Medieval Rap 

Kash Young 

Rap/Hip-Hop journalist

What do chainmail, armor, swords, dragons, and heroes all have in common? They’re all connected to one thing. Medieval trap, but what is a medieval trap? Who is using it, and why is it something you should care about? I’m gonna take you into the crazy, experimental, and newest album from Zukenee.

 Why should you care about this new tape? Simply, it’s unique. That’s saying a lot in a world full of artists who are pushing the boundaries of what rap is. Blunts & Blades is a 15-song album that breaks new ground by making something completely different. His fascination with medieval fantasy elevates his music, adding elements that turn his sound into something truly unique. Medieval trap is what he calls it himself, but this album isn’t just medieval trap and elements of it. It’s a combination of all the hard work he’s been putting into his last tapes and years of building something up. It finally culminates in an album that represents what he brings to the table and all the hard work that he’s been putting forward with his past releases. Now it’s time to grab your swords, put your armor on, and dive into the world of Blunts and Blades.

The album starts with a very potent punch in the face, with a beat that continues to rattle over and over again to open things up. It reminds me of a welder or a blacksmith making armor or something along those lines. As the album continues, you hit track three, “Break My Scale,” and you get a funky, weird beat that just doesn’t sound right, but you can’t get enough of it. Something about it just keeps you lured in, but something is so awful about it, yet it works. The beat really reminds me of a transformer that got wet and attempted to dry itself. Zukenee finds more elements of medieval fantasy in his track “Face in Pillow.” It’s not aggressive like his other tracks on the album, but it’s light and soft like a pillow, while also having a nice beat to it that sounds like something straight from Final Fantasy.

However, not every song has medieval undertones to it. He’s got a lot of variety on his album, but one of the most captivating things about his album is that he’s turned back the clock and has beats and elements that were used in 2016, making some of these songs feel like they’re straight from the mid-2010s. “Walked Out” was a perfect example of him being versatile and getting away from the stuff he usually makes, while making fun and exciting stuff that gets you wanting to move. The song sounds just like a song you would see JMoney1041 doing a dance video to back in 2016.

And you can’t talk about this album without talking about two of the bigger songs from it. The first being “Rags to Rick,” which has established and very well-known producer BNYX on the beat. They have worked together before, and they’ve gotten better with each song they collaborate on. His biggest standout song is “Question Mark,” his single that has been taken off the charts and has been running up the charts for some time now. It looks to be his best hit yet.

As Zukenee is only getting started and looks to be one of the bigger names and upcoming artists to come out this year and in the years ahead, this album continues to show his talents in his craft and what he’s doing with his medieval rap. You have to check it out yourself to understand the hype for an artist who looks to take off any day now.