On Wax: Denzel Curry… AOTY? + More
Denzel Curry Drops the Long-Awaited TA13OO
After exactly 13 months since the release of his EP 13, Denzel Curry released his third studio album, TA13OO. The project was separated into three different parts: the light side, the grey side, and the dark side. Each one released one day at a time, starting July 25th through the 27th. The creative rollout of the project was only the start, as Curry proves himself to be a masterful artist throughout the project. The album is cohesive with great undertones and sonic ranges. Denzel proves he can flow on a boom bap beat to a trap banger, to something even more on the dancier side of things. His ability to rap is also at his highest, as he murders every beat given to him, not letting anyone kill him on his own tracks. Not to say the fantastic features didn’t try to, as artists like JPEGMAFIA and J.I.D murder these beats, alongside Denzel. Lyrically, Curry is at his best, as he proves to be self aware of problems both internally in hip-hop, as well as externally in the ever so grim politically landscape of society.
With such a beautiful work of art, Curry has jumped up high amongst the insane year of hip-hop releases. So many projects this year have proven to be phenomenal. From Pusha T’s Dayonta, to The Carter’s Everything is Love, to the TDE curated Black panther: The Album, to KIDS SEE GHOST. Curry seems to be pushing the most boundaries though, really taking a hold of his art and propelling it. While the year is not over, Curry has already put himself in a good spot, as one of the best artists to drop a project this year. The reign of Curry is eminent.
WANG$AP
This has been a week for the pair of Rocky and Tyler, releasing a video for a track called “Potato Salad.” The track shows Tyler flow like a chopper delivering punchlines one after the other. On Rocky’s part, while he seems to be more relaxed, it doesn’t take from the fact that these two are great together. Rumoring a possible project, the question now comes in why hasn’t it happened yet?
YG Teams Up with A$AP Rocky
YG is only a week away from his third album, Stay Dangerous. Ahead of the week, he dropped a video for the song “Handguns,” which features A$AP Rocky. If one thing is for certain, YG has abandoned the the G-funk revival sound from his previous effort Still Brazy. Unlike his other two singles, “Suu Whoop” and “Big Bank,” this song is poppier. While “Big Bank” was a classic West Coast DJ Mustard, this beat is more like “Suu Whoop,” which is a dark trap record in the vein of Migos or 21 Savage. Whether or not this will be in YG’s favor is yet to come… We’ll just have to wait and see if he can top Still Brazy.
Brockhampton Cannot Be Stopped
Everyone’s favorite boyband, Brockhampton, has been relentless with the singles and visuals. After dropping “1998 TRUMAN” last week, they return with “1997 DIANA.” Equally as hard as their last single, Brockhampton is coming through with the hits. Each song showcases every member and let’s each one shine, which is beautiful, as specifically Bearface and Merlyn have been murdering everything. If this one song wasn’t enough, the group also dropped “DON’T BE FAMOUS” on their radio show Things We Lost in the Fire. There is no stopping Brockhampton.
Lil Uzi Vert
Lil Uzi’s “Everything Lit” is a track to be summed up as complete excellence. It’s Uzi appearing more as a fuller artist than he once did with releases like “XO TOUR LIife.” If anything is clear, it’s that Uzi is far passed himself when he was making tracks like “Super Saiyin Trunks.”
Until next time, it’s On Wax.
-Dyllan E. & Hiram