Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future
Genre: Hip Hop
Score: 6/10
This is the Fifth Studio Album from Florida Soundcloud Rap OG Denzel Curry. What to Expect: :
The jury is out. With classics like Nostalgia64 and TA13OO under his belt, Denzel Curry has very much freed himself from his SoundCloud Rap box and emerged as one of the greatest rappers of our generation. Based on the tracklist and instrumental palette, I expect it to be a more mellow meditative and possibly more introspective update on Denzel’s life and career.
Overall:
My suspicions were very much confirmed. This is one of Denzel Curry’s more mellow releases. Despite it being 45 min it felt a little bit shorter and I think it is only because a few tracks within the tracklist felt a bit nondescript. While Denzel continues to eat up virtually any beat within earshot, there is not really much of a specific flow or theme beyond the smoother jazz rap beats and the more mellow introspective performances from Denzel. Despite the milder tone, Denzel is still dropping a very quality hip hop release that felt very pleasant to listen to. Overall, he sounds a bit more mellow and healthier on the mic, which is great to see and hear.
Play by Play:
Melt Season (feat. Robert Glasper) - Love the keys. Denzel is spitting introspective bars. The drums sound great. His dejected lyrics translate in a compelling way. It is a very smooth intro.
Walkin - I love the jazz sample. Denzel sounds like a classical hip hop veteran on this song. All of his wordplay throughout the song is hidden by his incredibly smooth flow. I get very strong Lauryn Hill and Tribe Vibes. The beat switch is incredibly smooth as Denzel spits over a trap beat about growing up and his coping mechanisms. His flow actually reminds me a bit of Logic at his best. It’s a great single when it was initially introduced, and it’s a great appeal for the album.
Worst Comes To Worst - The choral intro reminds me of Outkast. The beat itself reminds me of an EarthGang song however. Denzel is ravenous on this beat in his trademark flow I have enjoyed from him since Nostalgic64. The hook is catchy and the beat is a great sample flip with great scratches.
John Wayne (feat. Buzzy Lee) - The groove in the intro with the vocals reminds me of Portishead. I like the guitars playing on the track. Denzel’s performance is okay on this song. I am not completely gripped.
The Last - This is a strange inflection on the hook, but it is catchy. Denzel’s flow is melodic and reminds me a bit of Drake as the beat sounds similarly nocturnal to that of 40’s production. Denzel is luckily more topical than Drake despite having a similar aesthetic on this particular track. Overall, it is a fairly mellow track. The outro is pretty.
Mental (Saul Williams & Bridget Perez) - Classic jazz rap chord progression. Denzel grabs the mic with pride and waxes poetic over a very nice jazz rap beat. Saul’s calm delivery of a reflective spoken word passage is a nice change of place. It reminded me of when Common invited his father to recite a poem
Troubles (feat T Pain) - Woah Kenny! This beat goes stupid! The production is pristine. Denzel is in his bag in this song. T Pain’s adlibs and his autotuned verses are great. Kenny curates like a magician. I love this song.
Ain’t No Way (6LACK, Rico Nasty, JID, Powers Pleasant, Jasiah, Kitty Ca$h) - 6LACK’s hook is great, especially with the beat switch to it. This beat is fantastic once it comes on. Rico is flexing on this beat. JID was floating on the beat like Hermes. It’s a Denzel floats in and bridges the song together with a confident verse. “Run the Jewels, cause I’ll kill a Mic on any LP” is an awesome bar delivered so effortlessly.
X-Wing - I like the strings on the trap beat. It reminds me of the Migos. Denzel is a bit more melodic and mellow on this album to a noticeable degree. At one point he starts sounding like Gunna and Young Thug but it is not as expressive as Thugger (I am sure Gunna has no idea where he is when he’s forced into the booth at any given time). It is an okay track.
Angelz (feat Karriem Riggins) - Karriem is one of the greatest jazz drummers of all time. Cosigning Denzel Curry is an achievement for hip hop. Denzel sounds commanding on this ominous beat. His vocal delivery is serious and expressive, reminding me of DMX’s earlier introspective tracks. The hook is a little nondescript but it works for the track. I enjoy it.
The Smell of Death - I like the sirens in the background, but his voiced mixed in the beginning sounded strange. However his bars were very well written. The drum beat reminds me a bit of Tyler The Creator in his Cherry Bomb phase.
Sanjuro (feat 454) - I love the fake intro with the Geedorah like synths. The beat goes super hard. Denzel gallops on it like a horse. 454 has a very rhythmic flow that reminds me of Coi Leray and a timbre like Westside Gunn. It’s a really unique mix of influences. Sorry this review contains a lot of similies.
Zatoichi - The intro is a little long but the beat goes in very well. I enjoy the production on this quite a bit. The breakbeat switch up sounds quite similar to Jean Dawson. I can see more electronic influences in hip hop being incorporated this decade.
The Ills - Ah, the classical drumless piano loop with the occasional vinyl crackle and scratch. Denzel raps about channeling his influences and embodying the spirit of hip hop in the way that he does best. I love the progression of DJ cuts and scratches and switchups. I think it is very well thought out, arguably as much as Denzel’s MC speech of a verse. It is a very meditative flow; he utilizes the instrumental in a really smart way. It’s a great outro track.
Score: 6/10
Favorite Track in Bold
Just my opinion