TA13OO

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