hip-hop

Denzel Curry

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Carol City rapper with a voice built for volume, swerving between hardcore aggression and genuine introspection while reshaping his sound album to album.

Denzel Curry, born February 16, 1995, is of Bahamian descent and was raised in the Carol City neighborhood of Miami Gardens, Florida. He started writing poetry as a child and began rapping in sixth grade, sharpening his skills through battles at a local Boys & Girls Club. He attended Miami's Design and Architecture High School before being expelled, then finished at Miami Carol City Senior High.

His 2011 mixtape King Remembered Underground Tape 1991–1995 drew the attention of underground Florida rapper SpaceGhostPurrp, who shared it and brought Curry into his collective Raider Klan. Curry left Raider Klan in 2013 and released his debut album, Nostalgic 64, that September while still in high school.

His delivery ranges from shouted, hardcore-leaning aggression to more measured and reflective writing, often within the same record, moving between trap, boom bap and more experimental production styles.

His catalogue includes Imperial (2016), Ta13oo (2018), Zuu (2019) and Melt My Eyez See Your Future (2022), the last of which moved toward jazz and soul-influenced production and reached number 17 on the Billboard 200 after an extended edition. He has also released the EPs 32 Zel/Planet Shrooms, 13 and Unlocked, the latter a collaboration with producer Kenny Beats, plus a covers project.

King of the Mischievous South, Vol. 2 followed in July 2024, extending a mixtape title he first used in 2012 to catch the ear of Earl Sweatshirt and other members of Odd Future. Curry is often credited as one of the pioneers of the SoundCloud rap generation.

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