & that for me personally has quickly established itself as the crown jewel of Zukenee’s discography. Cade’s takes him to a brand new level in a consistent fashion & the medieval theme during the 19 minute run stays pretty consistent.

Score: 4/5

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Zukenee – “Player Slayer” review

This is the official full-length debut studio album from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Zukenee. Getting his start 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 last summer. 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, so it was more than enough to peak my interest for Player Slayer.

“CURSIVE” is this psychedelic trap opener talking about signing the pussy as if the characters are all joined similarly to the titular writing style whereas “X OFF LIST” looks to shoot back without giving a fuck who it is bringing a quirkier tone to the instrumental kinda. “PEEP” dives into rage turf talking about having to check out the spot prior to the syrupy “STOP TRIM” admitting the 1 thing he knows for certain is that bitches come & go, hence why he doesn’t stress over hoes.

Moving forward, “ACTRESS” brings an exuberant trap flare to the beat flexing that he fuckin’ actresses out here while “BAE SLAY” continues to incorporate pianos & hi-hats clarifying that trap isn’t dead when it’s actually the bitch-made who’re simply scared. “SARAN” featuring Talinwya finds the 2 talking about catching them if you can with a once again quirky instrumental, but then “ZACK BIA” clashes keys & synthesizers together shouting out the Field Trip Recordings founder of the same name.

“PROJECT LIVING” vibrantly asks if you’re down or pussy while “BAD WOMEN” futuristically boasts his lifestyle. “RAPUNZEL” featuring Sk8star has to be one of the best tracks on the album from the synth-inflicted beat to both of their performances while “BANKROLL PLAY” talks his shit over some plinky chords. The bassy penultimate track “POP” sayin’ they either push it or move it & “HOODWINKED” finishes the album by needing a hood queen to smoke good weed with.

Even though we’ve been seeing a progressional artistic growth in Zukenee over the course of these past 3 years with all 4 of his previous projects that I mentioned at the very beginning, Player Slayer here as a debut outdoes himself to the point where his status is bound to get bigger from here. The production is uniquely interesting, the 2 features are tight & his performances keep getting stronger.

Score: 3.5/5

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