777 (Key! and Kenny Beats album)

777
Studio album by
Key! and Kenny Beats
ReleasedMay 4, 2018
RecordedNovember 2017 – 2018
StudioThe Cave (Burbank, California)
GenreTrap[1]
Length34:39
LabelHello!/D.O.T.S.
ProducerKenny Beats[2]
Key! chronology
Been Had Boyz
(2017) 		777
(2018) 		777 Deluxe
(2018)
Kenny Beats chronology
South Dark
(2017) 		777
(2018) 		2 Minute Drills
(2018)

777 (or 777 Volume 1)[3] is a collaborative album between American rapper Key! and record producer Kenny Beats, released on May 4, 2018.[4][5][6] Its lead single was "Hater".[7]

Music videos were released for "Boss", "Dig It", "Hater", and "Kelly Price Freestyle".[3][8][9][10]

The album was followed up in November 2018 with Key! and Kenny Beats' EP 777 Deluxe. It featured a new version of "Hater" with a guest appearance from Skepta, as well as a music video and 6lack feature for "Love on Ice".[11][12][13]

Background

Key! and Kenny Beats first met at a recording studio in Hollywood. After being impressed by Kenny Beats' production on Lil Wop's Wopavelli 3 and Hoodrich Pablo Juan's South Dark, Key! pushed the idea of a collaborative album between the two.[14] Originally scheduled to have seven tracks (hence the title), they ended with over sixty songs by the end of their recording sessions, which would be dialed back to the final fifteen.[14]

The album's recording took place at Kenny Beats' Burbank studio, nicknamed "The Cave", between November 2017 and early 2018.[3][14][15][16] Preceding the album was Key! and Kenny Beats' single "Ice Scream Hello!" in January 2018, which was intended to be on the album but was instead released for free over concerns about its Björk sample.[3]

Critical reception

Nazuk Kochhar, writing for The Fader, praised 777 as an "undeniably great album that hits from top to bottom".[8] Mehan Jayasuriya of Pitchfork called 777 a "breezy, streamlined record that places Key!'s easygoing personality front-and-center".[17]

Track listing

Track titles and length adapted from Spotify.[18]

No.TitleLength
1."Demolition 1 + 2"2:37
2."Hater"2:06
3."Blurry"2:08
4."Boss"2:01
5."Move"2:07
6."Famous"2:21
7."It Gets Better"2:40
8."Kelly Price Freestyle"2:14
9."Love on Ice"2:10
10."Dig It"2:59
11."Toronto"2:33
12."True Love Interlude"1:59
13."Control"2:40
14."Twisted"2:18
15."Squeamish"1:41
Total length:34:39

Sample credits

  • "Demolition 1 + 2" contains a sample of "A Praying Spirit" by The Clark Sisters.
  • "Famous" contains a sample of "In Hills of Shadow Bleak and Cold" by Thangorodrim.
  • "Dig It" contains an interpolation of "Lean wit It, Rock wit It" by Dem Franchize Boyz.
  • "Control" contains a sample of "Priceless" by Cardiak.
  • "Twisted" contains a sample of "Operate" by ASTR.

References

  1. ^ Evans, Georgia (October 21, 2019). "Kenny Beats' guide to producing a legendary rap freestyle". Dazed. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  2. ^ Fay, Seamus (December 17, 2018). "KEY! Has Been Ahead of His Time For 10 Years Straight". Complex. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Russell, Alex (April 6, 2018). "Key! is ready for you to see his most evolved form". The Fader. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  4. ^ Maduakolam, Emmanuel (May 4, 2018). "Key! & Kenny Beats Connect for '777' Project". Hypebeast. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  5. ^ Mojica, Nick (May 4, 2018). "Key! and Kenny Beats Drop '777' Project". XXL. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  6. ^ Pierre, Milca (May 6, 2018). "Key! And Kenny Beats Deliver Collaborative "777" Project". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  7. ^ Lyle, Ashley (May 4, 2018). "Key! and Kenny Beats Release '777 Volume 1' Project and 'Kelly Price Freestyle' Music Video: Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Kochhar, Nazuk (October 30, 2018). "Key! glo'd up this year and made me believe we all can too". The Fader. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  9. ^ Culp, Leo (August 5, 2021). "The Collab Column: KEY! and Kenny Beats' '777'". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  10. ^ McCarthy, Liam (April 7, 2018). "Key! shares "Hater" video, prepares for new mixtape w/ Kenny Beats". Elevator Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  11. ^ Spielberger, Daniel (December 12, 2018). "Review: Key! & Kenny Beats's "777 Deluxe" EP Builds Off Their Momentum". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  12. ^ Price, Joe (November 30, 2018). "Key! and Kenny Beats Release '777 Deluxe' EP f/ Rico Nasty, 6lack, Jay Critch, and Skepta". Complex. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  13. ^ A., Aron (November 30, 2018). "Key! & Kenny Beats Release "777 Deluxe" Ft. 6lack, Skepta, Jay Critch & More". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c Seabrook III, Robby (June 28, 2018). "How Key! and Kenny Beats Channelled Their Emotions For '777' Project". XXL. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  15. ^ Louis, Nate (November 29, 2018). "Kenny Beats Explains How He Loudly Ran Rap in 2018". Vice. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  16. ^ "KENNY BEATS & KEY! FREESTYLE". YouTube. Kenny Beats. July 19, 2019. Event occurs at 6:00. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  17. ^ Jayasuriya, Mehan (May 8, 2018). "Key!: "Love on Ice" Track Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  18. ^ "777 - Album by KEY!". Spotify. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
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