After almost a year of cryptic tweets and delayed release dates, last month Carol City rapper Denzel Curry finally released his new BLOOD IN + BLOOD OUT MIX (stylized as ‘13LOOD IN + 13LOOD OUT MIXX’). Clocking in at around 13 minutes with approximately 8 tracks, BLOOD IN + BLOOD OUT sees Curry at his finest after two of the busiest years of his career. Between two critically-acclaimed records, over four separate tour circuits, and numerous guest appearances on tracks such as Flying Lotus’ ‘Black Balloons Reprise’, many believed that Curry might have been inclined to take a breather in 2020. Despite this, Zxltron has graced fans with two separate projects this year, and it is only February.

BLOOD IN + BLOOD OUT sees a true return to form for Denzel Curry as he finds himself rapping over abrasive 808-laden instrumentals. The aural register of this project is an interesting synthesis of Curry’s older styles: the mix has the intensity of his 13 EP, melodies that came from the TA13OO and ZUU chopping block, and dark lyrics that parallel his earliest work on the genre-defining Nostalgia 64. It is on these tracks that we are able to see Curry’s influence on the Florida rap scene, and though many artists that have been influenced by Curry’s style (XXXTentacion, Ski Mask the Slump God, Spaceghostpurrp, Xavier Wulf, etc.) have ended up eclipsing the rapper, that does not prevent him from consistently delivering high-quality projects and perfecting his craft. This newest project showcases this idea perfectly, with every track exploring different hip-hop styles while remaining part of a cohesive mix. The tracks compliment each other by blending into each other nicely, and by featuring Curry’s peers like Zillakami, SpaceGhostPurrp, and Xavier Wulf.

Some cuts, like ‘WELCOME TO THE FUTURE’, are great windows into the hip-hop powerhouse that Denzel Curry has become while also nodding to his past works. The track effortlessly weaves between hard-hitting hip-hop percussion and spacious melodies where Curry sings “I could've ended my life with a .45, When I was high, I would feel like a low life, This was the vibe, I was havin' a whole time, Say, "Fuck a nine," had to grind to the bedtime”. BLOOD IN + BLOOD OUT also gave fans the second “super-saiyan” track that Curry teased before releasing the former on 2018’s TA13OO while leaving the latter to dissolve into hip-hop mythology. ‘GOGETA’, as it is now known, carries Denzel’s signature combination of dark and dejected lyrics paired with anime and Pokemon references. This track is powerful and motivating, with the lyrics fading out as ‘Black Power’ gets drowned out by a pulsating bass signal.

This mix has a little something for every fan of Denzel Curry, but it is definitely meant for lovers of the intensity found in 2017’s 13 EP. Though BLOOD IN + BLOOD OUT was shorter than some would have preferred, it will likely serve as the appetizer for whatever Curry has in store for us this year.