Denzel Curry - 13LOOD IN + 13LOOD OUT MIXX (EP Review)

Denzel Curry is back in action on his new mixtape/EP '13LOOD IN + 13LOOD OUT MIXX'. It was exclusive to YouTube, and sat at just under 13 minutes full of his loose snippets and freestyles he previously did. Despite its 8 tracks - it resembles one track, or that's what it feels like. The transition from one song to another it's orgasmic (especially 'CHARLIE SHEEN' to 'EVIL TWIN) and his high energy all through the tape makes it 13 minutes of relentlessness. That 13 minute length means you can throw it back on whenever you want - but I feel there needs to be a certain mood to listen to it - either a rage type mood or you're reading to fuck shit up. He released it as a fun, short project, and he maybe hinted we could be getting more Zel by the end of the year on 'PXSH6XD SHXT', "New ZXLTRON on the way".

His flows are so intense throughout the project and his energy in unmatched. He also displays some minor versatility within the 13 minutes, because we get elements of hardcore rap on 'EVIL TWIN', a more melodic sound on 'WELCOME TO THE FUTURE', and your classic trap banger on 'NO PEN NO PAD'. The production is grimy, dark, unorganized and absolutely everywhere and that's what makes it so great. The distorted 808's are incredible at the beginning of the tape and compliment his hardcore, aggressive cadence brilliantly - and the hard synth bass line is ever present and sounds mad. One thing I did notice was the production and mixing of the vocals get clearer as the tape goes along - I'm unsure on why and if there's even a reason for it but it's something I'm sure Denzel meant to do. Lyrically, compared to previous projects like 'TA1300' & 'ZUU', it's underwritten. However, the main focus in a project like this isn't lyrics - it's the energy and that's the projects main focus point. As usual though, there are great references to cartoons, films and games that are fun to catch.

To advance through the tracklist, the beat is incredible on 'CHARLIE SHEEN' with that bell sound, aggressive bass line & hard 808's. There's also a distorted voice in the background creating a loud, murky atmosphere and that is in your face and Denzel's extremely high delivery over it is great with his ruthless flow. Ghostmane did a great job as well - but the biggest attraction of the track is the hook. The hook has all qualities of the verses x10. 'EVIL TWIN' showcases the chemistry between Zillkami and Denzel - which is unparalleled. They just bounce off each other freely over another quality instrumental. 'WELCOME TO THE FUTURE' is slightly different but with similar qualities that make it another great track. He takes a more melodic edge - but the switch up in the first verse to his high energy delivery gave me the stank face I can't lie.

'PXSH6XD SHXT' had a futuristic instrumental I enjoyed - but was arguably the only song I disliked. I think Curry didn't really showcase enough energy to match the beat and sunk beneath it - I just really couldn't get into it. 'NO PEN NO PAD' again a great hook which is catch, which at this point I noticed is becoming a trend in these tracks. As per usual his flow was solid and his energy was a perfect contrast to the beat. The final track 'GOGETA' is a great end to the project - I think it had the best feature with 'AKTHESAVIOR' killing his verse, and his voice was well suited to this beat.

A third straight great project from Denzel in 3 years, and while this was only a jab I think the full force is going to come out later in the year. Could I take a project like this for longer than 15 minutes is the only question though?

FAVOURITE TRACKS: CHARLIE SHEEN, EVIL TWIN, WELCOME TO THE FUTURE, NO PEN NO PAD, GOGETA

LEAST FAVOURITE TRACK: PXSH6XD SHXT

OVERALL RATING: Solid 7/10