I’ve been interested in this genre of “abstract hip hop” for a while now. The classification has existed for many years, usually referring to rappers and artists who make perhaps more esoteric music than mainstream hip-hop artists. Kenny Segal has been a consistent presence over the past decade or so, and received several accolades for his production. He’s worked with acclaimed rappers such as billy woods, RAP Ferreira, and Serengeti. He's a member of the LA-based group: The Jefferson Park Boys. His latest project, MAPS with New York Rapper billy woods was rated as one of Pitchfork’s best new albums, put on The Loved List by Anthony Fantano at The Needle Drop—a critic who I follow almost religiously—and aggregated to universal acclaim on MetaCritic.
Kenny’s production, like most of my favorite musicians, escapes easy description. He has an affinity for jazzy melodies and acoustic drum-based rhythms, but even those change drastically from album to album. It’s almost as if he’s entirely changing his palette from one album to the next and reinventing himself with each project.
MAPS by billy woods & Kenny Segal
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