Denzel Curry's Album TA13OO(Taboo) provides a rebellious critique of the "Soundcloud Rap" that has grown around Curry and remains entertaining throughout its whole runtime.
Curry hails from South Flordia. Other rappers from South Florida, like Lil' Pump and XXXTenacion, have amassed a huge following after becoming popular on music streaming platform Soundcloud. However, Curry's career predates the "Soundcloud Rappers." While Curry and "Soundcloud Rappers" share many sonic characteristics like aggressive vocals and audio distortion, Curry does not see himself as part of that genre of music. On "Percs", he lampoons the facial tattoos, drug abuse and lyrical shallowness he perceives in "Soundcloud rap."
I should rap about some lean and my diamond cutsCurry is not content to simply make fun of rappers he sees as shallow. TA1BOO contains moments of mature emotional depth and political commentary interwoven with aggressive braggadocio and aggressive production. This maturity is best seen on the title track "Taboo", where Curry discusses his relationship with a victim of sexual abuse. He ponders how he can best support someone he loves that has suffered such emotional trauma.
Get suburban white kids to want to hang with us
It's your friendly neighborhood, I don't give a fuck
Get it straight, I innovate, you ad-libs on a 808
Don't need a tattoo on my face cause Denzel is a different race
I don't even try to hate, I'm just saying what I ain't
People sleeping on me hard and I'm the hardest in the paint
Eight years in the game and I never rode a wave
TA1300 is a concept album, broken into three sides. Light, Grey, and Dark. While the tracks on the respective sides do generally correspond with the intended mood, Curry could have focused on making the concept more coherent.
One of Curry's signature lyrical techniques is the rapid-fire deployment of wide-ranging references, ranging from pop culture to philosophy. He belies his age by referencing Nicleodian cartoons like The Fairly Odd Parents, Jimmy Neutron and Prince Zuko from Avatar. I find this charming, although I may only like it because of my own fond memories of those TV shows.
(On are a serious note, if you have never watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, please do so immediately. It is an incredible show.)
Best character development, all time.
The track "Percs", which was released as one of the album's singles, demonstrates the album's satirical tone, grimy production and tight delivery all in one track. If you like "Percs", you will like the whole album. Listen Below.
Conclusion: Curry has delivered one of the best albums of 2018. He aimed to take the rap game and flip it on its head. With an album that has only one weak song, he may have done it. I am very excited to listen to this album again and again. Do me a favor, and listen.
