Imperial (Denzel Curry album)

Imperial is the second studio album by American rapper Denzel Curry. It was released and made available for free download and streaming on SoundCloud on March 9, 2016, then re-released later on Spotify as the deluxe version on October 14, 2016.[1][2] The album features guest appearances from Rick Ross, Joey Bada$$, Twelve'len and Nell. The album was supported by the single: "Knotty Head" featuring Rick Ross.

Imperial
Studio album by Denzel Curry
Released	March 9, 2016
Recorded	2015–16
Genre	Southern hip hop cloud rap
Length	38:42
Label	C9 Loma Vista (re-release)
Producer	Denzel Curry (exec.) Lower East Coast (also exec.) Ronny J (also exec.) BloodPop DJ Dahi FNZ SpaceGhostPurrp Freebase Lino Martinez Nick Leon Promnite Steve Lacy Budd Dwyer
Denzel Curry chronology
32 Zel/Planet Shrooms (2015) Imperial (2016) 13 (2017)
Singles from Imperial
"Knotty Head" Released: February 17, 2016 "ULT" Released: February 21, 2016 "Gook" Released: September 8, 2016 "Zenith" Released: November 15, 2016

Singles

"Knotty Head" was released as the album's lead single on February 17, 2016 on Curry's SoundCloud.[3] The album version features a guest appearance from rapper Rick Ross, while the single release only featured Curry. The production was provided by FNZ and Ronny J.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
HipHopDX	3.7/5[6]
Pretty Much Amazing	B+[7]

Imperial received critical acclaim. Stereogum described the album as "a hazy, gurgling rap record that's clearly the work of an active mind".[8]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Denzel Curry's official SoundCloud account and digital booklet.[9]

Imperial – Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"ULT"	Denzel Curry Ronald Spencer, Jr. Nick Leon Michael Mule Isaac Deboni	Ronny J Leon FNZ	4:07
2.	"Gook"	Curry Spencer, Jr. Mule Deboni Lino Martinez	Ronny J FNZ Martinez^[a]	2:46
3.	"Sick & Tired"	Curry Spencer, Jr. Mule Deboni	Ronny J FNZ SpaceGhostPurrp	4:02
4.	"Knotty Head" (featuring Rick Ross)	Curry William Roberts II Mule Deboni Spencer, Jr.	FNZ Ronny J	4:34
5.	"Narcotics"	Curry Aristos Petrou Scott Arceneaux Martinez	Budd Dwyer Martinez^[a]	3:31
6.	"Story: No Title"	Curry Martinez	Promnite Martinez^[a]	2:49
7.	"Pure Enough"	Curry Spencer, Jr. Mule Deboni	Ronny J FNZ	3:48
8.	"Zenith" (featuring Joey Bada$$)	Curry Jo-Vaughn Scott Spencer, Jr. Mule Deboni	Freebase Ronny J FNZ	4:03
9.	"This Life"	Curry Spencer, Jr. Mule Deboni	Ronny J FNZ	3:27
10.	"If Tomorrow's Not Here" (featuring Twelve'Len)	Curry LaVares Joseph Steven Lacy	Lacy	5:35
Total length:				38:42

Imperial – Re-released edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"ULT"	Curry Spencer, Jr. Mule Deboni	Ronny J Nick Leon FNZ	4:07
2.	"Gook"	Curry Spencer, Jr. Mule Deboni	Ronny J FNZ Lino Martinez^[a]	2:46
3.	"Sick & Tired"	Curry Spencer, Jr. Mule Deboni	Ronny J FNZ	4:02
4.	"Knotty Head" (featuring Rick Ross)	Curry Roberts II Spencer, Jr. Mule Deboni	FNZ Ronny J	4:28
5.	"Me Now"	Curry	DJ Dahi BloodPop	4:39
6.	"Story: No Title"	Curry	Promnite Lino Martinez^[a]	2:49
7.	"This Life"	Curry Spencer, Jr. Mule Deboni	Ronny J FNZ	3:27
8.	"Zenith" (featuring Joey Bada$$)	Curry Scott Spencer, Jr. Mule Deboni	Freebase Ronny J FNZ	4:03
9.	"Good Night" (featuring Nell and Twelve'Len)	Curry Joseph	FNZ	3:56
10.	"If Tomorrow's Not Here" (featuring Twelve'Len)	Curry Joseph Lacy	Lacy	5:35
Total length:				39:58

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer.
• "Sick & Tired" contains two parts, "Green Store Skit" features vocals by Vares of Twelve'Len and DJ Chief Pound
• "Pure Enough" features additional vocals by Vares of Twelve'Len
• "If Tomorrow's Not Here" features additional vocals by Steve Lacy

Sample credits

• "ULT" contains a sample of "Sweet Nothin's", as performed by Brenda Lee and samples of "What You Will See (Heavenly Garden)" from Tekken Tag Tournament 2 soundtrack.
• "Narcotics" contains a sample of "Fuck tha Police", as performed by N.W.A, excerpts of a documentary film "The Murder of Fred Hampton", excerpts of a 1964 Malcolm X interview and excerpts of 1994 Tupac Shakur interview.
• "Story: No Title" contains a sample of "Crash Goes Love (Yell Apella) by Loleatta Holloway.

References

1. "Stream Denzel Curry's new "Imperial" album". Hypetrak. March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
2. V, Brendan (March 9, 2016). "Denzel Curry - Imperial - Stream - DJBooth". Retrieved March 26, 2016.
3. https://soundcloud.com/denzelcurryph/denzel-curry-knotty-head
4. https://genius.com/Denzel-curry-knotty-head-lyrics
5. Yeung, Neil Z. (January 27, 2017). "Imperial - Denzel Curry". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
6. Diep, Eric (March 14, 2016). "Denzel Curry - Imperial". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
7. Russell, Brooklyn (March 22, 2016). "Review: Denzel Curry's Imperial". prettymuchamazing.com. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
8. Breihan, Tom (March 9, 2016). "Stereogum Stream Denzel Curry Imperial". Retrieved March 26, 2016.
9. "Denzel Curry's Imperial playlist". SoundCloud. March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.

External links

• Imperial at Discogs