Unlocked (Definitive Edition)＜限定盤/Picture & Color Splatter Vinyl＞

In the summer of 2019, months after the release of his critically acclaimed album Zuu, Florida emcee Denzel Curry joined producer Kenny Beats on his online freestyle show, The Cave. The fruits of that meeting arrived in early 2020 as the Unlocked EP. Packing a brisk eight songs into less than 18 minutes, the set is a thrill to experience and begs for further collaboration from this pair. Twisting his own Miami-bred style with the hardcore aggression of New York predecessors like Wu-Tang Clan and DMX, Curry fires off a brisk flurry of rhymes that showcases his quick wit, pop culture prowess, and head-spinning wordplay. As Curry pushes himself to the creative edge on standouts Diet_ and Lay_Up.m4a, Kenny Beats delivers menacing production that blends throwback sampling techniques and addictive, head-nodding beats. Although Unlocked concludes almost as soon as it starts, Curry and Kenny pack so much into this short release that repeat listens are a must and, indeed, a pleasure. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

2019年の大傑作『Zuu』に加えてフライング・ロータスとのコラボもあり、幅広い層の認知を得るに至ったデンゼル、次の一手はケニー・ビーツとのタッグ名義作。グッチ・メインやSMスランプ神、FKAツイッグスらを手掛けるトラップメイカーのケニーだが、ここでは意外やオーセンティックなサンプリング主体の音塊をブーミーに披露している。ウータンやイグジビットら往年のラウド感を纏ったような濃い口のラップもガシガシで最高。
bounce (C)出嶌孝次