With very minor warning prior to the release of the album, it comes as a surprise to have the pleasure to look into the work of the collaboration of two of hip-hops young, budding and brightest on ‘UNLOCKED’. Spawning from the minds of Florida rapper, Denzel Curry and Connecticut producer Kenny Beats, the compact album boasts a sound that progresses the already widely diverse, unique and forward-thinking music of both featured artists. Whilst these are far from the biggest names to cross paths on a collaborative tape of this nature, the cumulative efforts of these two seem to be the answer to a long-awaited and highly demanded team up, and in doing such a service, demonstrating exactly why fans were so hungry to see the cross over.
The album kicks off with a skit ala MF DOOM, titled ‘Track 01’. The lyrical content, or in this case, spoken word sets the tone of the album as the track details a figure of the unknown, a supreme figure that differs from the norm. Kenny’s production on the skit has an intentional unpolished quality to it as he sets the tone of the album. Glitchy and static-like warped synths formulate the basis of the track and are prominent throughout the body of work. This is all done as a means of establishing the adventure into the unknown that is the subsequent listen of ‘UNLOCKED’ as both Denzel and Kenny force listeners into previously uncharted territory.
‘Take_it_Back_v2’ is brought to life through the initial awakening of a siren-like sound. This plays over the top of grimy, dark and rough percussion that roots the track into such decrepit sounds. This perfectly establishes a sound Denzel is all too familiar with as his aggressive and rough vocals blend into Kenny’s production. The usage of vocal enhancers in the second half of the track completely changes the dynamic of the song, swapping the in your face, veracious rapping style, to both low and high pitched vocals that go back and forth feel as if the song is constantly interrupted by the presence of the extraterrestrial influences that the album wears so heavily on its sleeve. The two performers find a medium on the song in which both shine, forcing one another to modulate the dominant sound multiple times throughout the song.
The album continues to invest in and further develop it’s industrial and futuristic sounds on the track ‘Lay_Up.m4a’. Grimy and dark sounds instill the sense of the descent of the unknown, giving the track the necessary dark tones. Over the intricate production, Denzel raps about his upcoming and position in regard to the modern rap scene. In doing so, he includes some of his quirkiest and animated lines to date, such as; “surfboard body ass boy with your fish tits”. His animated and comical personality on the track is furthered complemented by the sheer amounts he manages to effortlessly change his flow on the track. It’s Kenny’s production that sets the tone of the track, yet Denzel manages to bring his own flavour by refusing to conform to one flavour. Following a very similar strain of instrumentation, the track ‘Pyro (Leak 2019)’. Utilising similar production with the random bleep bloops and warped sounds, the grimy sound is again favoured by Kenny to further establish the dominant musical narrative throughout the album. Denzel’s lyrical content is perhaps seen as an extension of the role he played on the previous track. Suiting a more braggadocious nature, Denzel exhibits exactly why he believes himself to be amongst the best. Aggressive in nature, Denzel’s delivery brings the track to life with his unique and unavoidable presence. This track specifically has an edge to it that is so reminiscent of the collaborative efforts of EI-P and Killer Mike of ‘Run The Jewels’. Mixing both unconventional elements within the layers of production with a cut-throat and inescapable rapper, Denzel and Kenny do much the same and manage to resemble the sound of the legendary hip-hop duo.
The track ‘DIET_’ manages to bring a whole new musical phase to an album that’s duration leaves little room for such modulation. As a means of flexing their musical prowess, Kenny and Denzel adopt a whole new musical identity on the track. The production takes influence from tropical tropes of music, using hollow-sounding drums with light vocal screeches in the background working as the implied chaos, the song feels as if listeners were thrown into a volatile jungle. Denzel excels on the track, with his flow and phrasing matching the infectious movement of the drums. His words bounce along in time with the drums, enforcing this jovial, yet savage setting of the crazed jungle. Denzel adds just enough veracity to sell the track, as he time and time again on the project brings his signature sound to a new level.
A return to the more extraterrestrial and psychedelic sounds is ushered in on the track ‘So.Incredible.pkg’. Eerie synths matched with scratchy percussion work hand in hand to create a psychedelic sound that lulls the listener into a sense a dreamy state. The druggy synth work remains light and wavy, holding a mystifying sound whilst having enough body to stand up against the purposefully rough and grimy percussion. Denzel’s flow again follows the schematics of the percussion as he moves with the drums with his almost bouncy delivery. The aggressive delivery in the verses manages to both cut through the hypnotic production whilst blending with it in order to sell the overall zaney and bizarre nature of the track.
‘Track 07’ is an interlude that belongs to the genius of Kenny Beats. Tight, crisp and polished percussion dictates the pace and direction of the track, yet this is only the foundation for the zany antics to play over. The production is intricate, with instruments and sounds fading in and out. Starting with the triumphant opener of unison brass horns, to the glossy and whirring synth lines that embody the sound of a UFO landing, to the light insertions of bass, the instrumental Kenny crafted is one that holds as much character as any other on the track. If not already present from past work, or even exclusively his efforts on this album ‘Track 07’ demonstrates the true creative streak and individuality of Kenny as a producer, drawing from his character as an individual and bringing the world of the unknown to life.
The heights of collaboration are experienced on the conclusive track on the album, ‘Cosmic’.m4a’. Kenny’s psychedelic production that features smooth, druggy synth chords provide the perfect futuristic and spacey pocket of sound for Denzel to unleash his true presence. Instrumentally, the track is arranged in a way for the glossy, airy sounds of the synth that are at times warped and manipulated in a way that makes it sound like the descent of sentient life. Whilst Kenny’s efforts create a smooth sound, Denzel’s contribution is working to push the limits of the other extreme. Bearing his true, vicious, unfiltered sound, Denzel barrages listeners with his flow and lyrical content that capture the true narrative of the final extraterrestrial encounter. This is perhaps the purest and unapologetically Denzel Curry Denzel is on the album, leaving no room on the track for audiences to escape his presence. The track plays out with a near symphonic arrangement of warped and pitched synth noises that transcend traditional comprehension of psychedelic music and instead manages to truly embody the ‘cosmic’ entity that is referred to time and time again throughout the project.
‘UNLOCKED’ serves as a telltale sign of the raw talent and potential of both Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats. A focused album, that manages to capture the individual characteristics of both artists, whilst selling a well crafted and explored narrative. Kenny, in particular, shines on the album, with this branch of psychedelic music being easily his best work to date. Whilst Denzel has moments of brilliance and never really drops the ball, there are times on the album in which his trademark presence is reeled back in order to serve the greater narrative and overall sound of the album. An inherent weakness with the album is the limitation it places on itself, being a measly 17 minutes, a total of 8 tracks. For an album with so much promise that harnesses the unique abilities and characteristics of both artists, the two have severely limited the opportunity to allow the collaborative efforts arise and grow into a truly grandiose nature. Whilst it easily manages to convey the narrative and demonstrates an array of skills, one can’t help but wonder what could’ve come if the album just had more material.
UNLOCKED – Denzel Curry, Kenny Beats – 8/10
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