Denzel Curry – “Melt My Eyez, See Your Future” review

Denzel Curry is a 27 year old MC from Carol City, Florida who came up as a member of the SpaceGhostPurrp-founded Raider Klan a little over a decade ago. He then left in 2013 & has seen quite the success on his own off projects like Nostalgia 64, 32 Zel (Planet Shrooms), imperial, TA13OO, Zuu & the Kenny Beats-produced UNLOCKED. But given that the 2 year anniversary of the latter just passed a month ago, Zel’s following up the 2 singles he’s dropped within the last few months with his 5th album.

“Melt Session #1” kicks the album off with a jazzy boom bap instrumental from Robert Glasper talking about how Zel stays walkin’ whereas “Walkin’” follows it up by sampling “The Loving Touch” by Keith Mansfield tackling the struggles of life. “Worst Comes to Worst” keeps things in boom bap turf thanks to Dot da Genius talking about institutional issues in the United States leading into the smoky “John Wayne” produced by JPEGMAFIA comparing himself to [the titular actor] when walking around the hood.

Meanwhile on “The Last”, we have Zel jumping on top of a cloudy trap beat FNZ made talking about how tomorrow’s not promised just before Saul Williams tags along for “Mental” confessing their suicidal thoughts on top of a calming boom bap beat. T-Pain comes into the picture for the vibrant”Troubles” produced by DJ Khalil & Kenny Beats talking about problems that drugs can’t solve, but then the Rico Nasty/J.I.D assisted “Ain’t No Way” finds the trio back on some trap shit addressing those who still doubt them.

“X-Wing” mixes some strings & hi-hats talking about not wanting power except the delivery makes it the weakest track on the album even with the reference to former 3-time WWE world champion Rey Mysterio while “Angelz” works in some pianos & dusty drums thanks to Karriem Riggins confessing being sick of the bullshit. “The Smell of Death” sees Thundercat incorporating a heavy amount of synthesizers for Zel to spit streams of consciousness while the song “Sanjuro” shouts out those who say he ain’t deep enough over an explosive Cardo instrumental. The penultimate track “Zatoichi” with slowthai is a cool ode to the Japanese character of the same name over a drum & bass beat from Powers Pleasant while “The Ills” ends the album on a jazzy note talking about his illusions.

Even though I liked ZUU, I think this up there with imperial & TA13OO in being one of the best albums of Zel’s career. I really admire how he continues to expand on the risks he took on the latter as well as taking influence from what’s going on right now in the world & films by one of the greatest directors of all-time: Akira Kurosawa.

Score: 4.5/5

Common – “A Beautiful Revolution 2” review

Common is a 49 year old MC, actor & writer from Chicago, Illinois who first emerged 3 decades back by being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source back in the publication’s heyday & resulted in a 3-album deal with Relativity Records shortly after. Can I Borrow a Dollar? was a solid debut even though you can tell that he still hadn’t come into his own yet, but embraced the conscious hip hop that became universally known for with his next 2 albums Resurrection & One Day It’ll All Make Sense. However once we entered the new millennium, Common ended up signing to MCA Records for 2 albums: his magnum opus Like Water for Chocolate & the experimental Electric Circus. The label then dissolved at the beginning of 2003 & he jumped ship to G.O.O.D. Music/Geffen Records. His debut under Kanye West’s then-newly formed label Be received universal acclaim, but Finding Forever was a respectable follow-up & I can’t really say the same for the hip house-centered Universal Mind Control. After his contract with G.O.O.D./Geffen was fulfilled, he decided to reunite with No I.D. & drop The Dreamer/The Believer under Warner Records before Immenslope was granted his own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. Nobody’s Smiling was a great response to the ever-increasing crime rate in his hometown & the Karriem Riggins-produced Black America Again was even greater given that it was revolves around the 2016 presidential election. But it’s safe to say that Common has been making himself home at Loma Vista Recordings & sticking with Karriem on the production end of things these last couple years, as proven on his previous album Let Love & his debut EP A Beautiful Revolution. However with the 1-year anniversary of the latter approaching at the end of next month, the Chicago/Detroit emcee/producer duo are dropping a sequel in the form of Com’s 13th full-length outing.

After the “Push Out the Noise” intro, the first song “A Beautiful Chicago Kid” is a funky kickstart to the album saying he manifests everything that you see whereas “When We Move” with Black Thought has a groovy instrumental talking about the world following their path. “Set It Free” has a more summery vibe talking about being you just before “Majesty (Where We Gonna Take It?)” serves as a seductive love tune.

Meanwhile on “Poetry”, we have these twangy guitar licks with Com advising to never question the motive leading into the boom bap-tinged “Saving Grace” with the lyrics of course getting spiritual. “Star of the Gang” keeps the dusty drums in motion saying he’s fortunate even though he’s been through a lot while the penultimate song “Imagine” speaks on a paradise over a sample of “Imaginary Playmates” by René & Angela. And before the “!” outro, “Get It Right” ends the album on an uptempo note saying be patient because good things happen in time.

As much as I enjoyed the predecessor, I think the sequel is better. In comparison to the EP tackling all the bullshit that transpired in 2020, the full-length sequel picks up right where things left off & provides the listeners optimism for a brighter day which is perfect given that states are opening back up completely.

Score: 4/5

Common – “A Beautiful Revolution” review

This is the brand new EP from Chicago, Illinois veteran Common. Coming up with off his first 3 albums in the 90’s produced entirely by No I.D., he then made his major label debut in 2000 with Like Water for Chocolate & followed up with the experimental Electric Circus in 2002. Then during the mid 2000s, he released a trilogy of albums with Kanye West’s GOOD Music beginning with Be, bridged by Finding Forever & then ending with Universal Mind Control. In the 2010s, we saw Com reuniting with No I.D. on The Dreamer/The Believer & Nobody’s Smiling. However, he started working closely with Karriem Riggins on Black America Again in 2016 as well as Let Love last summer. But with the presidential election coming up next week, Com & Karriem are back with A Beautiful Revolution.

After the intro, the first song “Fallin’” talks about how black people aren’t actually free over a mellow beat whereas the next track “Say Peace” with Black Thought sees the 2 talking about racism over a dub/boom bap fusion. The song “What Do You Say? (Move It Baby)” gets romantic over a funky beat while the track “Courageous” talks about meaning of such over a piano & live drums. The song “A Place in this World” gets optimistic over a luxurious beat while the track “A Riot in My Mind” talks about internal conflict over some live drums & guitars. The before the outro, the final song “Don’t Forget Who You Are” talks about self-worth over a joyous beat.

Personally, I think this is just what we needed to hear in light of the election. Karriem’s production is as beautiful as ever & the commentary that Common makes is very much relevant that what’s been going on all year.

Score: 3.5/5

Denzel Curry – “UNLOCKED” review

This is the new surprise EP from Carol City’s very own Denzel Curry. A man that got his start as a member of the Raider Klan, founded by SpaceGhostPurrp. His 2013 debut Nostalgic 64 was nice, but the next 2 albums he would put out Imperial & TA13OO would show his talents much more clearer. Last time we heard from Zel was this past spring with ZUU & not even 9 months later, he’s teaming up with Kenny Beats for UNLOCKED.

After the predominant spoken word intro “Track 01”, the EP’s first actual song “Take_it_Back_v2” finds Denzel lashing out & getting wreckless over a dystopian instrumental. The track “Lay_Up.m4a” talks about fighting haters over a spacious beat while the song “Pyro (leak 2019)” speaks on being on a God-level over a woozy. The track “DIET_” is pretty much Zel bragging over a trunk-knocking beat while the song “So Incredible.pkg” talks about how great he is. After the “Track 07” interlude, the closer “Cosmic.m4a” drops knowledge to the phonies tryna bite him over a hypnotic instrumental.

Didn’t think Denzel would drop new music this quickly but nonetheless, I’m very pleased with the outcome of UNLOCKED. The concept is a lot more interesting than ZUU as much as I enjoyed that previous album, Kenny reminds us that he’s one of the best producers out right now & Denzel continues his reign as the King of the Florida hip hop scene.

Score: 4/5

Common – “Let Love” review

Common is a revered Chicago, Illinois emcee who came up with the No I.D. produced albums Can I Borrow a Dollar?, Resurrection & 1 Day It’ll All Make Sense throughout the 90s. He then made his major label debut in 2000 with Like Water for Chocolate, which was followed up with the experimental Electric Circus in 2002. During the mid 2000s, he released a trilogy of albums with Kanye West’s GOOD Music beginning with Be, bridged by Finding Forever & then ending with Universal Mind Control. As for this decade, we saw Com reuniting with No I.D. on The Dreamer/The Believer & Nobody’s Smiling. Then came his last album Black America Again, which was released during the 2016 presidential elections. But with a new memoir out now, the man has seen fit to deliver his 12th album.

The album kicks off with “Good Morning Love”, where Common gets motivational over a smooth beat from Karriem Riggins (who produced almost every track on the album much like Black America Again). The next song “HER Love” pays tribute to hip hop over J Dilla’s “Dillatronic 41” & then after the Dwele interlude, the track “Hercules” talks to the haters over a funky beat. The song “5th Story” with Leikeli47 sees the 2 telling the tragic story of a married couple over an austere instrumental while the track “Forever Your Love” pays tribute to his parents over a meditative boom bap beat.

The song “Leaders (Crib Love)” talks about prevailing over some prominent live drumming while the track “Memories of Home” speaks for itself over a settle instrumental. The song “Show Me That You Love Me” with Jill Scott pays tribute to his daughter over a soothing instrumental while the penultimate track “My Fancy Free Future Love” pays tribute to his soulmate over a jazzy instrumental. The album then ends with “God is Love”, where Common gets spiritual over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat.

While it’s not perfect, it’s still an admirable effort from the man. The production is mostly gorgeous & it suits Common’s heartfelt lyrics pretty well.

Score: 3.5/5

Denzel Curry – “ZUU” review

Denzel Curry is a 24 year old MC from Carol City, Florida who came up as a member of the Raider Klan, founded by SpaceGhostPurrp. He caught my attention in 2013 with the release of his debut album Nostalgic 64 which was good, but it wouldn’t be until 2016’s Imperial in 2016 & then last summer’s TA13OO that he would top it. However almost a year after the release of his magnum opus, he’s hitting us again with his 4th full-length album.

It all kicks off with the title track, where Zel pays tribute to his hometown & the FNZ beat has a really pretty atmosphere to it. The official WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames theme song “RICKY” pays tribute to his father over a dirty south style-instrumental while the song “WISH” with Kiddo Marv is a mediocre sex tune a cloudy beat. The track “BIRDZ” with Rick Ross sees the 2 getting confrontational over an eerie trap beat while the song “AUTOMATIC” gets braggadocious over a bass-heavy trap beat from Tay Keith.

The track “SPEEDBOAT” pays tribute to XXXTENTACION over a trap beat with somber piano chords & after the “BUSHY B” interlude, the equally long “YOO” is a pretty decent skit. The track “CAROLMART” talks about how fresh he is over a bouncy beat while the song “SHAKE 88” is an really cool Miami Bass booty anthem. Then after the “Blackland 66.6” skit, the closer “P.A.T.” with PlayThatBoyZay is a fighting anthem with a distorted Ronny J beat.

Despite being worried at first, this wasn’t bad as I feared. Could’ve been padded out with a few more tracks, but it’s a short but fun concept album about Zel’s hometown.

Score: 3.5/5

Injury Reserve – Self-Titled review

Injury Reserve is a hip hop trio from Tempe, Arizona consisting of Stepa J. Groggs, Ritchie With a T & Parker Corey. I first caught wind of them in 2016 with release of their 3rd mixtape Floss. They then followed it up with their 2nd EP Drive It Like It’s Stolen & while both were equally dope, I was really curious to see what they would do on their full-length debut over here.

It all kicks off with “Koruna & Lime”, where the trio reflect on all it took to get where they are today over an deconstructed club instrumental. The next song “Jawbreaker” with Rico Nasty gets conscious over a vibraphone & some handclaps while the track “G.T.F.U. (Get The Fuck Up)” with JPEGMAFIA & Cakes da Killa sees the 3 getting confrontational over a beat that starts off gritty, but then transitions into something smoother.

After the “QWERTY” interlude, we go into the song “Jailbreak the Tesla”. Where the trio team up with Aminé to make a dedication to the titular car brand over a bassy instrumental. The track “Gravy n Biscuits” talks about how everything’s alright with a mellow piano throughout while the “Rap Song Tutorial” is a repetitive yet very clever cut teaching those at home how to make a hip hop tune.

The track “Wax On” with Freddie Gibbs talks about getting their money up over a meditative beat while the song “What a Year It’s Been” reflects on their newfound success over a chaotic beat. The track “Hello?!” is more of a unfinished yet melodic interlude while the song “Best Spot in the House” gets introspective over a somber beat. The penultimate track “New Hawaii” with DRAM is a peaceful love ballad & then the album finishes with “3 Man Weave”, where the trio get triumphant over a jazzy beat.

Overall, this was just as solid as their last 2 releases & it gives the new listeners a good glimpse at who they are. The instrumentals are well-put together, it sounds passionate & they continue to solidify themselves as fresh faces in the experimental hip hop scene

Score: 4/5