Denzel Curry Fills the Void of Hip-Hop’s Elite in 2019

The South Florida banger factory runs like a well-oiled machine.

Written By Thomas Galindo

2019 has been a quiet year for most of hip-hop’s prominent figures. So far, there have been no projects released from Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Drake, J. Cole (solo), Travis Scott, Pusha T, Lil Wayne, Migos, or any of the artists that dominated the genre in 2018. But this isn’t necessarily a disappointment. Every single one of these artists has released at least one full-length project in the last two years, and we, as listeners, are not entitled to any music from any artist.

Nevertheless, in a quiet year like this, many rappers have come to the forefront to possess the spotlight in the absence of rap’s stars. Some of the most successful releases in 2019 have included So Much Fun (Young Thug), Drip or Drown 2 (Gunna), Rap Or Go To The League (2Chainz), CrasH Talk (ScHoolboy Q), Igor (Tyler, The Creator), Bandana (Freddie Gibbs), Revenge of the Dreamers III (Dreamville collaborative), The Lost Boy (YBN Cordae), KIRK (DaBaby), and All My Heroes Are Cornballs (JPEGMAFIA) to name a few. Each of these artists have put out quality projects, and we are not here to invalidate any of these artists’ efforts. But, in recent developments, South Florida rapper Denzel Curry has proven that he is the voice of the future in hip-hop, and his summertime project ZUU is proof.

For most of the artists listed above, their recent releases were subject to a great deal of anticipation. In the case of Young Thug, this was his first official studio album. For Tyler, the Creator, it was his first project since 2017, and we saw him develop a completely new sound. For rappers such as YBN Cordae, Gunna, and DaBaby, these were their most commercialized projects, and their first projects appealing to a more mainstream audience. For Denzel Curry, this moment came for him last year when he released TA13OO. TA13OO was loaded with quality features, and had a hit single, “CLOUT COBAIN | CLOUT CO13A1N.” Denzel stepped up to the plate on this album and knocked it out of the park. He was on the map after a few years and a few releases.

Denzel first made a name for himself with the song “Ultimate” in 2015, and would go on to become one of the XXL Freshman for 2016, fresh off the release of his second studio album Imperial. Prior to ZUU, however, all he had released was a 5-song EP in 2017, and Denzel had teetered with irrelevance until his TA13OO release. This teetering, based on merit, was not warranted because Imperial was a very high-quality album, showcasing Denzel’s passion, songwriting, and impressive beat-selection. But, in this day and age of rap, you want to keep your name in people’s mouths as an up-and-coming artist, or else you fall victim to the short attention span of most rap fans. TA13OO helped to re-capture this attention, and he exceeded any expectation rap fans had for his newest project.

With a successful full-length project in 2018, Denzel solidified himself as a name to know in rap. And, as with most of the hip-hop artists who released popular projects in 2018, it would have been fair for Denzel to take a year off. But then came May. Denzel released the singles “RICKY” and “SPEEDBOAT” and would soon begin the rollout for his new album ZUU, 10 months after the release of TA13OO. No other prominent rap artist has done this in 2019.

Releasing albums so soon after each other doesn’t guarantee quality, though. In fact, in most cases, it sacrifices quality. Just ask Trippie Redd. Since 2017, he has been putting out two projects a year. After his first 2018 release LIFE’S A TRIP, which was excellent, his product has dwindled more with the release of each project. So, this can be a tricky pattern Denzel could be following. But on May 31, Denzel Curry dropped ZUU, a half-hour long, 12-song album, full of short, explosive bangers oozing South Florida influence. The album starts off fiery right out of the gate. The six-song stretch from the opener “ZUU” to “SPEEDBOAT” contains the most energetic lyrics, catchiest hooks, intriguing instrumentals, and the most perfect vibe to open the summer with. After grabbing the listener’s attention, the album slows down with a few interludes, then picks back up to a song to throw some ass to (“SHAKE 88”), and finishes with some more quality, Florida-influenced tracks. This album deviates heavily in theme from TA13OO, which has a much darker, at times somber, and spiteful tone, even with its bangers such as “SUMO | ZUMO” and “SWITCH IT UP | ZWITCH 1T UP.”

This combination of quality and quantity mixed with versatility is why Denzel is among the best of what hip-hop has to offer in 2019. He can rap bar-for-bar with anybody else in the game. His hooks send a rush of adrenaline through your veins. He can tap into a more mellow, gloomy mood while still making quality music (as he proves in the songs “TABOO | TA13OO” and “SIRENS | Z1RENZ”). And, most importantly, he can completely change his vibe and release a quality album 10 months after releasing a breakout album. Denzel Curry brings everything to the table, and not many of the other artists dropping projects in 2019 can say that about themselves.

Afterglow ATXOctober 22, 2019