Denzel Curry is a godfather of the SoundCloud rap scene. Based in South Florida, the amped-up rapper's 13 track TA13OO follows 2016's breakthrough Imperial album and establishes Curry as an artist adept at fusing heavyweight and emotional lyrics with slick, electronic production. "Welcome to the darker side of taboo / All I got is bourbon and scars and tattoos / Take another step on the path that you chose / Make a bad choice on your path then you lose," Curry croons on the title track over a woozy, synth-infused beat. These introspective sentiments pave the way for the MC to open up his soul across the album's subsequent songs, which are split into three sections intended to represent the light, grey and dark sides of his personality. Embracing a new Zeltron alter ego, Curry bounces between topics like addressing the Presidential election, grappling with bouts of self-doubt, plotting revenge on those that have wronged him, and even touching on the issue of molestation. On the eerie "Clout Cobain" he toys with visions of suicide and pleas, "Man, I been on my own / Lord, I'ma need some help." These lyrical outpourings are set to beats by a cast of producers that includes Ronny J, FNZ, and Charlie Heat, whose soundscapes combine cavernous bass tones and vicious rattling hi-hats with melodic synthesizer lines. Denzel Curry may have come up via the online SoundCloud scene, but TA13OO suggests he's capable of leaving behind a concrete legacy that will endue even when that platform inevitably fades to the ether.
