Denzel Curry’s new album Melt My Eyes, See Your Future is the sound of the mercurial Miami rapper leveling up. “This is my green lightsaber moment!” beams the 26-year-old, likening his evolution on this record to Luke Skywalker’s in Star Wars not just because it’s a record full of cinematic scope (anime and Akira Kurosawa are among its chief influences) but because he now no longer feels like a hothead apprentice. On each of the fourteen sumptuous tracks here, Denzel is operating with the force of a full Jedi master, slicing through bars with a dexterity, magic and control that would make Yoda blush. To his growing legions of fans, the intrepid soul-searching of this record will come as no surprise – after all, Curry’s music has always been confessional. Getting to this point, however, hasn’t come easy. Since his breakout mixtape King Remembered Underground Tape 1991–1995 began him on this path towards blockbuster success, Denzel may have grown to become one of the most respected and technically-dextrous MCs in rap today, lauded by everyone from Pitchfork to the New York Times. State-of-the-nation insights on police brutality and inner glimpses at his own grief began to fill celebrated release after celebrated release, as Denzel’s star continued to rise. Finally, one day at the end of 2014, he found “hope at the end of the tunnel.” That was the day he met Andre 3000. Ever since, Denzel has been living out Andre’s advice. Whether linking with Kenny Beats on 2020’s Unlocked collaborative album or covering Rage Against The Machine in radio sessions (because why the hell not), he strives to be impossible to pin down musically. No wonder, then, that he’s struck up such a close friendship with another artist who seeks to blur the borders between genres – Billie Eilish, who personally chose Denzel to open for her on her arena tour in 2018. In fact, the Bad Guy hit-maker is such a fan of Denzel, she once went against her label by recording and promoting an illegal collaboration between the pair. Packing out arenas with Billie was an experience that informed what Denzel planned to do next. “I realized I need songs that big crowds will react to, and sounds that will generate a certain response.” Which brings us to the next era of Denzel Curry, closing one decade and marking the beginning of another, in the exciting career of a rap game innovator. Recorded in Los Angeles, with records by The Soulquarians on repeat and the one and only Thundercat in the studio alongside him, Melt My Eyes, See Your Future finds Denzel looking deep in the mirror.
