Composed Chaos

Released August 21, 2026

ii is a sequel to Denzel Curry & Kenneth Blume (fka Kenny Beats) album UNLOCKED—an album I absolutely love and have been hoping for a follow-up to for a while now. So, obviously, when II was recently announced, I got excited. With two artists like Denzel and Kenneth together, it’s hard to go wrong.

First things first, Denzel Curry is an elite MC. His flows, his lyricism, the emotion he brings, and his delivery all have him elevated above most people in the game. Anytime he drops, it makes an impact, especially on solo projects. ii is less of a direct sequel to UNLOCKED and more of a continuation of the duo working together. It brings a much different sound across the album, and the threads that tied both albums together into cohesive works are very different. Where UNLOCKED feels chaotic and digital, ii feels calmer and more classically musical. Kenneth Blume’s production was great, as expected—the samples brought emotion, and the way Denzel works and interacts with them worked really well.

“Gone Fishing” is a fantastic start to the album; it’s one of the tracks that most has that UNLOCKED vibe to usher us into ii. “Evil Grin” is dope, and Denzel Curry and JPEGMAFIA make a good duo, but it was one of my least favorite songs on ii. It did make me want to hear Denzel, JPEG, and Ferg all together. Personally, I didn’t really need the features from JPEGMAFIA or Westside Gunn. They both did their thing, don’t get me wrong—I just don’t think either elevated their tracks for me. But the run of songs from “Candlelight” to “Cold Night in Hell” is flawless from both Denzel and Kenneth Blume. The last song is “Difference,” my favorite song on the album and the one that most resembles UNLOCKED to me. It was also the single that got me extra excited for II before it released. The beat brings energy, and Denzel Curry matches it perfectly, plus Yebba absolutely obliterated her parts. A great song to cap off the summer for me.

This is one of the best albums of the year to me so far—no surprise, since Denzel Curry and Kenneth Blume make amazing music both separately and together. Personally, I think UNLOCKED is still a bit more my style, but there’s no doubt about how incredible this album is!

Standout Tracks: GONE FISHING, CANDLELIGHT, PRODUCT, COLD NIGHT IN HELL & DIFFERENCE

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑(9.5/10)