UNLOCKED

Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats

I've grown to become quite a big fan of Kenny Beats through his Cave Freestyle YouTube series. It amazed me how quickly he could assemble and tailor a great beat no matter which guest he happened to have on. I would often hear the mantra "don't over think shit" at many points throughout the series and I think it lead to many 'lightning in a bottle' moments. One of those moments definitely occurred during Denzel Curry's episode and the duo must have felt it too because they would end up going full swing into a three day recording project that would ultimately become UNLOCKED. It's more of a mini-album with eight tracks and clocking in just under 18 minutes, but holy moly is it such a consistently satisfying listen.

First I'll praise Kenny Beats' production. The one thing I've picked up on is how frequently Kenny Beats will switch up his drums over the course of a song. On Take_it_Back_v2, I swear there are three different beats all with unique drum sounds, making this song feel like a real journey as it moves from one passage to the next. There's also a bit of a drum switch up on the chorus of Lay_Up.m4a, making it instantly pop. It is by far one of the catchiest choruses on the project thanks to the uncanny, heavy bass line. Its not just the drum sounds though, as Kenny Beats will also change up the rhythms on a measure to measure basis, sometimes missing a kick or snare hit to provide more space for Curry, or to just completely drop the beat placing particular emphasis on a great performance by Curry. It's these little attentions to detail that make the instrumental just as exciting as listening to Curry rap. Lastly, I love the DOOM influence that surfaces by way of Kenny Beats' use of various voice recordings. This influence is felt strongest on the album's ominous opener, but I also really love how these voice recordings will sometimes finish Curry's lines in a somewhat comedic fashion.

As for Denzel Curry's contributions, he's just an absolute force. The rhymes aren't super heady, but they are cartoonishly violent and totally quote worthy. On top of that, the flows sound so effortlessly strung together; sounding so comfortable and confident on each and every track. Curry also showcases a few different levels of hype in regards to his delivery. There's a moment on 'Cosmic'.m4a where Curry really pops his lid when answering to anyone that dares test his crew, and the choruses on DIET_ are where Curry adds a significant amount of bark to his vocals making for some of the best performances on the record.

Sometimes good things take time, re-evaluation, and reflection in order to improve and make things better. But then again, it is also possible to labour over something so intensely that the magic and spontaneity disappears. When you get two very skilled creators, with an unshakeable focus and drive, then you don't need a great deal of time to create something impactful and entertaining. That's exactly the case with this project. It was one of my favourite hip-hop projects of last year, so if you haven't heard it yet, then now is a good time.