Sophia Michaels
It makes sense that Eladio Carrión started out as a comedian known for his uncanny ability to impersonate any artist he came across. Now a rapper himself, he keeps leveraging that skill, shapeshifting and transforming his flow across unexpected beats, coming up with something a little different each time. The Puerto Rican artist, known for his prodigious output and constant inventive streaks, has such eclectic tastes that he’s started to organize his albums into different franchises: There are his bright, effervescent Sauce Boyz editions, where he often explodes into some of his biggest experiments. And last year, he launched Sen2 Kbrn, an album that shows just how good he is riffing over moodier trap sounds that have also defined his career.
On Sen2 Kbrn, Volume 2, he goes deeper, delivering 10 songs that are a little darker and more mercurial than his past work, building on woozy trap touches, boisterous flexes, and occasional lovelorn lyrics. The release is a vibe, one that feels like a 180 from ecstatic electro-inspired moments on last year’s Sauce Boyz 2, which included songs like “Sin Frenos,” a wild carnival of a ride featuring Argentine rapper Duki and production prodigy Bizarrap. And though collaborations have always been something Carrión leverages to surprise people, he flies solo on Sen2 Kbrn, Volume 2, appearing on each track with just his late-night thoughts and beats to smoke to.
Some of the reflections on his fame and come up are familiar: “Gladiator” traces narrative terrain he’s hit on past songs like “Vida Buena,” while the heartbreak of the standout “Caras Vemos” lets Carrión get in his feelings. There are less up-tempo moments throughout the record (though “Te Dijieron” is a bouncier, immediately catchy track), but Carrión is sticking closer to the street sounds that open him up for risk-taking — this is, after all, the guy who got J Balvin on a drill track with 2021’s “TATA,” which he later reinvented with Daddy Yankee and Bobby Shmurda. It also reinforces that no matter where Carrión goes in his music, the connection he has to trap remains strong. (“Family, we’re here with a number one album of just trap,” he wrote in a caption showing Sen2 Kbrn, Volume 2 debuting at the top of Spotify’s global album debuts chart.)
It’s one of his biggest debuts so far, even thought the stakes are lower. Still, Sen2 Kbrn, Volume 2‘s success might be a sign that people are catching up to a guy who can do it all, and who’s constantly being recognized by artists at the top of their game (Carrión’s Rimas label mate Bad Bunny made a surprise cameo on his hilarious hit “No Te Deseo el Mal,” which also featured Karol G.) Sen2 Kbrn, Volume 2 is a trip down one avenue Carrión already knows he’s good at, one that leaves fans curious about where he’ll swerve next.
