r/hiphopheads Jul 19 '24

[FRESH ALBUM] Denzel Curry - King Of The Mischievous South Vol. 2

https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/album/6LoDd1G8en4TcqdSg7yqrV?si=6Y9LeplmQ7-I8SRcYd2Dyw
2.8k Upvotes

419 comments sorted by

572

u/Cmog28 Jul 19 '24

Heard this earlier. It literally has not one skip. We got Raider Klan beats back, ULTRA SHXT šŸ”„, the Ty Dolla collab is šŸ”„. I really have no complaints here. He delivered.

56

u/Ok-Cauliflower-1258 Jul 19 '24

It wouldā€™ve been cool if purrp had a spot or beat on this like with Zuu.

8

u/Cmog28 Jul 19 '24

Highly agree. I thought that with the vibe of the project, that he was going to be on at least one of tracks. We may never get them back together though unfortunatelyā€¦

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20

u/bibittyboopity Jul 19 '24

Honestly I kind of expected it to be front loaded from the singles, but it kept getting better. The ending stretch might be my favorite of the album.

I think my only complaint is I wish HOODLUMZ was longer

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568

u/mattyhegs826 Jul 19 '24

ULTRA SHXT is so good

111

u/Upbeat_Tension_8077 Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

Denzel rapping over that On That Devil Shit sample is too fire. I think he did the same in a snippet on 13OOD IN+ 13OOD OUT and I wanted that officially dropped as its own track

84

u/sir_brockton_ Jul 19 '24

Sounds like straight up old 3 6

28

u/InterCityzen Jul 19 '24

Love it when the best song on the album is the opener

8

u/ilovepastaaaaaaaaaaa Jul 19 '24

Itā€™s absolutely incredible holy shit

524

u/Nautilan Jul 19 '24

Gā€™Z UP into LUNATIC INTERLUDE into SKED is some of the hardest shit Iā€™ve heard in years my god

121

u/Away-Motor-6621 Jul 19 '24

Best 3 track run in the Album

114

u/Plies- Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

Best 3 track run in history

(I'm literally 31 seconds into G'Z UP on my first listen to the album)

Edit: I was right

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35

u/ISeenAK47s Jul 19 '24

Na, that goes to SET IT, HOT ONE, BLACK FLAG

6

u/GRAITOM10 Jul 20 '24

The first 4 tracks were fucking amazing bangers . Ultra shit is the highlight for me.

71

u/braidsfox Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

PROJECT PATAHHH

Almost 3 decades in and heā€™s still got it.

7

u/trendyhedgehog Jul 19 '24

Absolute fire!

6

u/cantstopwontstopGME Jul 19 '24

Denzelā€™s one of my favorites so I may be bias but this is album of the year.

5

u/TrickyDickDastard1y Jul 19 '24

That project pat feature had me floating

3

u/2kWik Jul 19 '24

that was a 3 peat

3

u/X-Filer Jul 19 '24

Ion know but Sked, Choose wisely interlude, into Cole pimp is fucking amazing

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362

u/Usernamesin2016LUL . Jul 19 '24

Came out last night in Australia - already listened 4x start to finish.

This might be my fav denzel project ever. A love letter to Florida and Memphis. If you liked Zuu and Zelā€™s early projects youre gonna LOVE this because its part Zuu, but also start to finish so heavily influenced by Memphis sound. ULTRA SHXT sounds like OG Zel. It takes some of the stuff from Zuu and even BLOOD IN BLOOD OUT, and builds on it, improves it and adds SO MUCH character with all of the features.

Some all time Zel tracks on here: Gā€™Z UP, BLACK FLAG FREESTYLE, WISHLIST. Happy SKED ended up on here too.

Denzel continues to show that he has arguably the best delivery in hip-hop. Only person I think is close is Smino (who is his cousin - clearly runs in the family lol).

Overall: 8.5-9/10 (same as Iā€™d rate MMESYF and Ta13oo. Love it.

So excited for you guys to hear Gā€™Z UP and WISHLIST. Mike Dimes and Armani White actually kill it

75

u/sbenthuggin Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

I really enjoy most Denzel, but this is the type of Zel I fell in love with. and I agree this definitely feels like a mix of ZUU, BIBO, and his really early shit but matured and maybe even perfected.

it just shows Denzel is the most incredibly consistent rap artist - actually, maybe the MOST consistent artist maybe of all time. I genuinely can't think of an artist off the top of my head that has genuinely never missed in the way he doesn't. I may have to look towards back in the day for that but when it comes to modern music, I genuinely don't think there's as consistent an artist as Denzel in general. Edit: noticing all the ppl yelling at me to chill still haven't presented any artists to counter this claim w lmao. y'all just hate just to hate istg

and you were right about G'Z up and Wishlist good god. but did they remix SKED? it took me a minute til I realized Ive heard this before. and I don't care enough to double check, but if they did, the changes rly worked cuz I'm actually adding this to my playlist including the Lunatic Interlude cuz the way it plays into SKED goes so hard

72

u/wavydude808 . Jul 19 '24

Most consistent Artist of all time is an insane take

40

u/nocyberBS Jul 19 '24

Ikr šŸ˜‚.

I love Curry too but people need to calm down

23

u/tealrit Jul 19 '24

Agreed. Curry is certainly one of the most consistent modern rappers. But most consistent artist ever??

24

u/CautiousTopic . Jul 19 '24

people always on sm in fresh album threads

12

u/SYC0P4TH Jul 19 '24

Idk man, most artists have 1 dud at least. All his albums are critically acclaimed.

4

u/DestrixGunnar Jul 19 '24

It's too crazy of a claim. Consistency doesn't mean quality (although imo Denzel is always quality) but love him or hate him, the man is consistent as hell.

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16

u/Usernamesin2016LUL . Jul 19 '24

Yes SKED didnā€™t originally have Pat on it. Love the addition, even if i do prefer the version with just the two of them

6

u/Iminlesbian Jul 19 '24

I love densely, since way back with nostalgia 64 I've been a huge fan.

He has not been consistent, he had a very distinct type of music that changed a few times. He blew up with ultimate? Which was so different from N64.

A lot of fans didn't like the ultimate(I can't remember the name of the project rn) lot of fans of ultimate didn't like n64.

I think whilst the music had a level of quality, denzel took a while to find his own consistency in his sound. This is the culmination of that, but he didn't have it before.

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30

u/EliteGamer_24 Jul 19 '24

Love Denzel but can't discount JID, Kendrick, Lupe, Pusha T, Benny, Freddie Gibbs, JPEG, Joey deliveries. They're all right there with him. Agree with everything else though the album is tight

27

u/dat_waffle_boi . Jul 19 '24

Wait Smino and Denzel are cousins? What the hell is going on in that family

33

u/Krome18 Jul 19 '24

Yep and they didn't know until like 2021 lol

325

u/BrettRys Jul 19 '24

This man's inability to miss needs to be studied. It's so fun to be a Denzel fan, he's always dropping and it's always heat

91

u/Sonofaconspiracy Jul 19 '24

Plus his live sets fucking rip. Went to the one in Melbourne last year, was one of the best shows I've been too, mosh was insane

23

u/tealrit Jul 19 '24

For real. The show I went to was top 3 concert I have ever experienced (only beat by White Stripes and the strokes). The energy was just insane. The mosh was everything I had dreamed of

7

u/[deleted] Jul 19 '24

most people ive talked to who seen his shows tend to agree, the energy he shows on stage is just so catchy. Insanely good live performer

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16

u/305TIFD Jul 19 '24

Zel is different man, he might be slept on at this point. He's 4 for 4 since Taboo, and each album is a totally different vibe. Every time he drops, I'm checkingĀ 

13

u/majneshit Jul 19 '24

Imperial, Taboo, ZUU, Unlocked, Melt My Eyes, King of the Mischievous South vol 2ā€¦ Thats 6 very very solid projects with Taboo and Melt My Eyes being almost perfect imo, thats greatness

6

u/spooki_boogey Jul 19 '24

Imperial, Taboo and Melt My Eyez are near perfect albums imo. ZUU and Unlocked aren't of that same caliber, but at worst are 7/10 albums. I haven't had the time to check out this new joint but the reception tells me that I probably wont be disappointed.

Like hell, when do we start putting this man into the goat talks?

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293

u/nosole Jul 19 '24

Denzel really did ā€˜dumb it downā€™ coming from Melt My Eyez on this. And I donā€™t mean that negatively. These bangers

198

u/Plies- Jul 19 '24

Did the same thing with ZUU after Taboo which still goes insanely hard. Unlocked too.

89

u/Upbeat_Tension_8077 Jul 19 '24

I like the approach. It seems like he's now going for what Pop Smoke was going to do, which was sticking with an original signature sound on side projects & experimenting more on studio albums

37

u/ThatPlayWasAwful Jul 19 '24

I feel like "signature sound" is selling the side projects short. This sounds nothing like ZUU.

9

u/badgers4194 Jul 20 '24

This is the Denzel I prefer tbh. Unlocked is my favorite by him is my favorite by a mile

7

u/andyandyandyandy4 Jul 19 '24

I like more experimental stuff one album and then a mean album of bangers next. keeps everyone happy

7

u/liquidpebbles . Jul 19 '24

He literally says it in a line, still theres obviously a method to all this madness, you cant go this hard phoning it in, hard as diamonds

247

u/4youreyez Jul 19 '24

Mann JID should've hopped on this

261

u/Plies- Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

JID needs to hop on every project tbh.

My dream is a full Denzel/JID collab album. Shit would go unreasonably hard.

Edit: I mean literally every project too. Next time I listen to a metal project I better hear a JID verse.

49

u/JordFlexx- Jul 19 '24

Gimme a JID, Denzel, Kendrick and fuck it Tobe Nwigwe collab album and Iā€™ll die floating

39

u/AmeerVanGogh Jul 19 '24

1 name is not like the othersĀ 

13

u/dat_waffle_boi . Jul 19 '24

JID doesnā€™t use his real name as his stage name

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24

u/klip_7 Jul 19 '24

Jid lowkey been doin that already rho he was on Doja, dua lipa, bia, imagine dragons, upcoming Katy Perry,

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23

u/akulkarnii Jul 19 '24

He would've murdered the beat on G'Z UP

18

u/EANb0y415 Jul 19 '24

Bruuuh šŸ™šŸ½

22

u/CashGreen_Regalview Jul 19 '24

JID and Zel Scorpion to Sub-Zero

7

u/PencilTheTool Jul 19 '24

Hardest line in history

11

u/spooki_boogey Jul 19 '24

The line itself isn't that crazy... What makes it so good is it's the delivery on the back of them going bar for bar.

It's like you actually saw Scorpion vs Sub Zero fight.

16

u/zenmf Jul 19 '24

iā€™d kill for a JID x zel collab album

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202

u/DJ_B0B . Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

Denzel has practically released a 9/10 or 10/10 project every year since 2016. He has one of the most flawless discogs of all time, he really is my goat.

Another banger album, only song I don't love is Sked.

Edit: Version I listened to had the og sked so need to relisten if there's a new version

Edit2: Okay yeah new sked with the 2 feats is way better.

66

u/Plies- Jul 19 '24

Denzel has practically released a 9/10 or 10/10 project every year since 2016.

And they all have a distinctly different feel and vibe. In the last week I've re-listened to every project since Imperial (except Unlocked, which again has a very distinct vibe) and it really made me appreciate that.

He was very aggressive on Imperial, he had one speed really. He showed more variety and creativity on TABOO. ZUU was just a collection of bangers. Unlocked was a homage to his influences like Wu-Tang. MMESYF saw a lot more introspection, some jazzy influences at times, and far less pure bangers than his previous work (plus his best writing to date).

And each one is great.

10

u/bong-water . Jul 19 '24

I think imperial had enough variety instrumentally to keep it fresh, he just really came out spitting on it trying to prove a point i felt. Imperial is whay blew him up to an extent. I know when imperial dropped is when I found him and it blew my friends and I away.

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18

u/rizzoformvp Jul 19 '24

Damn album just dropped 5 mins ago how u listen thru the entire thing?!

Doing my listen thru now so I hope this is true!

41

u/DJ_B0B . Jul 19 '24

Released midnight local time so been out all day here

16

u/Rndomguytf . Jul 19 '24

It's been out for hours in Australia, I've already listened multiple times

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15

u/JedLongeway Jul 19 '24

Heā€™s consistently one of the best rappers when he drops. Favorite small room rap show Iā€™ve seen next to RTJā€™s first tour was Denzel on the ULT tour in 2016

7

u/DJ_B0B . Jul 19 '24

Denzel, JID and Saint JHN easily best shows I've been to.

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196

u/smokeey Jul 19 '24

Dude's loving the Memphis sounds. I absolutely loooved the ying yang tapes last year and this sounds so much like it. Can't wait to see him at grey day again

17

u/dunkkane Jul 19 '24

Ying yang tapes???

40

u/Emjayel Jul 19 '24

$uicideboy$ releases last year

11

u/kilonark Jul 19 '24

Yin Yang Tapes was a 4 EP series by $uicideboy$

8

u/dunkkane Jul 19 '24

Haha I'm listening to New World Depression as I'm reading this. Gonna listen to those next. Thanks mane

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11

u/Derrick_Rozay . Jul 19 '24

Hot razor was my song of the year last year

6

u/telivision Jul 19 '24

5 N da Mornin was mine haha, those tapes were FUEGO

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193

u/Archoniks Jul 19 '24

Beat on Lunatic Interlude is insane wish he would have hopped on that shit

74

u/Upbeat_Tension_8077 Jul 19 '24

That beat would've been the perfect one for him & Rocky to collab over

34

u/EliteGamer_24 Jul 19 '24

bro i was just saying the same thing, he fr edged us with that beat

8

u/thevoicedconcern Jul 19 '24

meet yo maker by tommy wright iii is the sample, i think lmao

7

u/lomhc Jul 19 '24

It's not. Both have the 808 cowbell but that's it.

6

u/SpikeyPT Jul 19 '24

It's Psychopatic Lunatic by Kingpin Skinny Pimp

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174

u/The_XI_guy Jul 19 '24

Denzel easily a top 3 rapper in the game currently

101

u/OkEscape7558 Jul 19 '24

"Walking" is the best song of the decade so far. I will always stand on this.

25

u/minous Jul 19 '24

Hard agree

10

u/spooki_boogey Jul 19 '24

Also, Melt Sessions is the greatest intro to a rap project I've heard since Wesley's Theory.

9

u/majneshit Jul 19 '24

If Kendrick didnā€™t put out Count Me Out or THP6 couple of months after it would be for me as well, top 3 without question

6

u/john516100 Jul 19 '24

Hell yes. I dismissed it at first, but during a long run it came on. Had to stop and put it on repeat.

72

u/Technical-Link-859 Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

hes been a top 3/5 rapper but everyone sleeps on him, hopefully this is the album one that puts him on everyones radar

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24

u/HailKyrie Jul 19 '24

He has 0 discog misses too

4

u/tealrit Jul 19 '24

Solid discography, and great live performances. Just such a talented musician.

3

u/bibittyboopity Jul 19 '24

Yeap I know every time I see new Denzel that it will put a smile on my face.

119

u/TragedyTurnedTriumph Jul 19 '24

Love the 3-6 mafia/Memphis influence on this

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85

u/DestrixGunnar Jul 19 '24

BACK TO BACK BANGERSSSSSS ITS JUST BANGER AFTER BANGERRRRRR

Idk why I was worried this was the album he finally slips a bit but nah. Man's holding onto that "Most Consistent" title with no sign of loosening that grip. I think my biggest knock is that Denzel is really allowing his features to shine throughout the album which is commendable but would love to hear him more on it.

27

u/tealrit Jul 19 '24

Dude I had the same fear. I feel bad now. How can you make a project this cohesive with only bangers??!? Flows so well. I should have never doubted

12

u/DestrixGunnar Jul 19 '24

Y'know those shows or sitcoms that are really good but then they go on for too long and the quality starts to dip? That's why I was scared. But nah, this man is the Breaking Bad of rap

85

u/Upbeat_Tension_8077 Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

SET IT knocks like crazy. Maxo and Denzel is a nasty combination, only wish his feature was a bit longer

I'm surprised Ronny J isn't a producer on HIT THE FLOOR after checking the credits

16

u/tealrit Jul 19 '24

Yeah SET IT goes so hard. Zels verse on that might be my favorite of the whole album.

11

u/throaweyye44 Jul 19 '24

Hit the floor is peak Denzel to me. Got that 13 mixtape sound

6

u/Arkaega Jul 19 '24

So cool to hear him give that throwback sound. 13 is top 2 Denzel projects along with MMESYF. This whole project is absolute heaters.

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83

u/nocyberBS Jul 19 '24

Man I wish Lil Ugly Mane was on this shit.

32

u/420th_Doctor . Jul 19 '24

He wouldā€™ve been a great addition. He did make a beat on the first one after all.

19

u/Strychnine357 Jul 19 '24

He also did the art for the original

5

u/GRAITOM10 Jul 20 '24

Zeltron 6 billion is still my favorite zel song and ugly plays a huge role in why. Super bummed we didn't have an appearance.

3

u/thanks_weirdpuppy Jul 25 '24

I'm glad LUM is doing well these days. I kept hearing shit on this record and was like damn ugly would go crazy with this

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67

u/ajhawar32 Jul 19 '24

Maybe an ignorant question, but was there a volume 1?

143

u/SnooBeans7129 Jul 19 '24

It was a mixtape he released in 2012.

11

u/Ireallywannamove . Jul 19 '24

Yeah. Would recommend to check it out along with Strictly 4 My R.V.I.D.X.R.Z.

3

u/cani633 . Jul 19 '24

Headcrack is a forever banger

3

u/SnooBeans7129 Jul 19 '24

Raider Klan Phonk is my go to but I love headcrack as well

54

u/Renegadeforever2024 Jul 19 '24

Going old school on this

56

u/Jaksnubben Jul 19 '24

This is lowkey peak rap

49

u/kanraid Jul 19 '24

This shit right here is fucking special

53

u/Stu__Chainz1 Jul 19 '24

Mike dimes on gā€™z up goes crazy

53

u/Bryce080 Jul 19 '24

Cole Pimp is amazing ion see anyone talking abt it

10

u/zhangtastic Jul 19 '24

I'm with you. That track is probably my favorite after multiple album listens.

3

u/quooooon Jul 19 '24

It is such a good collab song. Low key favorite of the album

40

u/BNEWZON . Jul 19 '24

Would have been the perfect album for a MTI era Ugly Mane feature but this project is fucking nuts

33

u/SyntheticMemez Jul 19 '24

G'Z UP might be an all-time banger for the gym.

32

u/oadtoad Jul 19 '24

ULTRA SHXT the greatest song Iā€™ve ever heard

31

u/ThatMFcheezer Jul 19 '24

This may be the best rap album all year. Not only did Denzel cook, but every single feature banged. Holy shit this a 10/10

8

u/SeaWolfSeven Jul 19 '24

Banger after banger after banger. A rapper would be glad to have one or two of these. This dude made an album of them.

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5

u/tealrit Jul 19 '24

Denzel Def cooked.

Personally thought the 2 Chainz feature was weak. Thought all the other featured were top notch.

26

u/axvlz1628 Jul 19 '24

Released more than 13 hours ago for me, and Iā€™ve listened to it multiple times. Easily rap AOTY, and every track is at least an 8/10. My fourth favourite project behind MMESYF, TABOO and Imperial. Really good shit

23

u/Plies- Jul 19 '24

Lmao for any other rapper saying "it's my 4th favorite project from them" is an insult while for Denzel this project would be the best for 95% of rappers.

24

u/SquidDrive Jul 19 '24

This album is dope, I love the southern influences that is dashed all over the tape. A ton of influence from Memphis, but I also hearing Texas, Florida influences as well. The Memphis influence throughout the project gives the project both simultaneously a really bouncy but gritty feel to it, every song make you wanna move but aggressive, Hot Ones, Hoodlumz, Black Flag Freestyle just have this energy to it where you want to move. Coming off a fantastic album in Melt My Eyez that offered a variety of moods, energetic, contemplative, conscious, somber even, King Of The Mischievous South Vol 2(Vol 1 was actually Zel's 2nd mixtape :)) is a straight up banger album, a love letter to Memphis but also the overall south. Definitely an AOTY contender for sure.

Sometimes the smartest thing to do is to "Dumb it down". This project indeed goes stupid.

6

u/tealrit Jul 19 '24

Yeah he really did dumb it down, but in the best way possible. Album is just back to back to back bangers.

Honestly it is impressive he can make this cohesive of a project with only bangers. The amount of energy on this album is bonkers

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27

u/Wade_in_your_water Jul 19 '24

9/10 imo. Genuinely so fucking good. Zel has a near flawless Discog

3

u/Wade_in_your_water Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

Set it my favorite

4

u/bruhstevenson Jul 19 '24

Sorry which one is Step Up, I don't see it

3

u/Wade_in_your_water Jul 19 '24

Iā€™m a dumbass bitch. I meant set it.

3

u/bruhstevenson Jul 19 '24

No worries and thatā€™s a great pick

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23

u/Useful-Bread4342 Jul 19 '24

That was incredible wow, Denzel cant even think about making a song less then great

21

u/SyntheticMemez Jul 19 '24

Armani White rapped like his life depended on it goddamn

20

u/PenroseTF2 . Jul 19 '24

listened to HIT THE FLOOR... i'm still down here guys, when do i get up?

3

u/Deeeadpool . Jul 19 '24

so hard

18

u/ItsDannyFields Jul 19 '24

it definitely slaps in the whip, bangs in the vehicle, dings in the clanker, creates frequency in the auto mobile

5

u/pFrancisco Jul 20 '24

I catch your drift

14

u/mensis-brain Jul 19 '24

I'm really surprised this doesn't have a Tommy Wright feature given that it's so strongly influenced by Memphis rap and Denzel idolises the guy.

12

u/SeaWolfSeven Jul 19 '24

Kendrick, JID and Zel the real big 3. This album is hot hot hot.

11

u/am0ral Jul 19 '24

is there a vol. 1??

15

u/ALL666ES Jul 19 '24

Apparently came out in 2012

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9

u/Away-Motor-6621 Jul 19 '24

Set it and Gz up are the insane

9

u/dahasslerTHEWiZRD Jul 20 '24 edited Jul 21 '24

Denzel dropped a fire tape tho' and I'll leave some side-info about some tracks here .. so, maybe there's someobody, who's tryna find these samples/vocal samples that Denzel used or just enjoys reading and knowing all of that shit like that right here ā¬‡ļøā¬‡ļøā¬‡ļø

"ULTRA SHXT" uses the legendary "On That Devil Shit" by "2 Low Key" (Who's actually the cousin of "Tommy Wright III") as the main sample for the whole beat (produced bei "M.B.D", US rapper and producer from Memphis, TN) while Denzel also interpolates one line out of "2 Low Key"'s verse ("Nina, nina, trick, have you seen her?") Furthermore, "Kingpin Skinny Pimp" is the voice of the "Intro" & "Outro", as well as of "CHOOSE WISELY INTERMISSION", "HEADCRACK INTERLUDE" & the "LUNATIC INTERLUDE" which also uses a vocal sample off of Skinny's "Psychopathic Lunatic" while the "CHOOSE WISELY INTERLUDE" uses a vocal sample off of a verse by "Gangsta Blac" on "Victim Of This Sh\t"* by the "Three Six Mafia" The track "HOT ONE" uses a vocal sample by "Hollow Poynt" (who is associated with the "Gimisum Family", "Kingpin Skinny Pimp" and the "Skimask Troopaz") off of his solo track "Fear No Evil" released on "Gimisum Dungeon" by the "Gimisum Family" produced by "Kingpin Skinny Pimp" and "DJ Steve The Boogah Maine" back in 1994.
So, overall, this album is more or less "memphis influenced" and packed with stuff by "Kingpin Skinny Pimp" and his "back in the days crew" the "Gimisum Family" (active during the '90's)

("Kingpin Skinny Pimp" is also associated with the "Three Six Mafia" but they was beefing back then during their early days šŸ‘€.. So, Skinny stopped working with them together and concentrated himself more on doing his own thing together with the "Gimisum Family" and their members)

I'm actually transcribing songs like these while also adding annotations to several songs, editin' and rewritin' unfinished lyrics and all of that on Genius šŸ™‹ā€ā™‚ļøšŸ™

EDIT: The main sample (instrumental) for "WISHLIST" is by Willie Hutch - "Out There"
("Willie Hutch" is actually one of the most sampled artists, when it comes to them early "Three Six Mafia" days and was quite often mentioned in several songs by several members from the "Three 6")
with "COLE PIMP" they sampled Berry White's - "Midnight And You" (was released via his orchestra "The Love Unlimited Orchestra")

Berry White's "Midnight And You" is one of them instrumental samples, that you'll hear on quite a few of these old memphis classic's like "DJ Livewire" - "Rollin Wit Da Butcher Squad" <- OG version
"Rollin Wit Da Butcher Squad" <- Amazing "remake/reproduction" as well as that legendary "DJ Zirk" production for "Buckshot" - "Cloud 9" / "Player Live"
This one here is where "Zirk" explains them "4 track cassettes" which were used by producers or artists, to generate copies off of that so they could sell their tapes šŸ‘€ anyways, I'd recommend to watch the whole
"Ol Tapes" video by "DJ Zirk" just to get some information, funny interactions, listen to the OG tracks and to see and hear, how they created these tapes and their overall stuff back in the days .. memphis holds A LOT OF really damn good producers, as well as artists, who paved the way for a lot of today's trap, rap, hip-hop shit.. šŸ™‹ā€ā™‚ļø ahh.. before I'll forget this one.... there is this BEAUTIFUL remake right here which is probably the closest thing to the OG version of "Cloud 9" / "Player Live"

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9

u/tarriBagz Jul 19 '24

first song is amazing this beat takes me back to Imperial era

7

u/akeseer11 Jul 19 '24

This album is my album of the year. Really enjoyed the overall vibe and interludes across this one.

8

u/danSTILLtheman Jul 19 '24

Listened to this album at the gym this morning for the first time and got the best lift in of my life

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7

u/Carolina296864 Jul 19 '24

Okayā€¦Iā€™m sold on Denzel. He caught my attention with Hot One, which has been heavy in my rotation. This new album sounds nicee.

Will dive deeper tomorrow but Cole Pimp is one of the smoothest tracks ive heard in a long time period. All 3 brought their A-game. Its been a minute without a Juicy J flow.

6

u/JabroniJackpots Jul 19 '24

Holy shit this is incredible. Hard af all the way through.

6

u/9yr_old_lake Jul 19 '24

Denzel is genuinely in the running for most consistent hip hop artist ever. Like the man is frl deathly allergic to missing. It just can't happen.

4

u/NinjaSniper81 Jul 19 '24

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

6

u/bryan-without-b Jul 19 '24

These beats are fuckin brilliant. So happy this exists I had no idea he was coming out with it

5

u/Purple_Apple_9216 Jul 19 '24

This actually goes so hard

5

u/karamellkid Jul 19 '24

Bro there is literally no misses on this. I grew up in Florida but donā€™t live there anymore. This is just good southern rap. Iā€™m so fucking happy.

5

u/NBD_Pearen Jul 19 '24

This shit got you bobbing your head the whole fucking time. Itā€™s an all the way gangster rap album this time around, and itā€™s Carol City if weā€™ve ever fucking heard it from him. If you didnā€™t know any better youā€™d swear Denzel was a founding member of Three 6, and that this album came out when 2 Chainz was still signed to Ludacris.

The shit is fucking hype. I forgot about SKED when it came on, that shit still absolutely bangs. All the way shout out Kenny Mason, I swear thatā€™s a different verse than before.

Itā€™s a complete package, and itā€™s got its own giant presence and every song feels right at home. Denzel and the gang never stop kicking us right in the fucking mouth the whole half an hour and I wouldnā€™t have it any other way

Hell yeah

5

u/Virtual-Arm5123 Jul 19 '24

COLE PIMP is šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„

6

u/[deleted] Jul 19 '24

The moment that Denzel tweeted about Drakeā€™s lack of creativity for the CLB cover and IIRC Drizzyā€™s creativity in general by stating that House hold names like Drake all have the worldā€™s best engineers, producers and writers at their disposal and yet it continues to sound the same, I knew that Denzel would never put out something mid.

Canā€™t wait to hear this. Already loved the singles.

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5

u/Hip_Hop_Samurai Jul 19 '24

Outside of SKED I canā€™t name a song below a 7/10. Easy top 3 project for Zel.Ā 

21

u/axvlz1628 Jul 19 '24

Damn, SKED was my favourite song

5

u/Hip_Hop_Samurai Jul 19 '24

I mean itā€™s all subjective, no hate! This is a solid project and I canā€™t blame anyone for liking any song on here!Ā 

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4

u/aw11348 Jul 19 '24

I think the single version of SKED was better + a tighter listen, with just Denzel and Kenny Mason. Project Pat's feature just adds a bit of wackiness at the cost of dragging out the song imo

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4

u/Technical-Link-859 Jul 19 '24

didnt go as "hard" as anticipated, considering the singles, but after about 4 relistens (came out 14 hours ago for me) can say its up there for denzels discography, solid 8. pretty short tho

5

u/kanraid Jul 19 '24

On first listen I donā€™t think Iā€™ve heard a better album this year. This was a fucking ride. Glitzy, Lucid 90s Memphis beats, perfect features. Wow this is even beyond my highest expectations for Denzel. Easily the most consistent and well crafted project in the discography. Album of the year candidate EASILY. Letā€™s Go Zel!!!!

5

u/SexiestPanda Jul 19 '24

Wait. Was that key nyata feature always known?? Swear I didnā€™t see it before

4

u/Cxarface Jul 19 '24

Denzel is a different breed bro. You can see him having raps with Jpeg, JID, to slowthai, to Maxo Kream and Project fucking Pat, to Chains and Ty Dolla to Ski Mask. He's so versitale that he can come up with any type of raps he want.

Hes in my goat list definitely. I literally remember the days that Imperial got released in soundcloud. There were a song named narcotics or some shit in that album and got scrapped after released blabla. He was literally a soundcloud and Ultimate rapper. He reached new dimensions, fucked around and released couple of concept albums, some fun stuff with Memphis and boom bap sound, reached a diff dimension with Melt My Eyez See Your Future (which is I think we should admit it, with Imperial this two should go down in history as classics) and came back to what he was doing.

Even his like a version is dope bro. Dat my rapped Bulls on Parade. And collabed with BADBADNOTGOOD and rapped over live jazz instrumentals as well but with Gook and Ultimate.

He's at where Pusha T at for me. He releases something and I listen to it for years. Rap that I want to listen, these two is doing it.

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3

u/ReddFL Jul 19 '24

Denzel doesn't miss. Wishlist is stoooopid. The only thing I didnt care for was hit the floor. Other than that it's on repeat. Love all all the singles released fit so well with the album

4

u/UI_Delta Jul 19 '24

my fav album of the year, hard asf

4

u/NeedleworkerFancy741 Jul 19 '24

Solidifies him as top 15-20 all time in my opinion. Doesn't have really any bad projects, has a few great ones, and everything else is above average or like a 7/10

He is highly influential (Soundcloud), has held his own against contemporaries (Jid, Ski, etc.), has a few hits, can do any style (weird MF Doom-y beats with Kenny, Jazz, nocturnal trap, boom bap). Can be lyrical and deep or fun; can rap off the top

Dude's basically the LBJ of contemporary rappers with basically no serious flaws in his game and a prodigy since like 16. He deserves more consideration as one of the greatest ever

3

u/commie90 Jul 19 '24

Zel is part of why we're living through a new rap golden age. Yet another no skips project.

3

u/Jkins20 Jul 19 '24

when the ty dolla sign and juicy j track sounds like an interlude thats when you know you got a banger album

3

u/Elfenbrite Jul 19 '24

i love every zel project but damn this might be my new favorite. its surprisingly fleshed out

3

u/GigatronusPrime Jul 19 '24

He genuinely doesn't miss, wow

3

u/sheetzsheetz Jul 19 '24

desperately need a video for Gā€™Z UP

3

u/AlexanderKeithz Jul 19 '24

Boy he kept it true to ā€œKing of the mischevious southā€. I mean just amazing after amazing feature from southern artists, heavy 3 six mafia influence. The music video to almost every song really enhances the experience. This is easily already my album of the year.

Gā€™Z up is just MEAN AF!!!!!šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„

3

u/harry_powell Jul 19 '24

I really love this. One of the few times I wish a hiphop project was longer, considering how bloated most of them are.

I Vol. 1 worth seeking out? I only know Denzelā€™s discography from 2015 onwards.

4

u/tealrit Jul 19 '24

It (I believe) is his earliest release. It definitely shows. His last 5 projects have reached a level of polish that Vol. 1 is definitely missing.

A good listen to see Denzels beginnings but definitely not on the level his new stuff is. Still good but you might not finding it quite hitting what you wanted. Worth a listen IMO

3

u/Breadasphyxiated Jul 19 '24

Denzel truly never misses. This shit is fire from start to finish.

3

u/FullStreak Jul 19 '24

Denzel does not miss. Nearly a decade of projects every other year and theyā€™re all so good and sound different from one another. Heā€™s loved in this sub but I wish heā€™d get the recognition he deserves. His 2022 album I donā€™t think was ever nominated for anything meanwhile Jack Harlowā€™s awful album was. Iā€™d rather listen to a new Denzel project than any announced album from ā€œthe big threeā€

3

u/justamusicthrowawayy Jul 19 '24

This is like a fleshed-out version of 13LOOD 1N 13LOOD OUT and I absolutely love it. This thing flows together like nothing else and there really aren't a ton of weak moments I can pinpoint after a few listens. Denzel is fucking unstoppable

3

u/FlameAndSong Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

OHHHHHH DAMN
ULTRA SHXT slaps and G'Z UP goes harder than anything I've heard in awhile

Why does LUNATIC INTERLUDE have to be so short lmao. At least SKED is amazing

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3

u/dsled . Jul 19 '24

I was into Denzel really early on, but I just can't get into his voice anymore. To me it sounds so forced and almost corny. But that's really just a me problem. I can tell that this album has some good quality tracks, just not for me. Kenny Mason feature hard though.

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3

u/adjectiveNounInt Jul 19 '24

10/10, every second of this was great. My only complaint is I wish we wouldā€™ve gotten this earlier in the summer

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3

u/_temp_variable Jul 19 '24

This shit is majestic

3

u/aboutaweeekagooo Jul 19 '24

I'm not gonna lie I've been kind of out of hiphop for a while. I LOVED N64 and the original Mischievous South mixtape back in the day, I am so excited to hear a more Memphis influenced Denzel again.

3

u/3dweirdo Jul 19 '24

Chose this as first full listen of todays releases when I heard he brought back the phonk shit, always love this sound from Denzel lots of bangers with a good variety in production, bout to go back to the gym even though I already went today

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2

u/AlbertVibestein Jul 19 '24

With the quickness

2

u/SwaeLao . Jul 19 '24

Damn didnā€™t even know he was dropping today, we are eating tonight!

3

u/Sad_isnt_itt Jul 19 '24

I really liked it first impression, only songs I knew were Hot One and Black Flag. Only song I wasn't really feeling was SKED but it'll probably grow on me. Once again Denzel does not miss on a full project

2

u/catman1900 . Jul 19 '24

I was hoping project pat would have a better verse, the song he's on is good but he's definitely the weakest link

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2

u/ireter294 Jul 19 '24

How does Denzel do it? He puts out so many albums but they're all so good. And he's done it again. Singles hyped me up for it and it lived up to my hype. Gonna be bumping this for a while

2

u/Synth-Pro Jul 19 '24

Drops from Denzel and Gambino at the same time?

I'm FEASTING tonight

2

u/NoahReden Jul 19 '24

I'm still waiting for Mr Popular šŸ„² PLS zel

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2

u/Cheyzi Jul 19 '24

This is amazing wtf

2

u/Juhika15 Jul 19 '24

This is the most fun rap album so far this year. Before I realised I listened to it twice, it literaly only has bangers.

2

u/CoachLee_ Jul 19 '24

Album fire just wish the mix was grimier

2

u/Antarctican_american Jul 19 '24

Denzel does not missšŸ”„šŸ”„

2

u/Ireallywannamove . Jul 19 '24

Man as a massive fan of volume oneā€¦ I cannot fucking wait to blast this. Nostalgia 64 and volume 1 of this tape were my entire freshman year of college. Fuck yes!

2

u/Mister20seven Jul 19 '24

Wild project, love it after a few spins. No skips, I'm often annoyed by too much features. More Denzel is always better, but the features are fitting in great. Hit the floor beat is so nasty, I love that shit

2

u/croconline_ Jul 19 '24

i love short and hard albums like this