Imperial

After quietly amassing a grassroots fanbase through the release of his 2013 debut Nostalgic 64 and 2015 double EP 32 Zel/Planet Shrooms, Carol City, FL's Denzel Curry stopped flying under the radar with the release of this full-length, Imperial. Containing references to his love of visual art -- from manga to the stylings of globe-trotting art collective Metro Zu -- with his story telling abilities informed by growing up in the streets of Carol City, Imperial placed him in a category by himself as underground rap's most authentic and ready-to-blow up voice. Imperial was both his finest work to date and his best received. The brief, breathless album showcases his near-peerless technical skill along with a newfound maturity in his songwriting. “I was going through a dark time,” Curry says now of the time that birthed Imperial. So he challenged himself to find a radical level of transparency. “The whole theme of that tape is just being honest--exposing myself before anybody else does, talking about my past, talking about where I’m heading to.”