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QUICKSPINS: Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats – UNLOCKED

Denzel Curry’s newest collaboration with Kenny Beats is a necessary heat check for the Florida rapper

Denzel Curry wants to scare the hell out of you in as little time as possible. His 2019 banger-fest of an album, ZUU, was a brisk battlefield of tracks that would have parents question your sanity if played at full volume. UNLOCKED, the newest collaborative effort from Curry and the ever-popular Kenny Beats is even shorter, even wilder, and just as exciting as ZUU.

Running under 20 minutes, UNLOCKED leaves little room for failure. In fact, there’s not that much rapping either. A lot of the project sees Beats having a field day behind the boards, creating the most imaginative retro-futuristic instrumentals that bring the best out of Curry’s aggressive, bulletproof rapping style.

“DIET_” and “Lay_Up.m4a” are the two tracks that stand out the most but really there are so few, if any, missteps in this project that any two songs could be standouts—though maybe not the intro since there’s not much going on.

If rap is a basketball game, then UNLOCKED is Curry’s heat check. His last two projects have been incredibly well-received and this new effort should do nothing but add more weight to the argument that Curry is a top tier rapper today.

Rating: 8/10

Trial Track: “Lay_Up.m4a”

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QUICKSPINS: Key Glock – Yellow Tape

With Yellow Tape, the Memphis rapper delivers a project that feels fresh while respecting his hometown’s hip hop roots.

With a show-stealing presence on 2019’s Dum and Dummer—a joint album with fellow Memphis rapper Young Dolph—Key Glock emerged as an artist to watch. On Yellow Tape, he has returned, standing completely on his own, without a feature in sight.

Glock exudes a level of confidence that is uncommon for an artist who is still on the rise. From the start of the project, he delivers his bars with striking conviction, commanding the attention of the listener—and he never lets up.

Throughout the project, Glock’s deep admiration for his city’s rich hip hop history is on full display. There is an unquestionable and consistent Memphis sound from track to track, with the influence of Three 6 Mafia being ever-present, among others.

The only negative aspect of this tape is that the content of the songs can become a bit repetitive. While Glock’s delivery, overflowing with confidence, can keep it fun and exciting, it becomes more and more apparent with repeat listens.

Still, Yellow Tape is a fantastic project, rife with bangers and memorable lines. With Glock being in the infancy of his career, it’ll be exciting to hear where he goes from here.

Rating: 8/10

Trial Track: “Dough”

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Black Lips – Sing in a World That’s Falling Apart

Black Lips take a walk on the twang side

Sing in a World That’s Falling Apart might tell the wretched tale of ashes falling and corner girls balling, but in a contrary fashion to the subject matter at hand, this album sure is well put together. Blending acoustic rock melodies, alternative music, and a sweet Southern drawl (with a little bit of trash thrown in there for class), The Black Lips kind of do it all here, while at the same time doing nothing new with this one. There’s keyboards, great drum work, and the vocals are right on point, which all combine to form a very specific country rocking ballad sound. But while the Black Lips hit the nail on the head when it comes to the tangible aspects of this album––the songs, cover, and overall vibe––there isn’t enough variation present for this record to stick.

Ultimately, the overall work leaves the listener wanting more. Firstly, most of the songs on the record are three-minute bops, more or less catering to the same flow; and the songs with more variation tend to feel more like a novelty than something you’d spin again. For the forty minute runtime, despite the songs being executed well, the album feels too repetitive.

Rating: 6/10

Trial Track: “Rumbler”

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