DENZEL CURRY - Imperial LP

Label: Loma Vista

After receiving critical acclaim upon its self-release in early 2016, 21-year-old Denzel Curry’s album Imperial gets a bigger push on Lorna Vista. The rapper, from Carol City, Florida, has recently emerged as one of the underground’s most vibrant young talents, and one of its best candidates for breakthrough success in the mainstream. Originally a member of the SpaceGhostPurrp-founded collective Raider Klan, Curry quickly distinguished himself as one of the network’s sharpest pens. The collective writ large was noted for reviving flows and production motifs that had been popular elsewhere in the South - particularly in Memphis - during the ‘90s, but Denzel also cited influences like Nas and MF DOOM. In an era where the divide between old and new seems to be growing wider by the week, Curry refuses to be swayed by fickle trends. Some new artists reject the genre’s pioneers, while others cling too tightly to the past; Denzel prefers to break down those barriers. His point of view is inextricable from his Southern roots, but he incorporates pieces of every region, every time period.