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Photo Gallery: Denzel Curry / Kye Colors at The Granada


Denzel Curry
Since his days with the highly influential Raider Klan crew, Denzel Curry has been evolving into one of South Florida hip-hop's greatest exports. Once known for his first-rate reproductions of nineties Memphis gangster rap, Curry's latest releases stand in a league of their own. Two recurring themes that are a part of his music popped up several times during the show and added another layer to the already impressive performance.

The first of those themes was martial arts. Curry ended his first song of the evening with a spin-kick that melted the faces of the thoroughly stoned 4/20 crowd. He later ended his 50 minute set with his explosive new single, "Sumo." One could also draw lines between the precision of his flows and that of a expert fighter. The second of these two aggressive themes is a title Curry has given himself: the "Black Metal Terrorist." He announced late last year that he would be a releasing a comic of the same name about a half-human, half-cyborg character. The title, however, is particularly clever considering how many of Curry's unrelenting flows hit like black metal blast beats -- he lets out the occasional scream too.

Curry's stop in Lawrence was a one-off college date on his way to Europe, and while many would likely phone it in if put in that situation, Curry treated the show with the utmost importance. As his dreads flew and his fans screamed his "U-L-T" chant, Curry fed them the hits -- "Ultimate" came second to last -- as well as throwbacks, new songs, and a deep cut or two. While many of his Floridian contemporaries continue to half-ass performances and make headlines with less-than-admirable antics, Denzel Curry proved at this show that he is well on his way to mastering the craft and outlasting them all.

The lone rapper to perform a full opening set was Kansas City teenager Kye Colors. Highlighting tracks from his recently remastered tape "Milk Is Nasty," the set was Kye's first time on a stage the size of The Granada's. While brief glimpses of Kye's infectious energy were visible during "Get Right" and another song or two, he was either unprepared for the large and unfamiliar crowd, or was putting all of his effort into sounding as professional as possible rather than connecting with the crowd. The result was a timid and borderline lifeless set. Kye thrives in small rooms full of friends, but has some work to do before he hits this stage again.

The show was opened with a DJ set from Jahreezy which included a high octane, one-song appearance from SuperShaqGonzoe.

Full photo gallery here.

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