Let’s talk about Denzel Curry & Kenneth Blume’s (formerly known as Kenny Beats) newest addition to the UNLOCKED series, shall we?
This time around, they went for the platinum by providing us some heavy-hitting bars, production, & features that truly stand out. The album is simply titled “ii.” It’s the official sequel to UNLOCKED, an album that came out while I was in the middle of class way back in 2020. This was pre-COVID-19, luckily, so they were able to give us a series of videos all in one short film with the same title as the original album.
I digress.
This time around, Denzel has struck back with some of his best work lyrically. He has ALWAYS impressed me with his flows & references to nerd shit such as Star Wars & animes he grew up watching. I find that to be really kick-ass because I’m just a white guy from the suburbs, so that kind of content on a track makes it easier to relate to a rapper who comes from a rough background such as Carol City.
Kenneth Blume gives us some of the best production I have ever heard from him. The samples chosen all sound like old-school blues tracks, & as a young man who was basically raised by his grandparents (partially), I dig that.
Don’t get it twisted, though, because this album is a Hip-Hop record.
JPEGMAFIA, Westside Gunn, & Yebba all make appearances as features on some of the tracks. They all did justice to this album. Everyone understood their assignments.
My favorite was Yebba because I haven’t actually heard of her until now, but I was impressed. The hook on “DIFFERENCE” was basically her time to shine. It created an atmosphere that already felt spatial and out of this world.
Denzel talks about how he doesn’t necessarily want to be the “best rapper” of all time anymore, if I understood his lyrics correctly. He simply wants to feed himself and his loved ones, and I truly believe that message is important for those who have the desire to elevate their lives.
Especially as an upcoming artist, it’s important to remember where you came from, or else you could lose your core values.
I’ve been following Denzel Curry for a long time. Like, I’m talking since I was fifteen, and I’m twenty-two now. He has ALWAYS spoken his truth, whether it was about mental illness & labels taking advantage of artists on TABOO, or simply dialing it back on King of the Mischievous South.
“ii” is the perfect opportunity for fans of UNLOCKED to dive back in and vibe out to some very soon-to-be classics. I can see this project’s success, and I’m sure many others can as well.
Overall, I’m very impressed with everyone involved with the record, & I’m gonna give it a 10/10 rating.
It’s the perfect album to throw on for any event. Whether you’re in the car, doing homework, at the jobby job, or playing video games.
This is the soundtrack of the summer, for sure.
