Denzel Curry, an up and coming rapper hailing from Miami, Florida, is the self-proclaimed ultimate. And he's partially right, Denzel's cyberpunk-influenced aesthetic, varied production partnered with his penchant for choppy, aggressive flows puts Denzel in a special place in the game. Following Denzel's first release, Nostalgic 64, comes Denzel's sophomore effort titled 32zel / Planet Shrooms, released on Soundcloud for streaming and available for purchase on Amazon. The album, which is split into two 'parts', is a collection of aggressive bangers, psychedelic soundscapes, and funky, futuristic trips through Denzel's psyche.
The first half, 32zel, is mostly Denzel's take on contemporary rap production, with tracks like "Ultimate" and "Envy Me", with booming 808's, choppy hi-hats, and dark, cinematic beats. All of this partnered with Denzel's aggressive flows and dark lyrical content makes for some quality head banging music. In addition to these modern sounding tracks, there are tracks like "Lord Vader Kush II" which show Denzel's penchant for hazy, cloud-rap type production, while still maintaining his aggressive presence on the track.
The second half, titled Planet Shrooms, begins with the track "Delusional". Like the title suggests, this half of the album is very psychedelic-influenced, with lush, trippy soundscapes and otherworldly, funky beats, like on "Past the Wudz". Denzel shows his versatility on this half, switching up the production and aiming for more lush, cinematic tracks instead of bangers. However, some of the tracks get too carried away with the aesthetic, like "Captain Sea Fonk", where it's hard to hear the lyrics through the vocal effects on the track. Granted, this only occurs on maybe two tracks on the entire project, but it's enough to be noticable.
Overall, 32zel / Planet Shrooms is certainly a solid release that shows great talent from Denzel and his production team. As time goes on, I think we'll be seeing more and more of Denzel Curry as his music evolves.
Stream the album on Soundcloud : https://soundcloud.com/denzelcurryph/sets/32-zel-planet-shrooms-ep
Buy the album on Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/32-Zel-Planet-Shrooms-Explicit/dp/B00YZRHADY
