yeah thats pretty good: Taboo or (TA13OO, if your fancy)
Many of you already know of Denzel Curry. Maybe you don't know who exactly the Miami Rapper is but I am willing to bet that you have heard his 2015 single turned meme, Ultimate. Now although many people only know Denzel Curry for Ultimate that is not all that he is known for. Denzel started making waves with his underground mixtapes and debut album "Nostalgia 64" and made his big breakthrough off the absolute energy of Ultimate. Zel was able to follow up on the success with Ultimate with his 2016 project "Imperial" which features several trap bangers such as ULT, Gook, and Knotty Head. This album while also being filled with high energy savage trap bangers also had its softer more musical moments such as Zenith and Good Night
Imperial was met with critical acclaim and helped saved Denzel from the dreaded label of One Hit Wonder. It also helped put Denzel on the 2016 XXL Freshman class alongside artists like Lil Yachty, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, and Anderson .Paak (who is about to have an album with Bruno Mars 👀) further perpetuating him into the spotlight. This sudden explosion of popularity would influence his next album Taboo greatly.
Taboo was released in three parts as three EPs titled "Light", "Gray" and "Dark" and was then later released as the full album Taboo. Listening to the album you can really hear the difference as the album starts out with relatively lighter and more melodic tracks such as the title track, Black Balloons, and Cash Maniac. (oh yeah it should be mentioned that he does this weird spelling thing which I'm not gonna do because it's too much work.) These songs while not exactly happy have an upbeat tone with at least a mostly positive slant. These songs are more melodic while also sounding more light than the darker material that comes in the next two parts. "Gray" by contrast is much darker than "Light" it features tracks such as Mad I Got It, Sirens, and Clout Cobain. These songs are much darker in subject matter with Mad I Got It and Clout Cobain being songs about the follies of fame and being manipulated and used by those around you. Clout Cobain is Denzel's biggest hit to date as it was certified platinum and its the most viewed song on YouTube with over 95 million views. Sirens on the other hand is a scathing critique of the American justice system with a chorus sung by both Denzel and then-unknown Billie Elish and a guest verse by Atlanta rapper JID. "Dark" is where the album really ramps up the energy. These songs have almost a malevolent energy to them with the dark production and the rock-influenced beats songs like Percs, Vengeance, and Black Metal Terroist feel almost evil. These have some of the hardest-hitting deliveries and flows on the album which peaks at Vengeance which features experimental-based Baltimore rapper JPEGMAFIA and one-half of the New York-based Rap-metal group City Morgue in ZilliKami. The subject of the album overall is extremely dark dealing with themes of exploitation and suicide while also being extremely braggadocious and high energy.
Denzel has since followed up with "Zuu" a collection of Trap bangers in 2019 and teamed up with producer Kenny Beats for "UNLOCKED" a visual album in 2020 that they just made in a weekend because they were board. His next project "Melt My Eyez, See Your Future" is rumored to be released in 2021 but who knows since the pandemic and the release of "UNLOCKED 1.5" a remix album of the previously mentioned "UNLOCKED"
Overall 9.0/10 I sure hope Denzel got therapy.
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