TA13OO＜限定盤/Translucent Red Vinyl＞

On his third official full-length, TA13OO, Florida rapper Denzel Curry took a big step into the majors with conceptual depth and expanded artistry. Incorporating varied delivery and production, TA13OO taps into his established style, which combines aggressive trap with rapid-fire bars ("Sumo," "Super Saiyan Superman"), while also adding smoothed-out hip-hop atmosphere and patient vocal restraint ("Sirens," "Cash Maniac"), which was only hinted at on Imperial's throwback gem "Zenith." TA13OO is split into three sections -- Light, Gray, and Dark -- and delves into introspective self-examination and unflinching social commentary that tackles politics, sexual abuse, and mental health. Part 1 (Light) offers the most pleasant and purely enjoyable offerings, sounding like early Frank Ocean on the title track and standout "Black Balloons." Gray plunges into the rabbit hole, maintaining an ominous and threatening tone over its five tracks. Dark pushes TA13OO into the shadows, coming hard and strong with the detached "The Blackest Balloon," the threatening "Vengeance," and the scary "Black Metal Terrorist," an unhinged attack that taps into the darkest impulses of his punk/metal-loving Florida contemporaries. With this additional substance and strategic guest contributions, Curry is elevated on TA13OO -- despite this deep dive into despair and darkness -- hinting at more insight on future efforts. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

多彩な才能が揃うフロリダのシーンにあって、前作『Imperial』リリース以降に一気に頭角を現してきたラッパーの約2年ぶりのアルバム。3編から成るコンセプチュアルな作品で、歌うようなフロウを聴かせるメロディアスな冒頭の展開から一転、"Sumo"以降はアグレッシヴな楽曲が続き、シャウト混じりなデンゼルのラップも強烈だ。カート・コバーンにも言及した"Clout Cobain"では現在のシーンに警鐘を鳴らしてもいる。
bounce (C)Masso187um