Zuu

Zuu (stylized in all caps) is the fourth studio album by American rapper Denzel Curry, released through PH Recordings and distributed by Loma Vista Recordings on May 31, 2019. The title is a nickname for his home city, Carol City, Miami, Florida.

Zuu
Studio album by
Denzel Curry
ReleasedMay 31, 2019
GenreHip hop
Length29:02
Label
Producer
Denzel Curry chronology
Ta13oo
(2018)		 Zuu
(2019)		 Unlocked
(2020)
Singles from Zuu
  1. "Ricky"
    Released: May 8, 2019
  2. "Speedboat"
    Released: May 21, 2019

Zuu is the follow-up to Curry's 2018 studio album Ta13oo. It was supported by two singles: "Ricky" and "Speedboat". The album received widespread acclaim from critics, with many praising Curry's tributes to other artists from Carol City.

Promotion

The first single, "Ricky", was released on May 8, 2019, for streaming and digital download, along with an accompanying music video.[1] The second single, "Speedboat", was released on May 21, for streaming and digital download after Curry teased it on social media.[2] Curry's television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, included a medley of "Ricky" and "Wish".[3]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Album of the Year82/100[4]
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[5]
Metacritic85/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Clash8/10[8]
Consequence of SoundB[9]
Exclaim!8/10[10]
Highsnobiety4.5/5[11]
HipHopDX4.1/5[12]
NME[13]
Pitchfork8.3/10[14]
RapReviews7/10[15]
Spectrum Culture[16]

Zuu was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 85, based on eight reviews.[6] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[5] Album of the Year assessed the critical consensus as 82 out of 100, based on 10 reviews.[4]

Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic saying "In less than a half hour, Curry establishes himself not only as one of the most capable and exciting artists of his generation, but also worthy of a place in Miami's rap pedigree, right alongside the local icons who inspired this gem."[7] Danny Schwartz of Highsnobiety said, "If TA1300 was a deep inward dive, ZUU is a mighty outward gesture, a salute to the masses."[11] In a positive review, Joey Chini of Exclaim! said of the album that, "Lyrically – despite sometimes perpetuating hip-hop clichés – Curry maintains his truthfulness and willingness to address the problems of the culture, all while playing with clever bars and meaningful sentiments."[10] Writing for Pitchfork, Sheldon Pearce ranked the album as "Best New Music" and praised the album as a tribute to Curry's hometown Carol City, calling it a "stunning Miami rap opus".[14] Christopher Theissen of Consequence of Sound praised the album's energy in a positive review, calling it a "well-crafted action film", but criticized the short track list, saying, "But in the context of a half-hour record, every lackluster step is amplified."[9] HipHopDX's critic Justin Ivey said, "ZUU is filled with entertaining records, but their relatively short runtimes often leave one yearning for more. This brevity is just minor quibble though when presented with rewind-worthy efforts such as "Ricky", a creation named after Curry's father."[12]

Kyann-Sian Williams of NME wrote, "The 24-year-old Floridian rapper combines dreamy, ethereal beats with hard-hitting sounds and rhymes to relay his unique – and compelling – life story."[13] Will Rosebury of Clash gave a positive review, stating "ZUU is an experience that transports the listener to a specific time and place. ZUU is further proof that Denzel Curry is one of hip-hop's most interesting and progressive MCs."[8] Steve "Flash" Juon from RapReviews stated, "Even though I said Curry raps more than his peers, I didn't say he NEVER sings. He flips back and forth between both on tracks like the Rugah Rajh produced "Speedboat", but the nice thing is that he's not so heavily medicated and AutoTuned that you can't follow along with his delivery."[15]

Accolades
Year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
AllMusic AllMusic Best of 2019 N/A
[17]
Clash Clash Albums of the Year 2019
27
[18]
Complex Best Albums of 2019
19
[19]
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2019
34
[20]
Flood Magazine The Best Albums of 2019
8
[21]
NME The 50 Best Albums of 2019
35
[22]
Noisey The 100 Best Albums of 2019
4
[23]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2019
49
[24]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2019
36
[25]
Stereogum Best Albums of 2019
18
[26]
Uproxx The Best Albums of 2019
14
[27]

Track listing

Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes and BMI.[28][29]

Zuu track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Zuu"
  • FnZ
  • Aguilar
  • Keanu Beats
2:06
2."Ricky"
FnZ2:27
3."Wish" (featuring Kiddo Marv)
3:12
4."Birdz" (featuring Rick Ross)
FnZ3:24
5."Automatic" (with Tay Keith)
Tay Keith3:02
6."Speedboat"
Rahj3:42
7."Bushy B Interlude"
  • Curry
  • DeBoni
  • Mule
  • Lavares Joseph
  • Darnell Matthew
  • Montrell Sneal
FnZ1:05
8."Yoo"Plus Pierre 1:04
9."Carolmart" (featuring Ice Billion Berg)
2:44
10."Shake 88" (featuring Sam Sneak)
  • Curry
  • DeBoni
  • Mule
  • Sam Sneak
  • Joseph
  • Joshua Goods
  • Samuel Saint-Jean
  • Clay Dixon
  • Bobby Ford
  • Cedric Woodside
FnZ2:27
11."Blackland 66.6"
  • Sneak
  • Reyshod Curry
  • Shane Starks
 0:49
12."P.A.T." (featuring PlayThatBoiZay)
3:00
Total length:29:02

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • "Speedboat" features additional vocals by J. Nick

Sample credits

Charts
Chart performance for Zuu
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[30] 18
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[31] 38
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32] 36
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[33] 29
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[34] 33
French Albums (SNEP)[35] 184
Irish Albums (IRMA)[36] 36
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[37] 9
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[38] 21
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[39] 27
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[40] 99
UK Albums (OCC)[41] 61
US Billboard 200[42] 32
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[43] 19
gollark: They do have to spin pretty fast. There are sealed helium ones now.
gollark: > The HDD's spindle system relies on air density inside the disk enclosure to support the heads at their proper flying height while the disk rotates. HDDs require a certain range of air densities to operate properly. The connection to the external environment and density occurs through a small hole in the enclosure (about 0.5 mm in breadth), usually with a filter on the inside (the breather filter).[124] If the air density is too low, then there is not enough lift for the flying head, so the head gets too close to the disk, and there is a risk of head crashes and data loss. Specially manufactured sealed and pressurized disks are needed for reliable high-altitude operation, above about 3,000 m (9,800 ft).[125] Modern disks include temperature sensors and adjust their operation to the operating environment. Breather holes can be seen on all disk drives – they usually have a sticker next to them, warning the user not to cover the holes. The air inside the operating drive is constantly moving too, being swept in motion by friction with the spinning platters. This air passes through an internal recirculation (or "recirc") filter to remove any leftover contaminants from manufacture, any particles or chemicals that may have somehow entered the enclosure, and any particles or outgassing generated internally in normal operation. Very high humidity present for extended periods of time can corrode the heads and platters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive#Integrity
gollark: Interweb says it's to keep pressure equalized between the inside and out.
gollark: Ah yes, destroy it as an example to the others.
gollark: I find that threatening my electronics with a hammer or something works.

References
  1. D'Souza, Shaad (May 8, 2019). "Denzel Curry's new single 'RICKY' pays tribute to his father". The Fader. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  2. Espinoza, Joshua (May 21, 2019). "Denzel Curry Announces 'ZUU' Album, Drops New Single "Speedboat"". Complex. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  3. Breihan, Tom (July 16, 2019). "Watch Denzel Curry Make His TV Debut & Show Off His New Haircut On Fallon". Stereogum. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  4. "Denzel Curry – ZUU – Reviews". Album of the Year. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  5. "ZUU by Denzel Curry reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  6. "ZUU by Denzel Curry Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  7. Yeung, Neil Z. "Zuu – Denzel Curry". AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  8. Rosebury, Will (June 4, 2019). "Denzel Curry – ZUU". Clash. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  9. Thiessen, Christopher (June 3, 2019). "Denzel Curry Returns Home in Time for Summer on the Bittersweet ZUU". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  10. Chini, Joey (May 29, 2019). "Denzel Curry: ZUU". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  11. Schwartz, Danny (May 31, 2019). "Denzel Curry's 'ZUU' Is a Stunningly Turnt Love Letter to Miami". Highsnobiety. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  12. Ivey, Justin (June 25, 2019). "Review: Denzel Curry Embraces Miami To The Fullest On "ZUU"". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  13. Williams, Kyann-Sian (June 4, 2019). "Denzel Curry – 'ZUU' review". NME. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  14. Pearce, Sheldon (June 4, 2019). "Denzel Curry: ZUU". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  15. Juon, Steve "Flash" (June 4, 2019). "Denzel Curry :: ZUU". RapReviews. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  16. Stevens, Nathan (June 12, 2019). "Denzel Curry: ZUU". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  17. "AllMusic Best of 2019". AllMusic. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  18. "Clash Albums of the Year 2019". Clash. December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  19. "Best Albums of 2019: Top Music Albums of the Year". Complex. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  20. "Top 50 Albums of 2019". Consequence of Sound. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  21. "The Best Albums of 2019". Flood Magazine. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  22. "The 50 best albums of 2019". NME. December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  23. "The 100 Best Albums of 2019". Noisey. December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  24. "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Paste. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  25. "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Pitchfork. December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  26. "Best Albums of 2019". Stereogum. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  27. "The Best Albums of 2019; Ranked". Uproxx. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  28. Zuu (Media notes). Denzel Curry. Loma Vista Recordings. 2019.CS1 maint: others (link)
  29. "BMI | Repertoire Search". BMI. Select "TITLE", type "Song" in the search engine, and click "Search". Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  30. "Australiancharts.com – Denzel Curry – Zuu". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  31. "Ultratop.be – Denzel Curry – Zuu" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  32. "Denzel Curry Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  33. "Dutchcharts.nl – Denzel Curry – Zuu" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  34. "Denzel Curry: Zuu" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  35. "Lescharts.com – Denzel Curry – Zuu". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  36. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Denzel Curry". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  37. "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. June 6, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  38. "Charts.nz – Denzel Curry – Zuu". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  39. "Norwegiancharts.com – Denzel Curry – Zuu". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  40. "Swisscharts.com – Denzel Curry – Zuu". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  41. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  42. "Denzel Curry Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  43. "Denzel Curry Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
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