Why You Should Watch Kenny Beats’ The Cave
Like really, you should.
Kenny Beats (real name Kenneth Charles Blume) is a producer and engineer based out of California. He’s been making beats for well over a decade now and has become one of hip-hop’s sought-after producers. He’s notable for his famous tagline (“Woah Kenny!”) and his eclectic style of sampling, 808s, and bass-driven instrumentals. He’s worked alongside artists such as Vince Staples, Rico Nasty, and Freddie Gibbs among others, but has gained a wide social media presence thanks to his Youtube series, The Cave.
Named after the nickname he gave his studio, The Cave started in early 2019, and after a hiatus last year due to COVID, it’s back with its third season. Episodes have Kenny invite a guest artist into his studio where he makes a beat for them and they freestyle over it. In between the music-making, Kenny and his guest(s) crack jokes and talk about pretty much anything and everything. The camaraderie between Kenny and his guests is lighthearted and showcases the fun he has when working on music.
The series is a great watch for music fans and upcoming producers alike. A majority of the guests are friends with Kenny, whether he’s produced for them before or not. As a producer, he always asks his guest what type of vibe they’re looking for, what sound are they feeling. While their answers are usually very vague and at times, comedically impossible. Kenny does his best to fulfill their needs. He always makes a beat that seems familiar to that artist’s style. For example, on the debut episode, Kenny works with JPEGMAFIA to create a minimalist, experimental beat similar to Peggy’s own abrasive sound. He caters Doja Cat to a bubblegum pop meets hip-hop beat for her episode. Often times they’ll help Kenny with the production, bassist Thundercat, and multi-instrumentalist Marc Rebillet work with Kenny by adding their own components to the songs on their respective appearances. He makes something that his guests are familiar with, making it easier for them to hop on and freestyle over.
As far as the production, Kenny uses Ableton, and while we rarely see footage of the program at work for a long duration, you’ll see small clips of Kenny sequencing samples, looping drum beats, and recording additional sounds. If you’ve got a quick eye and a knack for production, you might be able to spot what plugins and samples he uses but I believe Kenny does his best to hide them in the chance that somebody tries to copy them. The way The Cave is shot is also a great aspect. Kenny’s cameraman Harris provides a fly-on-the-wall experience, making it feel as if you are really in the studio. It cuts between his handicam like cinematography and static GoPro footage whenever guests enter the recording booth.
When it comes to the freestyles, they range from serious bars to outlandish verses that are completely random, some of the best episodes are the ones where the guests just freestyle the dumbest things. From Thundercat being clueless on how to rap to most recently Mac Demarco singing about his favourite Italian food, the freestyles have no filter. The best example (and one that went viral) is the episode featuring comedian Zack Fox. I won’t explain what happens, I highly recommend you watch it for yourself if you haven’t already, personally I don’t think I laughed this hard at somebody requesting a beat to sound like Sonic crip walking (and believe me, Kenny makes it happen.). His freestyle got so popular that both he and Kenny released is as the single “Jesus Is The One (I Got Depression)”, which no lie, is possibly the greatest rap song of our generation.
It’s that episode as well as many others (the Vince Staples one is just 9 mins of Vince roasting Kenny) that showcases how Kenny treats his music. He doesn’t look at being a producer as a job, rather it’s something that can be fun and super casual. Often times you’ll forget that he’s working on music as every episode plays out like a bunch of people just hanging out, I also think it adds to the production style Kenny incorporates as well as his motto of “Don’t Over Think Shit”. By watching a few episodes, you can tell he does take his job seriously but doesn’t let that distract him from the energy that his guests offer, it’s clear that he knows you can make some of the best stuff when you’re having a good time.
I could keep going on, but honestly check out the series on his Youtube channel and subscribe if you like it. Kenny Beats also streams regularly on Twitch if you want to watch him make a beat from scratch, rate people’s music, or listen to some friendly advice about work ethic and such.
