Kenny Beats

Kenneth Charles Blume III, formerly known professionally as Kenny Beats, is an American record producer, DJ, audio engineer, and songwriter.

Early life Kenneth Blume III was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. His mother was a receptionist and later became a project manager; his father worked at a photo studio and a restaurant. During his junior year at Greenwich High School, he was able to enter a national electronic-music competition hosted by the National Association for Music Education (NAFME) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA). Blume won second place in the competition, which motivated him to start taking music production seriously.

Career

In 2009, while attending Berklee College of Music, Blume met Ryan Marks, a DJ. These two became friends, and in 2012, they decided to form the EDM duo Loudpvck. Marks ultimately left the group in 2017 while Blume transitioned from being an EDM producer to a hip-hop producer.

In March 2019, Blume launched The Cave, a YouTube series in which he invites guests to his studio to produce and record freestyles. An April 2019 episode with Zack Fox spawned resulted in "Jesus Is the One (I Got Depression)", which was officially released as a single in June 2019.

Blume released his debut album, Louie, in 2022. The album was a tribute to his father, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2021. and drums. He often implements live instrumentation into his instrumentals, whether it be performed by himself or a fellow instrumentalist.

A lot of his productions credits often fall into the trap music sub-genre of hip-hop, commonly using 16th/8th note hi-hats with slight variation (such as rolls), hard-hitting kick drums, snares & booming 808 bass shots. He also explores more versatile instrumentation, tempos, production styles etc. such as with the likes of the more laid back and instrumental approach of songs such as singer Dominic Fike's "Phone Numbers" which contains a live guitar sample (performed by SNL lead guitarist Jared Scharff) and a more acoustic feel, backed by a Virtual Studio Technology (VST) version of a real electric bass within Ableton Live that plays the bass line, provided via the Kontakt (sampler) VST. Another style of his production leans to a more experimental sound, found within his collaborative project with rapper Denzel Curry, Unlocked which contains many spoken word samples scattered throughout the tracks and a more disjointed feel, provided by various creative implementations of obscure musical samples found throughout the project. His songs often begin with the producer tag "Whoa, Kenny!", which was originally said by the Atlanta rapper KEY!, who is a frequent collaborator of Blume's.

Discography

Studio albums +TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions SCO UKInd. UKR&B Louie Released: August 31, 2022 Label: XL Format: CD, LP, cassette, digital download, streaming49102

Collaborative albums + Title Album details777 Released: May 4, 2018 Label: Hello!, D.O.T.S. Format: Digital download, streaming2 Minute Drills Released: November 16, 2018 Label: Play Runners, D.O.T.S., Empire Format: Digital download, streamingAnger Management Released: April 25, 2019 Label: Sugar Trap Format: Digital download, streamingNetflix & Deal Released: November 22, 2019 Label: Alamo, Sony Music Entertainment Format: Digital download, streamingFathers Released: July 10, 2026 Label: Blue Note Format: Digital download, streamingII Released: August 21, 2026 Label: PH, Loma Vista Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming

Soundtrack albums + Title Album detailsLurker (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Released: August 22, 2025 Label: Milan Format: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays +TitleEP detailsPeak chart positions US AUS CAN IRE NZ Unlocked Released: February 7, 2020 Label: PH, Loma Vista Label: PH, Loma Vista Format: CD, LP, cassette, digital download, streaming–––––

Production discography Year Artist Album Song 2010 Smoke DZA Substance Abuse 1.5: The Headstash "Headstash" (featuring Den10) George Kush Da Button "Continental Kush Breakfast" (featuring Den10) 2011 The Hustler's Catalog "Profit" Rolling Stoned "Ball Game" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) "Pow Wow" (featuring Dom Kennedy) Sweet Baby Kushed God "Smokey Klause" Skeme Before My Next Statement "Truth" 2012 ScHoolboy Q "Party" Smoke DZA K.O.N.Y "Diamond" (featuring Ab-Soul) Skeme Alive & Living "Everything on Me" Jet Life Jet World Order 2 "24 Hrs" (featuring Trademark Da Skydiver and Young Roddy) 2014 Ab-Soul These Days... "Hunnid Stax" (featuring ScHoolboy Q) 2016 Lucki Son of Sam "Double Check" "His Only..." Skywlkr Joints "3 Drugs" (featuring Kenny Beats) 2017 Lucki "Live It" Hoodrich Pablo Juan and Kenny Beats South Dark "Dead End" "Everyday "Ruthless" (featuring Duke) "Do This" "C Sick" "3 Point Stance" "Hood" (featuring Baby Uiie) DJ Lucas "Big Dope" Lil Wop Wopavelli 3 "Topgolf" "Dope Man" "Walking Dead" "Friday the 13th" "Grow Up" "Xans" 2018 YoungBoy Never Broke Again Until Death Call My Name "Traumatized" Key! and Kenny Beats 777 "Demolition 1 + 2" "Hater" "Blurry" "Boss" "Move" "Famous" "It Gets Better" "Kelly Price Freestyle" "Love on Ice" "Dig It" "Toronto" "True Love Interlude" "Control'" "Twisted" "Squeamish" Freddie Gibbs Freddie "Automatic" "Death Row" (featuring 03 Greedo) "Set Set" "Toe Tag" "FBC" Zack Fox "Square Up" Vince Staples FM! "Feels Like Summer" "Outside!" "Don't Get Chipped" "New earlsweatshirt" "FUN!" "No bleedin" "Brand New Tyga" "(562) 453-9382" "Tweakin" JPEGMafia and Kenny Beats Not on Veteran! "Puff Daddy" 10k.Caash The Creator "Mutumbo" (featuring Rico Nasty) "Aloha" (featuring GUN40) JID DiCaprio 2 "Slick Talk" Ski Mask the Slump God Stokeley "Foot Fungus" "Unbothered" 2019 Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats Anger Management "Cold" "Cheat Code" (featuring Baauer) "Hatin" ""Big Titties" (featuring Baauer & EARTHGANG) "Nasty World (skit)" "Relative" "Mood" (featuring Splurge) "Sell Out" "Again" Zack Fox and Kenny Beats "Jesus Is the One (I Got Depression)" Dominic Fike "Phone Numbers" Ed Sheeran No.6 Collaborations Project "Take Me Back to London" (featuring Stormzy) Gucci Mane Delusions of Grandeur "Proud of You" "Us" Rexx Life Raj Father Figure 3: Somewhere Out There "Moonwalk" Yung Bans Misunderstood "Touch the Stars (featuring Lil TJay)" FKA twigs Magdalene "Holy Terrain (feat. Future)" DaBaby Kirk "Toes (featuring Lil Baby & Moneybagg Yo)" Smino "Trina" 03 Greedo and Kenny Beats Netflix and Deal "Traffic" "Paid in Full" "Disco Shit" (featuring Freddie Gibbs) "Maria" "Blue People" (featuring Vince Staples) "Beg Your Pardon" (featuring Maxo Kream) "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" "Brad Pitt" "Aye Twin" (featuring Key!) "Life" "Payback" (featuring OhGeesy) "Soul Food" (featuring Buddy) "Dead Presidents" 2020 Key Glock Yellow Tape "Loaded" Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats Unlocked