Denzel Curry - “Melt My Eyez See Your Future” Album Review

posted April 1, 2022 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Caelan Chevrier

Florida rapper Denzel Curry continues to prove that he is one of the most consistent rappers in the entire game.

After releasing one of the best singles of the year, “Walkin,” Curry follows it up with 14-tracks and 45 minutes of persistence.

This is expected as Denzel has seemed to grow with every release. He exploded onto the scene in 2016 with his XXL Freshmen Cypher verse, he then dropped Ta13oo, showing that his skillset is more diversified than initially thought.

Curry later collaborated on two mixtapes with producer Kenny Beats as a victory lap of sorts. It was difficult to say where Denzel Curry would go from there.

He decides to reflect on himself, and the society that he lives in, exposing major flaws in the system, as well as minor ones in himself.

The track, “John Wayne” touches on police brutality and gun violence in America. In the one verse of the song, Curry raps, “The world is darker than thе integration of a Brooklyn Dodger | All I need is me, mysеlf and I and also my revolver.”

He had previously stated that his brother was murdered by the police, so this topic bears a lot of weight on him especially.

The following track, “The Last,” touches on more similar issues. He mentions how growing up in poverty, one would never know if their day on earth would be their last due to the violence that plagues the streets. He also touches upon how black artists and celebrities are disrespected in Hollywood, and that their journey to fame and wealth is incredibly harder.

Usually, Denzel sounds exasperated and fierce when delivering his bars. He can rap very consistently at a high energy level and at a rapid pace. Here, he realizes that he has nothing more to prove with his rapping ability, and focuses more on his songwriting ability instead. While there is a significant decrease in his rapidness, it is apparent that his wordplay and rhyme schemes are significantly superior.

This comes at a cost, however. Pacing, unfortunately, is the album's biggest weakness. The first six tracks all individually sound gorgeous, but being played back-to-back drags the whole experience significantly. The second half fixes this entirely, with more bangers, higher-quality features, and even better songwriting.

“X-Wing,” is easily the most enjoyable and replayable track on the entire album. The instrumental sounds like it samples “Luke’s Theme” from the Star Wars Saga, but it is somehow completely original. Curry’s flow is top-tier, and his chorus is one of the catchiest in his entire discography.

The collaboration between Denzel and U.K. rapper slowthai is also golden. They rap about a Japanese character over a breakbeat and grime type beat who is a skilled swordfighter who is also blind. It is impressive to see Curry take a break from the harsh and cold themes of the rest of the album and open his audience’s imagination.

Overall, in "Melt My Eyez See Your Future," the production and lyricism are top-notch. It is clear to see that Denzel Curry has become increasingly better with his rapping ability, and is not afraid to try new things.

However, although there is a lot to love, the longevity of the record is unknown. It is unclear if this will be something that people will turn back to after years go by. There is not enough single power to make it a success, and the pacing, once again, really holds it back.

There is a good chance that Denzel Curry has the potential to release his best album yet in the future. If he can combine his astute wordplay with a more lively vocal performance, then it will be even more enjoyable. -Caelan Chevrier


Rating: 7/10

Reviewers Favorite Tracks: "Walkin," "X-Wing," "Zatoichi"

Reviewers Least Favorite Track: "The Smell of Death"

Caelan Chevrier is a second year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email cjc6789@psu.edu.

About the Contributors

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Caelan Chevrier

Third Year / Marketing & Journalism

Caelan Chevrier is a third-year student in the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University studying marketing and broadcast journalism with the goal of graduating with a bachelor’s degree in four years. His career goal is to spread informative, meaningful, and entertaining content across various platforms and to be a positive impact on the community. He has also spent time working at WWE in the communications department and writing for The Westport Local Press in his hometown of Westport, CT. If you’d like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).