Denzel Curry "ZUU" Album review

Author: Sean Sickler

Zone 3 artist from Florida, Denzel Curry, is back with another heavy hitting album filled with harsh delivery and deadly flows. Coming into the game strong with collaborations with widely known artists such as: Rick Ross, Joey Bada$$, and XXXTentacion; Denzel wanted to make his own mark in the game. Between his speaker knocking beats, to his machine gun flow, he has carved out his out lane in the game and will continue to do so. Curry has been known to switch up his style from album to album, and even took to Twitter to say:

"All my albums aren't mean tot sound the same. You like Imperial go listen to Imperial, you like taboo go listen to Taboo, you like N64 go listen to N64, Different albums Different state of mind"

The album starts off with the introduction and self titled track, "ZUU".  Leading off with an ominous beat with Denzel melodically singing before the bass kicks. The whole beat and vibe of the track switches up as he delivers a cutthroat flow, rhyming about the city he is from while portraying himself as the overseer of it all. This track is definitely one of the standout hits no the project. The next track "RICKY" was previously released as a single before the album was to drop; but this track does not let down either. Rapping about his father and pays tribute to the knowledge he has given him overtime. Following the common theme of staying true to yourself and the ones around you, Denzel stays to the idea that one should:

"Never trust no man but your brothers, and never leave your day ones in the gutter" 

The third track "WISH" is a complete switch up from what the first two tracks were. Starting off with an old R&B sample and melodic bells chiming in the background as Curry rhymes about the times that he wishes things could go back to as they were. Understanding that he has lost a lot through the days, he has changed as an artist and a person and must continue to do so for the ones he has lost. This track features Kiddo Marv who comes in on the last verse to rap things up and pay homage to those who are gone; a truly beautiful and deep track. Following up this track is "BIRDZ", which is the perfect track to describe Denzel Curry's discography. Featuring Rick Ross, this track is yet another ominous and dark beat with hard knocking bass with some devilish synths altering in the background as Curry changes multiple flows. Nodding to his city and the drugs that have affected his life and those who sell drugs, I found myself nodding my head the whole time to this track. 

The fifth track, produced by none other than Tay Kieth, is an absolute slap. "AUTOMATIC" is definitely my favorite track of the album due to the sheer lyricism and the beat. Tay Kieth is a producer that once you hear his tag in the beginning of the song, you already know it is going to be a certified banger. Head banging and a catchy chorus, this track is going to be the perfect one for a mosh pit at his concerts. The following track, "SPEEDBOAT" was also released as a single before the release of the album, and this was the most recent one. Accompanied with a music video, this track did not due to much for me honestly. I felt like this sounded like a lot of his other songs and similarly sketched out with a melodic singing mixed with rapping. 

The interlude track of the album, "BUSY B INTERLUDE" is a very short, yet beautiful track. I can hear myself playing this one on a late night car ride at the beach or just riding around with friends. I wish that this track was longer, yet I do understand that this is an interlude. "YOO" is not a track either, this is just a little funny sketch of Denzel's friend speaking to each other about what they need for a party and every time whoever is speaking on the phone, they answer with "YOO". Paying homage to a common slang that goes on around where he is from. 

After these two interlude tracks, "CAROLMART" follows up featuring Ice Billion Berg. This track is a song that is supposed to be embodying the style of Florida art and the 305 area. Rhyming and scheming with many gun bars, this track is a banger for sure and is a song I can see adding to a hype up playlist of some sort. Heavy bass and dark bars mixed together makes this yet another perfect track for Denzel Curry. The 10th track, "SHAKE 88" featuring Sam Sneak,is another track that I did not really enjoy either. The beat is not one that I could see enjoying even after listening to it multiple times. It seems to be more of a club song and that is not my style, but I can see some people liking this song. In my opinion, this is the weakest song on the album.

The second to last track, "BLACKLAND 66.6" is supposed to be a radio station sort of interlude. Supposed to be moving into the last track which is "P.A.T". Produced by Ronny J and featuring PlayThatBoiZay, this track has Curry rapping many gun bars with a distorted voice. This track is also one of my favorites because it reminds me of Denzel's album "N64" and that was when I had first discovered Denzel. PlayThatBoiZay definitely held his own on this track, through his yelling and delivery, he made sure he gets what he wants.

Overall, "ZUU" was a pretty good album. With 3 of the 12 tracks being interludes, and feeling iffy about 3 of the tracks, I ended up liking about half of this album. The tracks that I did enjoy though, will definitely be on repeat and will grow even more on me. I plan on giving this album a few more listens to see the story that Denzel is trying to portray. I definitely do recommend checking this album out for yourself. Let us know what you think and give your opinions on this album by Denzel Curry.