Credits:

Denzel Curry

Description:

In the years between his 2013 debut LP, Nostalgic 64, and his sophomore set, Imperial, Denzel Curry evolved from a shadowy cult presence into a full-blown, game-ready voice. While hints of this direction were already present on Nostalgic — a few subtly catchy hooks and a lyrical dexterity ahead of his peers — Imperial presents Curry as a figure set to dominate his contemporaries with sheer skill and personality. Like Vince Staples and Kendrick Lamar, the Miami-based wordsmith is introspective and can be shockingly dark, with wordy bars compressed with lyrics that easily swerve from violent street-level snapshots to pop culture references aplenty. Take the autobiographical whirlwind “Story: No Title” for example: the mid-album highlight contains shout-outs to Fugazi, Kill Bill, Star Wars, Bebe’s Kids, and Spongebob, woven through grim ruminations on gun violence and desperation. With his breat