Melt My Eyez See Your Future

by Denzel Curry

Overview

When Denzel Curry emerged into the mainstream with "Ultimate," he was judged by many in the song's earth-shattering light, boxed in as a born-and-bred mosh pit maker. So when the rapper's second LP, Imperial, presented two distinct sides of the MC -- a blaring opener and a sun-tinged second half -- it was only natural that fans would respond better to the former. Through a half-decade of releases, Curry has been defined against a backdrop of bass-heavy hits like "SUMO," "RICKY," and "CLOUT COBAIN" -- leaving that second side to the MC as a thoroughly unfinished chapter. Zel's fifth studio album, Melt My Eyez See Your Future, begins to shift that narrative. Tinged in the exact blend of sunshine and temporality that made the "summer of '16" such a moment for the genre (The Life of Pablo, Coloring Book, Telefone, The Sun's Tirade), Melt My Eyez picks up where Imperial left off, blending a summery set of auras into the rapper's work. With a shockingly diverse roster of producers (including Robert Glasper, Thundercat, and JPEGMAFIA), Melt My Eyez finds strength in its variety: "Melt Session #1" and "Mental" are a jazz-led dives into Curry's mindset, "Zaitoichi" and "The Smell of Death" explore colorful new directions, and "Walkin" and "The Ills" add a warm-night introspection to Zel's catalog. Older styles are given new paint, too: "The Last" improves on the slow-burn haziness of "TABOO," "Sanjuro" and "X-Wing" appease the trap fanatics, and "Worst Comes to Worst" adds an emotiveness to ZUU's thumping approach. It's a miracle that the project flows at all, let alone as sleekly as it does. With such a vibrant canvas to rap over, its good to hear Curry come at the project with a refreshed pen game. Reflections on past misdoings make for compelling markers of young adulthood --"I wholeheartedly understand why I need to grow even though I'm grown" -- while his verses are packed with slick wordplay ("Run the jewels 'cause I kill a mic on any LP"). Though he addresses personal and societal stresses in more blatant terms than before, some of the project's lyrics remain underbaked; "I see the way the people get treated, it's problematic" is hardly a rallying cry for justice. Fortunately his collaborators, Slowthai's "Life is short, like a dwarf" aside, prove the icing on top: the "Art of War" crew reunite on "Ain't No Way," T-Pain barges through "Troubles" with lighthearted confidence, and Saul Williams closes "Mental" with the most poignant verse on the set. While likely a result of Zel's penchant for samurai-inspired imagery, it's hard not to hear Eyez as the soundtrack to his "walk into the sunset": surrounded by images of his work thus far, Zel seems ready for the next chapter. ~ David Crone

Product Details

Release Date:	09/30/2022
Label:	Loma Vista
UPC:	0888072430129

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Denzel Curry   Primary Artist,Rap
Jasiah   Primary Artist,Vocals
Karriem Riggins   Primary Artist
Bridget Perez   Primary Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Kitty Cash   Primary Artist,Vocals
JID   Primary Artist
6LACK   Primary Artist
Zacari   Primary Artist,Vocals
Rico Nasty   Primary Artist
Buzzy Lee   Primary Artist,Vocals
slowthai   Primary Artist
T-Pain   Primary Artist
Robert Glasper   Primary Artist,Keyboards
Saul Williams   Primary Artist
454   Primary Artist
Brian Patterson   Drums
Jack Siegel   Guitar
Tim McKay   Saxophone
Thundercat   Vocals
Gaby Duran   Vocals
Anna Wise   Vocals
Buddy   Vocals
Marley Blue   Vocals (Background)
Sharina Castillo   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Buddy Holly   Vocals
A-Trak   Sampling
Jay Winfield   Piano
Mickey De Grand IV   Keyboards
Shawn K   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Alex Csillag   Trombone
David McKinzie   Guitar (Bass)
DJ Poshtronaut   Vocals (Background)
Brandyn Phillips   Trumpet

Technical Credits

Dot Da Genius   Recording Producer,Producer
Oladipo Omishore   Composer
Alain Macklovitch   Composer
Richard Lewis Spencer   Composer
L. Hargrove   Composer
Richard Spencer   Composer
Wise   Composer
W. Wilson   Composer
Ede Fox   Composer
mgk   Composer
Mark Ellerbee   Composer
Faheem Najm   Composer
John K. Berry   Composer
Thundercat   Producer,Recording Producer
Nathan Burgess   Mixing,Recording
Isaac de Boni   Composer
FNZ   Producer,Recording Producer
HWLS   Recording Producer,Producer
Justin Elwin   Composer
Khalil Abdul-Rahman   Composer
Simmie Sims   Composer
Ronald LaTour   Composer
Kalon Berry   Composer
Louis Leibfried   Composer
Kenneth Blume III   Composer
Ricardo Valentine   Composer
Zacari   Producer,Recording Producer
Destin Route   Composer
Zacari Pacaldo   Composer
Maria Kelly   Composer
Sharina Castillo   Composer
Kal Banx   Producer,Musical Producer,Recording Producer
JPEGMAFIA   Composer,Producer,Recording Producer
Sasha Spielberg   Composer
Aaron Bow   Producer,Recording Producer
Powers Pleasant   Composer,Producer,Remix Engineer,Recording Producer
Joshua Portillo   Composer
Ryan Degrandy   Composer
Mike Hector   Composer,Producer,Recording Producer
Chris Gehringer   Mastering Engineer
Carlton Livingston   Composer
Robert Glasper   Composer,Producer,Recording Producer
Saul Williams   Composer
Willie Wilson   Composer
Noah Goldstein   Composer,Producer,Recording Producer
DJ Khalil   Producer,Recording Producer
Keith Mansfield   Composer
Stephen Bruner   Composer
Linda Hargrove   Composer
Salma Agha   Composer
Steven Spielberg   Composer
S. Simms   Composer
Michael John Mule   Composer
Denzel Curry   Composer
Tim Friedrich   Composer
Darko   Producer,Recording Producer
Julius Herold   Composer
Drtwrk   Producer,Recording Producer
Mickey De Grand IV   Producer,Musical Producer,Recording Producer
Michael Suski   Composer
Cardo Got Wings   Producer,Recording Producer
Naz   Producer,Recording Producer
Malachi-Phree Jasiah Pate   Composer
Bappi Lahiri   Composer
Belford Hendricks   Composer
Karriem Riggins   Composer,Producer,Recording Producer
Bridget Perez   Composer
Elijah Fox-Peck   Producer,Recording Producer
Jonathan Birkner   Composer
Jonnywood   Producer
Aaron Booe   Composer
Lo   Producer
Sucuki   Producer
Clutch George   Producer,Recording Producer
George Mardoyan   Composer
Stephen Lee Burner   Composer
Elijah Fox   Composer,Producer,Recording Producer
Jeremy Ogletree   Assistant Engineer
SirRyan May   Assistant Engineer
Matthew Samuels   Composer
Ruairi O'Flaherty   Mastering Engineer
Kenny Beats   Producer,Recording Producer
Michael Mule   Composer
Julian Gramma   Composer,Producer,Recording Producer