Having about to turn 5, ‘TA1300’ is showing itself to be one of the best rap records of the 2010s, with Denzel Curry proving himself to be one of the most versatile yet hard-hitting artists of the era.
It’s fair to say that this is one of the strongest concept records in rap. For the amount of thought packed into just 13 songs and 43 minutes, there’s a full range of emotion and sound here. Having been pigeon-holed for the years preceding it off of the viral ‘ULTIMATE’ meme, Denzel broke free in spectacular fashion as he showed himself willing to explore RNB, but also push the envelope on just how hard he can push the trap sounds over a concept record moving from light to dark.
The first hint that Denzel had something up his sleeve was with the ’13’ EP that he released 13 months before releasing ‘TA1300’ in July 2018. The preceding EP is one of the most underrated of the 2010s and is highly recommended if you managed to miss it. Denzel has said that sitting on the record for 13 months fuelled his fire for bringing the record into the live realm with his signature super saiyan energy.
That energy was first heard on snippets from when he was touring ’SUMO’ as an unreleased track which remains the most successful track off of the album. Arguably due to the sheer bombardment of the bass and vocals that flaws the uninitiated. It remains a staple of his set and one of his best tracks to date. Otherwise, the first disc has the other big hit off of the record ‘BLACK BALLOONS’ featuring Twelve'len and GoldLink which shows Denzel with more range than anyone suspected in building a radio-friendly hook.
The same can be said for ‘CLOUT COBAIN’, which is nothing short of conceptual brilliance as a reflection on the string of high-profile overdoses that preceded and followed the record (see Lil Peep & Juice WRLD). It’s a rare type of song that makes such a bold criticism of the culture that fuels the very success the medium relies on. The track segues into the last leg of the record which is the most outright aggressive as it serves four final tracks of complete trapped-out darkness, most notably ‘Vengeance’ with JPEGMAFIA and Zillakami.
5 years on and it continues to dominate the competition. ’TA1300’ is a visionary release and a high benchmark for a concept record. Essential listening.
‘TA1300’ is available in the Store now, with its follow-up ‘Melt My Eyez See Your Future’
#vinyl #denzelcurry #TA1300