Release Date: March 25
Genre: Conscious Hip Hop / Southern Hip Hop / Boom Bap
Denzel Curry has returned with his fifth studio album. Throughout the past decade, he has made a name for himself as one of the most underrated rappers working today, and for good reason. He has made some of the best bangers of the 2010s, while also tackling some heavy subject matter including depression, hatred, politics, violence and more. Not only is he underrated, but he is currently one of my favorite rappers. I love his writing and his delivery, as well as how much range he has. He can spit cold blooded fire on tracks like "Vengeance," and also show a more soulful side like on "Black Balloons." His last project came out in 2020: Unlocked with Kenny Beats, but he hadn't released a full album since 2019's ZUU, a short but sweet collection of tracks that go hard. It's a great project, even if it lacked the depth of TA13OO.
With Melt My Eyez, See Your Future, the depth is back, even to a greater degree. Ta13OO's terrain of topics was very widespread, occasionally to a fault. This time around, not only is the subject matter more focused, but it also sees Denzel at his most raw, his most vulnerable, his most introspective and his most human. There are few over the top vocal inflections. There are also very few instances where he channels his inner DMX. He does not put on a persona. Every aspect of this project shows him and his purest thoughts, resulting in his best project to date.
You can tell that this is going to be a different Denzel experience right from the first track. "Melt Sessions #1" features this ethereal, jazzy beat with these gorgeous vocal embellishments that set up the tone of this album perfectly. The piano from Robert Glasper is fantastic, and I love the groove of this song. It's haunting yet so pretty. Denzel also sets up the themes of this album brilliantly, as he discusses his struggles with depression and growing out of his previous lifestyle of immaturity and recklessness. This track honestly sounds like a therapy session as Denzel just lays out all of his struggles in an amazing verse. It's impressive how captivating this album becomes from the very first note.
Up next is "Walkin," which I predict will end up being one of my favorite singles of the 2022 once the year ends. I'm predicting top ten, at the very least. Seriously, this song is incredible. I love how moody and mysterious the production is, as it uses this gorgeous vocal hook as the main melody. The song starts with this boom bap beat as Denzel raps about walking towards a better life, going through all of the hardships, including poor mental health, racial inequality, oppression, capitalism and inner demons. His flow is laid back, yet it has so much personality, as well as some stellar bars. But then once the beat switches, it goes so hard. The trap drums add this air of swagger that is beyond infectious, and Zel's energy perfectly matches the switch, showing us how versatile he is. I have a strong feeling that this will be my rap single of the year, but only time will tell.
Moving on from there, "Worst Comes to Worst" has one of the grimiest beats on the entire project. The bassline is so freaking dirty, and the percussion and the haunting choir fit together so well. Denzel's methodical flows and bars are impeccable, and I love how he starts each verse with "I look for God on the daily" and "I talk to God on the daily," respectively. Plus, his political commentary is well thought out and well told, resulting in this song being one of my favorites on the album.
"John Wayne" is the first song on the tracklist that I'm somewhat mixed on. It's not bad by any means. I think the beat, produced by JPEGMAFIA, is wonderfully dark, and I like the theme of Denzel feeling the need to carry a weapon to protect himself from the people that are supposed to protect him. I think what turns me off from this track is its structure. It sounds unfinished and lacking a sense of direction. Plus, the reverb added to Denzel's voice doesn't do him many favors, as it makes the whole track sound too washed out.
I also feel a little bit split on "The Last," even though I heavily respect its messaging. This song has some great bars and I appreciate Denzel switching up his flow, but I think this song drags more so than any other song on this album. The repetition of the chorus is unnecessary, especially considering the choruses themselves are pretty long. It's still a decent track, but far from my favorite. Luckily, we do get a bounce back with "Mental," which is a beautiful little interlude piece. The piano is gorgeous, the hook is fantastically simple and poignant, and the spoken word passage at the end contains some of the most brilliant lyricism on the entire project.
"Troubles" was a moment that grew on me with more listens, especially when in the context of the album, because as a single, I thought it was just okay. The Kenny Beats produced beat is beautifully simple, and I love the tone of the keyboard riffs. The chorus is fantastic, especially with the distortion that's been put on the vocals. The whole message about the struggles we face and how they won't always go away is such an important topic, and I'm glad that Denzel tackles it in such a catchy and groovy way. Also, T-Pain? Best feature on the album. Without question. He fits on this beat so well, and his singing is incredible, even with all of the autotune. These two play off of each other so well, and I cannot imagine this track without T-Pain.
The following "Ain't No Way" is this album's posse cut, featuring a smattering of features. You've got Rico Nasty, J.I.D, 6LACK, Jasiah, Kitty Ca$h and Powers Pleasant all with Denzel on this track, and it is a banger. 6LACK's laid back, autotuned chorus contrasts really well with how aggressive the first verse is and how melancholic the second verse is. Rico's verse is great, J.I.D.'s verse is introspective, and Denzel's verse is full of clever wordplay. Plus, I love the way the beat morphs throughout the track, especially the little skipping section that plays during moments of the chorus. The song is a little stuffed as not everybody gets a real moment to shine, but it's still a banger nonetheless.
"X-Wing" is Denzel taking on trap music. Personally, this is a style that I don't find myself enjoying, but Denzel's take on it is easily one of the best I've ever heard. The beat is gorgeous. I adore the strings and the cascading piano, and how they mesh perfectly with the trap percussion. Denzel's flows show us once again how versatile he is, as he sounds crystal clear with each word he speaks. Plus, that chorus is fire. I will admit that it took this song more time to warm up on me than any song on here simply because trap is certainly not my favorite genre, but I can't deny how good this track is.
Then we have "Angelz," which is a serious contender for my favorite Denzel Curry song ever. This song is amazing. I love the jazzy beat. It's ethereal, it's haunting and it is so pretty. The way the piano and the bass play with each other is infectious. This track also has some of Denzel's strongest lyricism on the entire project. It continues the themes of looking for validation and getting rid of vices. I love his storytelling, and his introspection is at its strongest here. I especially love this sequence of lines:
"Chained to my vessel, saw freedom in meditation
Usin' medication would make the perfect escapist
They unprestigious, I got angels in my allegiance
My demons would look for sin like junkies feelin' fiendish"
My take on these lines is that Denzel wishes to free himself from his physical form and how participating in various acts, such as meditating and medication, would allow him to do so, but then the demons consume him and pull him back towards his vices. That's what I believe the lyrics to be, but even if I'm off, it's still amazing how Denzel's writing is so dark yet so thought provoking and open to interpretation. It goes to show how good of an artist he really is.
From here, we get a couple of short bangers that are fine, but don't really add a whole lot to the overall project. "The Smell of Death" is a short interlude that, like "John Wayne," feels incomplete. The messy production makes this track somewhat of a mess, resulting in it being one of the weaker tracks here. "Sanjuro" is a cold blooded trap banger that sounds like something that would fit on TA13OO, but it doesn't leave that much of an impression on me. Plus, I'm not a fan of the 454 feature. Their rapping is fine, but I can't get down with the vocals themselves. They're too high pitch, squeaky and nasally for my taste.
Luckily, the album ends on a very strong note. "Zatoichi" contains one of the most lush and ornate instrumentals on the entire album. It sounds so beautiful, and I love the break beat drum and bass section once the chorus hits. Denzel's flow, while repetitive, is infectious and impressive, as it sounds like he's performing each verse in one breath. I'm sure that recording this song took multiple takes and what we hear is those takes spliced together, but it still sounds great, and I assume it would be extremely difficult to perform live. Slowthai's chorus took a little bit of getting used to on my end as the vocal effect he has absolutely fries his voice in distortion, but I think the effect goes over well, and I can't imagine the song without it. And "The Ills" is a perfect way to end the album. It has a jazzy instrumental, lyrics that perfectly tie up the themes of the album and an old school flow that sends this project off on an optimistic note.
In case you couldn't tell, I love this album. Melt My Eyez, See Your Future may not have Denzel's most aggressive bangers, but it does contain his most mature, thoughtful, introspective and well written tracks to date. Plus, the production is absolutely gorgeous, and Denzel is fantastic on each track he gives us. Not every moment worked for me, but the vast majority of them did. This project is 100% worth a listen. It might not immediately grab you on first listen, but give it some time to warm up to you, because trust me, it will. That's what happened to me. As far as rap albums of 2022 goes, it's going to be pretty tough topping this one.
Grade: A
Best Tracks: Melt Session #1, Walkin, Worst Comes to Worst, Mental, Troubles, Ain't No Way, X-Wing, Angelz, Zatoichi, The Ills
Worst Track: John Wayne
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