I try to avoid writing about anything that isn’t a newly released song, video, or album, just because I feel like that’s where I excel and that is what makes up the majority of our content here on the Lyrical Lemonade blog. Some artists just have this star power, though, where no matter what they do, whether it’s an interview, cameo, performance, or anything else, I just have to tune in.

Denzel Curry is one of those people because even though I admittedly might not listen to him all day every day as I do with some other emcees, there are more than enough records of his that I thoroughly enjoy and listen to pretty regularly. Aside from this, I have written about performances on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series just because they seem to get everyone in the office to perform no matter what the genre is, and even though some genres can work a little better than others, it’s always so interesting to me when I get to see some emcees in an element that might not be very native to them.

He is someone who is known for not only his incredible lyricism and wild bars, but his energy is one of the first things that comes to my mind when I think of the Florida spitter. When I found out he had a Tiny Desk performance that just dropped, I knew he was an essential watch because I wanted to see how he’d adapt to his environment, but considering how much of a veteran he is, he pulled off this performance so well, it’s insane he didn’t have one sooner.

Opening with a few calmer songs like “Melt Session #1” and “Walkin”, he slowly transitioned into some of his classics like “CLOUT COBAIN | CLOUT CO13A1N” and “RICKY” while mixing in a few other tracks off of a variety of different albums in his past. Even in between songs, he makes some smart comments and witty banter that just makes you want to have a conversation with him about anything and everything. Although behind the tiny desk wasn’t a place I necessarily expected Denzel to thrive, I should’ve known better because there isn’t a single setting that you could put him in to make him feel out of place, and this performance is the best example of that yet.