11.29.2022
Video: Kenzo Balla – “No Sympathy“
The Rising New York Native Shares Video for High-Octane Highlight from Mr. Ready To Blitz Project; Mr. Ready To Blitz (Deluxe) Arrives on December 16th
Critical Praise
“…few songs feel as dutifully assembled as ‘Krash Out.’ As the sample gradually uncoils, Kenzo slashes right through the center. A weird phenomenon seems to happen, the rap equivalent of bullet time, where the listener gets an enhanced perception of the rapper’s speed relative to the world around him.” – NPR
“Kenzo Balla is yet another emerging voice out of New York City’s drill scene right now.” – Billboard
“Kenzo’s energy is magnetic” – COMPLEX
“Kenzo Balla’s commanding voice makes the new [“Let Me Know”] single an immediate standout.” – Audiomack
“Kenzo Balla is stepping into the game with sky high ambitions and a pen to match.” – IMPRINT
The Video:
Bursting out of NYC with the explosiveness of an elite edge rusher, Kenzo Balla is applying pressure on his mission to run up a sack. With his borough on his back like a last name on a jersey, Kenzo returns to share the new video for “No Sympathy” from his recent Mr. Ready To Blitz project. Over dizzying production from Spinback and Ron.Adg, Kenzo spits with a game-ready fury on “No Sympathy,” delivering each cautionary flex with a hard-nosed intensity: “Ballin’ on n****s, I ain’t talking scrimmage.”
The video for “No Sympathy,” shot by SozeCinema, positions Kenzo as the captain of his team rallied behind him throughout the video. The Richard Sherman to his own Legion of Boom, Kenzo’s the only one who’s visage is unobscured by hoods and balaclavas, making it clear he’s the face of this pack. With quick cuts and transitions to match the track’s rapid pace, “No Sympathy” plays out less like a music video and more like the hardest-hitting highlight reel of the season. The video for “No Sympathy” arrives as Kenzo prepares for Mr. Ready To Blitz (Deluxe), coming on December 16th.
Mr. Ready to Blitz saw Kenzo leverage his devastating explosiveness across 14 tracks, including recent singles like the high-octane, NPR-approved “Krash Out,” and the Cito Blick and Pdot Savv-assisted “Don’t Panic.” On “Feel The Rage,” Kenzo bursts onto an endearingly melancholic drill instrumental with the headstrong momentum of a mammoth nose tackle like Vince Wilfork, while more fast-paced cuts like the Rayy Balla-featured “Go Kuu” highlight Kenzo’s elusive agility as he flashes through instrumental pockets like Troy Polamalu. Like all the most elite defensive rushers in the game, Kenzo’s strength lies in his opponent’s inability to contain him– in the split second it takes to register his arrival on the track, he puts himself 10 steps ahead.
A rising name in one of the nation’s busiest rap scenes, Kenzo Balla made his mark on the scene with his relentless rhymes and high-energy vocals. Known for collaborating with fellow Bronx heavyweights like his brother TG Crippy, Kenzo kicked off his career with a frenzy of fiery videos, including local hits like “5th To Sev” ft. TG Crippy & Pdot Sav (2 million video views), “OOTAZ,” and the “Love Nwantiti”-remixing “Let Me Know” (1.8 million views). This summer, the former AAU baller tore up the streets with “Dead Gzz,” a vicious, uptempo missive that racked up over 1.3 million video views since its release in June.
With a blistering EP in the books and the Deluxe on its way, Kenzo Balla emerges from his perch in the Bronx to blitz the rap game. Sit back and watch his rise, because there’s no stopping it.
Watch “No Sympathy”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ9fJithyKg
Buy/Stream Mr. Ready To Blitz EP: https://kenzoballa.lnk.to/mrreadytoblitz
Mr. Ready To Blitz Tracklist:
- Talk Our Shit feat. Pdot Savv
- Krash Out
- Ready To Blitz feat. Rayy Balla & Pdot Savv
- Pray 4 Me
- Feel The Rage
- Move Cautious feat. TG Crippy
- Back On My Shit
- SMMBF feat. Nas EBK
- No Sympathy
- Evil Twins feat. TG Crippy
- Don’t Panic feat. Cito Blick & Pdot Savv
- GO KUU feat. Rayy Balla
- OOTAZ feat. TG Crippy & Jayy Da Chaser
- Church feat. Rayy Balla
Please contact Michelle or T’Keyah for more info.
The Background:
Kenzo Balla evokes both the ecstasy and the peril of New York street rap. The Bronx artist serves up chilly bars over hammering drill beats for stylish, yet raw anthems that are drawing the attention of the world by the day. Teaming with frequent collaborators TG Crippy (his brother) and Jay Da Chaser, he blends those elements on tracks like “OOTAZ,” which drips with adrenaline and confrontation. While the track and others like it evoke unsettling force, they’ve also become the soundtrack of functions across the East Coast, and Kenzo wouldn’t have it any other way. Growing up in the BX, everyone knew each other and attended the same parties, but as he became a teenager, the drama escalated. Kenzo realized he’d have to change his lifestyle to survive. He’d spent much of his early years freestyling with friends, so he decided to record his first songs in 2018. After catching attention with melodic tracks like “Backends,” each new release earned more streams than the last. In September 2021, he unloaded “5th to the Sev,” an anthem for his neighborhood that garnered 1 million YouTube views. By 2022, he’d signed a deal with 10K Projects, alongside Crippy. With a growing fan base and an evolving sound in the works for a new project, Kenzo recognizes the potential of the moment he’s having now. On a grander level, he wants to rep the neighborhood that raised him. “I’m making music for me, my brother, my block, for the Bronx, and the whole city,” he says. “The Bronx is just me”.
Links:
instagram | spotify | apple music | youtube | tiktok
“No Sympathy”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ9fJithyKg
Mr. Ready To Blitz: https://kenzoballa.lnk.to/mrreadytoblitz
“Krash Out”: https://kenzoballa.lnk.to/krashout / https://youtu.be/ZiVuC9pnQJk
“Don’t Panic” ft. Cito Blick & Pdot Sav: https://kenzoballa.lnk.to/dontpanic / https://youtu.be/eAKju7ALGPk
“Dead Gzz”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-i6u70lSpY
“Let Me Know”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn0jGNT_QV8
“5th To Sav”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY2tBWgA81U