Melt My Eyez See Your Future — Home

Denzel Curry has felt criminally underrated to me since I first heard the South Florida superstar’s music. A rapper whose bars are undeniable, whose production is unbelievable, and whose angst is untamable like Curry should be doing bigger numbers, headlining more festivals, and becoming more of a household name than he currently is. Luckily, early projects like TA1300 and ZUU gained enough critical acclaim and fandom approval that 2020’s EP UNLOCKED began to make waves. Ever an opportunist looking to evolve, adapt, and grow, Curry decided to pursue his most challenging and thought-provoking project yet with the recently-released Melt My Eyez See Your Future. More self-reflective, socially aware, and brashly confident than ever before, Melt My Eyez is a welcomed progression of the ear-catching sound Curry has curated over the years.

Luckily for day-one fans of Curry’s discography, the core elements of his easily-recognizable sound seem like they are here to stay. Curry has always toyed with new ways to reinvent his rhyme schemes, align lyrics with fitting instrumentals, and switch flows when needed to keep things from getting stale. These core elements return with Melt My Eyez, but what makes the project stand out as unique are Curry’s contemplative tone and socially conscious themes found throughout. Denzel is consistently challenging his listeners to question the world around them, all while still conveying the personal struggles he has gone through in recent years. Anyone new to Curry’s music will be hooked by the hard-hitting and stellar production, but will likely stick around to hear his impassioned lyricism.

Attention to detail and a clear effort to make the project as cohesive as possible are made evident as the opening track “Melt Session #1 (Feat. Robert Glasper)” transitions into the excellent “Walkin” that follows. The beat switch halfway through this track works incredibly well, and while this is a banger, Curry still stays self-aware with lyrics like “Walkin' with my back against the sun / I've been runnin' all my life, that's way before my life begun / Since my birth and seconds on Earth, I been the first one to confront / All of these cycles that get recycled, makin' it stifle while I stunt.”

The middle stretch of the project is my favorite on the album, with hit after hit, staying fresh and avoiding repetition that would be to the album’s detriment. “The Last” sees Curry experiment with a slightly more vocally expressive delivery instead of his traditional bars. “Mental (Feat. Saul Williams & Bridget Perez)” utilizes its features masterfully, and Curry’s rhyme schemes are just slightly more intricate than the sophisticated but minimal instrumental backing. “Troubles (Feat. T-Pain)” enlists one of the most unlikely collaborations on the project, but a catchy chorus and great verses brings this track together. “Ain’t No Way (Feat. 6LACK, Rico Nasty, J.I.D, Jasiah, Powers Pleasant, Kitty Ka$h)” is a true lightning-in-a-bottle posse cut that brings together many talented artists and culminates in one of Curry’s best verses of all time. This fantastic offering is topped off by Curry’s early contender for lyric of the year: “Ain’t no way I was gonna take what people sell me / Run The Jewels ‘cuz I kill a mic on any LP” which simply made my jaw drop.

The rest of the project is up to the same high standard that Curry sets early on, with the exception of one or two tracks. While “Sanjuro (Feat. 454)” is a grimy, powerful track despite its short runtime, “The Smell Of Death” seems to forgettably miss the mark for me. While “Zatoichi (Feat. slowthai)” brings a dream collaboration to life and doesn’t disappoint, “Angelz (Feat. Karriem Riggins)” leaves something to be desired. Luckily, “The Ills” is a captivating and compelling piano-backed chorus that confirms this project’s defining characteristic is its consciousness: of self, of society, and of what the genre needs to excel.

Denzel Curry is still underrated. I’m glad that Melt My Eyez See Your Future is receiving widespread critical acclaim, and I hope that’s indicative of an awakening to the reality that Curry is one of the most consistent rappers in the game at the moment. His confidence is powerful, his self-reflection is admirable, and his music is consistently great. I can’t wait to watch where his future takes him.

Favorite tracks: “Walkin”, “The Last”, “Mental (Feat. Saul Williams & Bridget Perez)”, “Troubles (Feat. T-Pain)”, “Ain’t No Way (Feat. 6LACK, Rico Nasty, J.I.D, Jasiah, Powers Pleasant, Kitty Ka$h)”, “X-Wing”, “Sanjuro (Feat. 454), “Zatoichi (Feat. slowthai)”, “The Ills”

SCORE: 8/10