Imperial by Denzel Curry

Florida based hip-hop emcee Denzel Curry has been a breath of fresh air in the rap scene ever since the release of his debut studio project Nostalgic 64 in 2013. On that project, we saw the artist blend aggressive, in your face trap inspired verses over some very spacey, dark, and surprisingly intricate production. His blend of cloud raps and gang related bars contributed to what was one of my favourite hip-hop projects of that year, and put him on the map as one of the better up and coming talents on the scene.

He followed up his debut album with the double EP 32 Zel/Planet Shrooms just last year. While this project was still quite enjoyable and showed off Denzel's growth, it was perhaps a bit too ambitious, as he spent the first half crafting some of his best trap inspired songs yet, but on the more laid back and drugged out second half, he delivered some of his most lackluster material to this point. It was made clear on that record that he's at his best when he's bringing loads of energy and raw, violent lyricism into the recording. So, with that being said, going into his newest project Imperial, I was hoping to see Curry take an approach more similar to that of Nostalgic 64.

While there are traces of older material on this new release here, it more so stands on it's own. We see a return to the southern hip-hop we've come to enjoy from Denzel, and he's certainly relying more on the trap influence than he is on the cloud raps. Nevertheless, he also looks to find his own style in terms of production, as we get rather wonky, spacey, trap influenced beats that are unlike anything you would find on his other releases. We also see a much more ambitious approach in terms of the guest features, as rather than bringing along past collaborators such as JK. The Rapper, Mike Dece, or Lil Ugly Mane, the former Raider Klan member instead enlists the help of some of the more popular hip-hop artists around, in the form of Rick Ross and Joey Bada$$. Not only is that an ambitious choice that is sure to bring Curry a bit more exposure, but it is also a risk that pays off extensively as both rappers deliver very solid verses without stealing the show. Knotty Head, the track that features Rick Ross is one of the moments of production that caught me off guard initially, thanks to the unorthodox sound of the synths and the transition into an old school 90's hip-hop beat during the last 20 or so seconds.

Lyrically we're seeing much of the same Curry we've come to know, as he discusses gang violence, drugs, racial issues, and things of the sort. It's not the meaning behind the emcee's lyrics that has made his music stand out however, and instead it's been the catchiness of his hooks and his always impressive flow. While his fantastic flow does carry over into this project, I feel personally that this record hosts some of his least flashy hooks that he's recorded. They aren't necessarily poorly written, but often times they feel a little too simplified and watered down when compared to past tracks like Parents, Threatz, or Zone 3, all of which were stand out takes on Nostalgic 64. There are quite a few decent hooks here nonetheless, Story No Title contains a fairly strong chorus, as does Pure Enough, a track that besides the hook, doesn't offer as much as most of the other tracks on the record.

This Life is a track worth noting as well, as it see's Denzel detailing a love interest as well as talking about his friends and the state of the world. He takes a much less aggressive approach for this track, but still manages to impress with lyricism that's a touch less over the top and anger driven. The real standout on this project though is easily ULT, the lead cut that opens the project with a bang and serves as a basis for Curry to showcase his vocal gift as quickly as possible. It's not the best production found on the album, but it's easily the most similar to his former body of work and definitely still stands out after multiple listens. That last track I want to point out is Zenith, which features Pro Era artist Joey Bada$$ and contains an instrumental that you'd be more apt to hear on a Joey project than one from Denzel Curry. Nonetheless, both rappers capitalize on the fantastic beat by delivering some great lyrics, which helps to bring some real life to the final few tracks of the project. While Knotty Head  with Rick Ross was a solid track, and the laid back old school vibe of the closing cut If Tomorrow's Not Here stands out as well, it's Zenith that gives us the best track with a feature on the record. The meshing of Curry's southern influenced style and the New York origins of Joey Bada$$ makes for a fantastic collaboration, and something I'm hoping to see the two rappers do more of in the future.

There's quite a bit to take away from this project, and any fan of hip-hop music should enjoy it quite a bit. It certainly has shades of the same rapper who gave us Nostalgic 64 and 32 Zel/Planet Shrooms, but it also see's new risks and a lot of aspects we've never seen from Denzel in the past. If anything, Imperial shows he's continuing to reinvent himself and mature as an artist, and no longer needs to rely on flashy, loud, bass driven production, and can instead carry a track on his own. It's not quite on par with his commercial debut, but it leaves a better impression than his last release for sure.

Rating: 3.5/5

Listen to the track ULT below:

You can download Imperial here for free.

Disguise the Limit by Nyck Caution

If you couldn't tell by the wordplay in his stage name, Nyck Caution (get it? NYC, like New York City) is a New York based emcee who has gained a fair bit of exposure in the past few years thanks to his work as part of the hip-hop ensemble Pro Era, a group that also houses the likes of Joey Bada$$, Kirk Knight, and CJ Fly among many others. Despite the plethora of gifted artists who belong to the collective, Nyck has always managed to stand out thanks to his slick flow and unique voice that always brought a nice change of pace whenever he would appear alongside his label mates on a track. With that being said however, much like many other of the emcees that occupy the Pro Era roster, he has been relatively quiet over the past few years, and it has really been Joey Bada$$ who has brought the group their popularity. That's not to say others haven't been releasing projects, as Kirk Knight's Late Knight Special was released just last October, and CJ Fly has a project of his own under his belt with Thee Way Eye See It. For Nyck however, he hasn't taken on a full project of his own since Pro Era's come up, and with his release Disguise the Limit, he's looking not only to make a statement, but also to remind those who had long forgotten about his impressive performances on other emcees projects' that he's still around.

If you're already tired of hearing me discuss Pro Era, then chances are this project won't be for you. Not only is it filled with guest verses and production credits from friends of Nyck's, but lyrically the record is cluttered with references to his peers as well. Most of these prove unnecessary and serve no purpose other than to remind those not familiar with Nyck that he is a member of the collective. While that's a rather minor issue, it unfortunately isn't the only problem I found with the lyrics on this thing.

One of Nyck's strongest suits when it came to his guest features in the past, were as I mentioned, his flow and his lyrics. However, when you get fourteen tracks that present almost the exact same formula of songwriting and subject matter, there isn't much room for surprises or anything impressive, as we've heard it all so many times before. Many tracks simply deal with his past or how skilled of a rapper he is, aside from the emotional Out of Reach that deals with the death of the late Capital Steez, who was also a member of Pro Era before his passing in 2012.

The beat selection throughout feels fairly mediocre in terms of what I've come to expect from a Pro Era project, which is rather surprising especially considering the production is handled by the likes of Kirk Knight and Chuck Strangers who both lend instrumentals to the record. For the most part, it feels as if there's an uncertainty of what style the project is going for, as we get the more traditional gritty New York street style beats at certain points, but also get a fair share of cloud rap instrumentals and at other times production that is rather alternative and unexpected. The Kirk Knight produced cut Wordsmith see's Nyck spitting over a dirty, distorted guitar instrumental, something that certainly stood out, but also could have been cleaned up a little bit as the guitar did sound rather rough around the edges and does distract from what's being said on the song. The track Church also see's a rather adventurous risk as the instrumental progresses from your traditional hip-hop beat into a electronic dubstep breakdown.

There's not much to discuss in terms of individual tracks or the lyricism, as everything on the project is competent, which may be the biggest problem I have with it. Everything feels the same, and while there were a few tracks that differ instrumentally, Nyck himself stays the same with his approach throughout. I still think he has a ton of skill, but his songwriting remains very raw and until he is able to prove he's more than just a rapper who can drop a nice feature on someone else's track, he will continue to fade to the back of Pro Era's line up.

Rating: 2.5/5

Check out Nyck Caution's track Church below: