Ta13oo

Ta13oo (stylized TA13OO and pronounced Taboo) is the third studio album by American rapper Denzel Curry. It was released on July 27, 2018, through PH Recordings and distributed by Loma Vista Recordings. The album serves as the follow-up to Curry's second studio album, Imperial, released in 2016, and the 13 EP, released in 2017. Ta13oo features guest appearances from Twelve'len, GoldLink, Nyyjerya, JID, JPEGMafia, ZillaKami, and additional vocals by Billie Eilish. Production was handled by FnZ, DJ Dahi, Ronny J, Illmind, Charlie Heat, and Mickey de Grand IV, among others.

Ta13oo
Cover for Ta13oo and Act 3: Dark
Studio album by Denzel Curry
Released	July 27, 2018
Recorded	2017–2018[1]
Genre	Hip hop[2]
Length	43:20
Label	PH Loma Vista
Producer	Charlie Heat DJ Dahi FnZ Hippie Sabotage HWLS Illmind J Gramm Matt Rad Mickey de Grand IV Mike Hector Ronny J Swish
Denzel Curry chronology
13 (2017) Ta13oo (2018) Zuu (2019)
Alternative covers
Act 1: Light
Act 2: Gray
Singles from Ta13oo
"Sumo" Released: March 30, 2018 "Percs" Released: May 25, 2018 "Clout Cobain" Released: July 11, 2018 "Vengeance" Released: September 5, 2018 "Black Balloons" Released: March 27, 2019

Ta13oo was supported by five singles: "Sumo", "Percs", "Clout Cobain", "Vengeance", and "Black Balloons". The album received widespread acclaim from critics.

Background

A statement accompanying the music video to "Clout Cobain" stated: "Across the three sections of Ta13oo, Denzel explores topics including molestation, the presidential election, fame, hatred, paranoia, revenge, love, the current state of music and personal tales of his own near-death experiences. Sonically, the album ranges just as widely as its subject matter, sounds of paranoia, fear of loss, brooding melancholy and mood swings straight from hell all find their way onto Ta13oo."[3]

Release and promotion

The first single, "Sumo", was released on March 30, 2018 for streaming and digital download.[4] The second single, "Percs", was released on May 25, 2018.[5] The third single, "Clout Cobain", was released on July 12, 2018, alongside a music video.[6] "Black Balloons" and "Cash Maniac" were made available for digital download as promotional singles on July 23 and 24, 2018.[7][8]

The album was released as three acts consecutively between July 25 and 27, 2018, with the album released in its totality on July 27, 2018.[9][10][11] Subsequently, "Vengeance" was released as a single on September 5, 2018, while "Black Balloons" was promoted on March 27, 2019.[12][13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Album of the Year	82/100[14]
Metacritic	86/100[15]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[16]
Highsnobiety	3.5/5[17]
HipHopDX	4.5/5[18]
HotNewHipHop	91%[19]
The Music	[2]
Pitchfork	7.7/10[20]
Pretty Much Amazing	A−[21]
Sputnikmusic	4.2/5[22]

Ta13oo was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 86, based on six reviews.[15] Album of the Year assessed the critical consensus as 82 out of 100, based on seven reviews.[14]

Marshall Gu of Pretty Much Amazing wrote, "Ultimately, easily one of the most simultaneously hardest and atmospheric hip-hop albums of the year."[21] In his review for HipHopDX, Justin Ivey praised the album, writing, "Curry has constructed a project that plays to the sonic structures of the era without sacrificing meaningful content in doing so. TA13OO is the culmination of his promise and talent, resulting in Curry's magnum opus."[18] Sputnikmusic's critic Jordan M. said, "Realistically, Ta13oo is extremely satisfying from a consumption standpoint. It's everything I'd want from a rap album this year."[22] Concluding his review for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung stated that "With this additional substance and strategic guest contributions, Curry is elevated on TA13OO -- despite this deep dive into despair and darkness -- hinting at more insight on future efforts."[16]

In a positive review, Dean Van Nguyen of Pitchfork wrote that "It's when he sticks to the highly personal that Curry's music is devoid of all cliché—the power of his performance, the veracity of his pen, and the color of his wordplay make him an expert at voicing the tribulations of this doomed condition we call being young. All of this makes him impossible to place in the broader SoundCloud rap domain. Signs point to an artist who will outlast any single distribution platform—or any of the genres named for them."[20] Trey Alston of Highsnobiety gave the album a favorable review, writing, "To call it psychedelic is a cliché, but the album is a multi-part, constantly-moving, collection of harsh emotions with a funky twist that works, even if the final leg slows down the momentum a tad."[17]

Accolades

Year-end lists

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Complex	50 Best Albums of 2018	29	[23]
Consequence of Sound	The Top 50 Albums of 2018	45	[24]
Stereogum	The Best Albums of 2018	44	[25]
Vinyl Me, Please		31	[26]

Track listing

Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes and BMI.[27][28]

Act 1: Light

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Taboo"	Denzel Curry Issac DeBoni Michael Hirschenberg Michael Mule Latisha Hyman	FnZ M-Sol	3:17
2.	"Black Balloons" (featuring Twelve'len and GoldLink)	Curry DeBoni Mule Ryan DeGrandy Matthew Radosevich D'Anthony Carlos LaVares Joseph	FnZ Matt Rad Mickey de Grand IV	3:30
3.	"Cash Maniac" (featuring Nyyjerya)	Curry DeBoni DeGrandy Mule Samuel Ahana Imani Taylor	FnZ Mickey de Grand IV Swish	3:18
4.	"Sumo"	Curry Ernest Brown	Charlie Heat	3:47

Act 2: Gray

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
5.	"Super Saiyan Superman"	Curry DeBoni Mule Justin Elwin	FnZ HWLS	2:12
6.	"Switch It Up"	Curry Ramon Ibanga, Jr. Ronald Spence, Jr.	Illmind Ronny J	2:55
7.	"Mad I Got It"	Curry DeBoni Mule Jeff Saurer Kevin Saurer Khalil Abdul-Rahman Javohn Griffin	FnZ Hippie Sabotage	3:52
8.	"Sirens" (featuring JID)	Curry Dacoury Natche Destin Route Billie Eilish O'Connell Brent Reynolds	DJ Dahi	3:56
9.	"Clout Cobain"	Curry Julian Gramma Mike Hector	J Gramm Hector	3:51

Act 3: Dark

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
10.	"The Blackest Balloon"	Curry DeBoni DeGrandy Mule Soulja Mook	FnZ Mickey de Grand IV	2:55
11.	"Percs"	Curry DeBoni Mule	FnZ Curry^[a]	3:06
12.	"Vengeance" (featuring JPEGMafia and ZillaKami)	Curry DeBoni DeGrandy Mule Barrington Hendricks Junius Rogers	FnZ Mickey de Grand IV	4:00
13.	"Black Metal Terrorist"	Curry DeBoni Hirschenberg Mule Spence, Jr. Mickey Degrand	FnZ Ronny J M-Sol^[a]	2:41
Total length:				43:20

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• All tracks stylized in all caps, followed by a numerical spelling. For example, "Sirens" is stylized as "SIRENS | Z1RENZ". However, "Black Metal Terrorist" has the alternate spelling of its initials rather than its full name.
• "Taboo" features background vocals by Tish Hyman and VSC
• "Black Balloons" features background vocals by Savannah Cristina and Mickey de Grand IV, and additional vocals by Nathan Burgess and Illeana Cardenas
• "Cash Maniac" and "Vengeance" feature additional vocals by Mickey de Grand IV
• "Sirens" features additional vocals by Billie Eilish
• "The Blackest Balloon" features additional vocals by Soulja Mook
• "Black Metal Terrorist" features additional vocals by Gino Vento

Charts

Chart performance for Ta13oo

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[29]	27
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30]	40
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31]	173
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32]	84
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[33]	30
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[34]	36
Irish Albums (IRMA)[35]	37
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[36]	16
UK Albums (OCC)[37]	62
US Billboard 200[38]	28
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[39]	15

References

1. Schube, Will (July 27, 2018). "How Denzel Curry Reinvented Himself on 'TA13OO'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
2. Handke, Tobias (July 25, 2018). "Denzel Curry – TA13OO". The Music. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
3. Ross, Alex Robert (July 12, 2018). "Denzel Curry Releases "CLOUT COBAIN," Confirms 'TA13OO' Details". Noisey. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
4. "Sumo – Single by Denzel Curry on Apple Music". iTunes. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
5. Mojica, Nick (May 25, 2018). "Denzel Curry Take Aim at New Wave Rappers on New Song "Percs"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on March 5, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
6. Goddard, Kevin (July 12, 2018). "Denzel Curry Shares New Single & Accompanying Video "Clout Cobain"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
7. Schatz, Lake (July 24, 2018). "Denzel Curry premieres new songs "Cash Maniac" and "Black Balloons": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
8. Murray, Robin (July 25, 2018). "Denzel Curry Shares 'Black Balloons' x 'Cash Maniac'". Clash. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
9. Goddard, Kevin (July 25, 2018). "Stream The First Act Of Denzel Curry's "TA1300" Project Called "Light"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
10. Slingerland, Calum (July 26, 2018). "Hear Denzel Curry's 'TA13OO: Act 2 (Gray)'". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
11. Breihan, Tom (July 27, 2018). "Denzel Curry Shares New Album 'TA13OO': Stream". Stereogum. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
12. Shifferaw, Abel (September 5, 2018). "Denzel Curry Drops the Visuals for "Vengeance" f/ Jpegmafia and Zillakami". Complex. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
13. Indiana, Jake (March 27, 2019). "Denzel Curry Drops a Freaky "BLACK BALLOONS" Visual". Highsnobiety. Archived from the original on June 11, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
14. "Denzel Curry – TA13OO – Reviews". Album of the Year. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
15. "TA13OO by Denzel Curry Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
16. Yeung, Neil Z. "TA1300 – Denzel Curry". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
17. Alston, Trey (July 30, 2018). "Denzel Curry's 'TA1300' Is an Excessively Dark Head Trip". Highsnobiety. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
18. Ivey, Justin (August 2, 2018). "Review: Denzel Curry's "TA13OO" Is The Equator Between Hype & Substance". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
19. Findlay, Mitch (July 31, 2018). "Denzel Curry "Ta13oo" Review". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
20. Van Nguyen, Dean (July 27, 2018). "Denzel Curry: TA13OO". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
21. Gu, Marshall (December 10, 2018). "Review: TA13OO by Denzel Curry". Pretty Much Amazing. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
22. M., Jordan (July 31, 2018). "Review: Denzel Curry – TA13OO". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
23. "50 Best Albums of 2018". Complex. December 5, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
24. "The Top 50 Albums of 2018". Consequence of Sound. December 2, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
25. "The Best Albums of 2018". Stereogum. December 4, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
26. "The Best Albums of 2018". Vinyl Me, Please. December 19, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
27. Ta13oo (Media notes). Denzel Curry. Loma Vista Recordings. 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
28. "BMI | Repertoire Search". BMI. Select "TITLE", type "Song" in the search engine, and click "Search". Retrieved October 29, 2019.
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34. "Denzel Curry: Ta13oo" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
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