Denzel Curry – Nostalgic 64

Blackland Raider Klan, stylized as BLVCKLVND RVIDXR CLVN, has never been a hip-hop group known for lyricism — or flow for that matter.

Since forming in 2010, the southern Florida rap collective has had little foundation to gain recognition on other than front man Markese Rolle’s (Spaceghostpurpp) innovative mix tapes and beat production for artists such as Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J.

That is, until Raider Klan’s Denzel Curry threw the curveball “Nostalgic 64” on Sept. 2.

Though still fairly heavily reliant on the cadence-like hooks and distinguished production he developed with Raider Klan, Curry has respectfully stepped away from Rolle and company to reinvent his style on this album in a big way.

The most recognizable difference between this record and previous Raider Klan-affiliated works is the gene fuller sound that comes as a product of (shocker) actually installing some effort into his rhymes.

From start to finish, Curry borders on overwhelming listeners with everything they’d have hoped to hear in accompaniment to earlier works: breathless lyricism and dark, original subject matter spanning beyond what you’d expect to hear on the average contemporary hip-hop release.

One of the reasons I considered this record such as curveball is how true Curry stayed to classic southern hip-hop such as Three 6 Mafia — calculated, tight-laced flow with as much substance as he can squeeze in the bars he has to work with.

The bottom line is the balance between forced repetition from over-extended hooks and lyrical content has been shifted in a positive direction.

Denzel Curry does well to deliver what fans of the Raider Klan outfit look for: more voice, less chanting.

8/10