Originating from Florida, Denzel Curry is a great example of the excellent rap which is flowing out of the state. His career started in 2013 with the release of his first studio album Nostalgic 64. This album gave listeners an introduction to what he could create, since then he has released the EP 32 Zel/Planet Shrooms and his second studio album Imperial in 2016. His third studio album TA13OO is his best work to date. This is due to the album being separated into three different parts "Light", "Gray", and "Dark". In each section of the album, Curry raps about different emotions and ideas which pertain to that certain color. "I was in a dark space when I was working on the dark part. I was tryna work on the light part when I was working toward my happiness" he said at an interview with Zane Lowe. TA13OO was released over a three-day period in July so that listeners would be able to digest his music properly, rather than rush through it to the end. As an editor's note each song is written out as "TABOO | TA13OO" and will be referenced as the first title.

"Light" begins with track 1, "TABOO", which was a weird start to this album. The slow beat behind this song, as well as Curry singing about how if you make bad choices in life, then "you lose" sounds more like it would belong in the "Gray" or "Dark" portion of the album. This track is catchy, creative, and the lyrics "I heard you were molested when you hit the age of five" definitely has emotion behind them. The next track "BLACK BALLOONS" features Twelve'len and GoldLink. This song definitely has more of an upbeat rhythm than the last, and I loved the lyrics "What's said from Pennywise, I guess we all float." In this track, Curry describes negative emotions that float around like black balloons and that he must "let it float by me." I didn't feel that the features in this track were necessary, but thankfully they didn't devalue the song. The next track "CASH MANIAC" is another upbeat track and this features Nyyjerya.

I absolutely loved the contrast in Nyyjerya's high vocals paired with dark tones of Currys. The lyrical rhyme scheme Curry has was fantastic as well, he will often make a reference "In my wonderland I'm back on my Alice. Back in my palace I'm fly like Alladin" and then refer to that again later in the track "Game is like Disney, my words are like magic." In this track, Curry sings about how he can see the future success of his career because of how hard he works for it. "SUMO" follows this song and is absolutely my favorite track off of the "Light" portion. I love how upbeat the song was, how silly the lyrics were "Pockets too big they sumo", and how catchy it was. In this song Curry makes numerous pop culture references such as, "Curry get the flame, call a n**** Prince Zuko" and "Chopper eat a n**** like Chowder. Rada rada rada rada!" By doing this Curry makes the song more relatable to younger listeners. I'm still laughing at the Cartoon Network show "Chowder" reference, and how he raps about what the character "Schnitzel" says "Rada rada rada rada!"

Moving forward the "Gray" portion of the album starts with the hit single "SUPER SAIYAN SUPERMAN." This track features a midtempo beat mixed with Curry's smooth lyrics. "If she slide then she better be clean like Tide, uh, Laundry, detergent, I'ma get up in the body like a surgeon". This song was a perfect introduction for this "Gray" portion due to the way Curry keeps himself at a mid level range of rap. By doing this, he allows listeners to differentiate between the three sections of this album.

The next 3 tracks "SWITCH IT UP", "MAD I GOT IT", and "SIRENS" all sound similar to one another and I believe this is due to Curry not wanting to go overboard with his music. Putting oneself into a space where you can only create a certain sound means that other tracks are inheritably bound to sound similar. The last track on this "Gray" side is "CLOUT COBAIN" in which Curry raps about how people want him to be dead in order for him to gain fame. This track was released as a single before the album dropped and although it involves a catchy chorus "Suicidal doors, call it Kurt Cobain. SuWOO leather seats, like a bloody stain" I don't think this was one of the best tracks on the album.

The final portion of the album "Dark" starts with "THE BLACKEST BALLOON." This track can seem repetitive at times with Curry saying "Ooh, ooh" every few seconds. However, the beat behind the lyrics represent a slow, darker sound which was great to convey on this portion of the album. Being a Lil Peep fan, the lyric "Ain't shit changed since Lil Peep died" really stuck out to me. When Peep passed away due to Fentanyl, other rappers, at the time, promised not to do harder drugs, however unsurprisingly none of them stuck to this promise. The next track "PERCS" discusses this drug use as well. In this song, Curry raps about the music industry and how other artists mindlessly rap about drug usage because it's easier than thinking of something creative. "Rap game, don't get it! With these dumbass n***s and they don't say shit. Sound like 'Der, der, der' You like 'Oh that's lit!'"

The final two tracks "VENGEANCE" and "BLACK METAL TERRORIST" include Curry's quick lyrical flow with a slow, dreadful backbeat. These two tracks weren't my favorite on the album because I didn't feel like Curry brought anything new to the table that he hasn't already said before.

I absolutely loved this album from start to finish, however my favorite part of this album was definitely the "Light" portion. "TA13OO" is without a doubt Curry's best work and I am thoroughly impressed with the music that is coming out of Florida this year. Rappers like Ski Mask the Slump God, Pouya, and Denzel Curry make it hard to pick a favorite artist from the state. This album receives a 9 out of 10 for creativity, and thought-provoking lyrics. I was slightly put off by the album art due to the close up shot of Curry, however the music makes up for it. I hope this album makes it to vinyl because I feel that it is a necessary piece to everyone's record collection.