Description
Denzel Curry X Kenny Beats – Unlocked – Vinyl Record
Released on February 7, 2020, Unlocked is a surprise collaborative album by Miami rapper Denzel Curry and acclaimed producer Kenny Beats, issued via PH Recordings and Loma Vista Recordings. Clocking in at just under eighteen minutes over eight tracks, the project sprang from Curry’s appearance on Kenny’s YouTube freestyle series The Cave, where their chemistry inspired a full session. Eschewing traditional single rollouts, Curry and Kenny opted to treat the entire record as “the single,” generating buzz through a staged online feud before unveiling the album alongside a 24-minute short film on February 6, 2020.
The origin of Unlocked traces back to a brief falling-out over beat usage in mid-2019, after which Curry watched Kenny’s episode of The Cave and immediately reconnected. Over a single 24-hour marathon studio session in late 2019, they laid down eight instrumentals and Curry’s freestyled vocals—effectively turning what began as a beat-tape experiment into a concept album. Influences cited by both artists include Madlib, Stones Throw Records, and ’90s East Coast boom-bap; the album cover even pays homage to Organized Konfusion’s Stress: The Extinction Agenda.
Accompanying the audio release was an inventive short film that places Curry and Kenny on a quest to recover stolen Unlocked files. Each song is represented by its own visually distinct realm—ranging from live-action sequences to claymation—drawing inspiration from Cowboy Bebop (“‘Cosmic’.m4a”), horror manga Uzumaki (“Take_it_Back_v2”), and Gorillaz-style animation. This multimedia approach underscored the duo’s desire to deliver a cohesive long-form experience without relying on individual singles.
Unlocked earned widespread acclaim for its tight production and Curry’s dynamic delivery. Reviewers praised Kenny’s clean yet varied beats and noted how Curry adapts his flow to each soundscape, from the frenetic energy of “DIET_” to the more measured cadence on “Cosmic.m4a.” Pitchfork highlighted the project’s homage to classic rap aesthetics, even as some critics felt the polished production occasionally sacrificed raw regional grit. Commercially, Unlocked peaked at No. 100 on the Billboard 200 and was named one of SPIN’s “30 Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)”
Building on the original’s momentum, the remix album Unlocked 1.5 arrived on March 5, 2021, featuring reinterpretations by Smino, Joey Bada$$, Benny the Butcher, and others. In both its original and remixed forms, the Unlocked series stands as a testament to the creative synergy between Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats—proving that a spontaneous studio session can yield some of the most memorable hip-hop of its year
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic sealed
Track Listing
Track 01
Take_It_Back_v2
Lay_Up.m4a
Pyro (Leak 2019)
Diet_
So.Incredible.pkg
Track07
‘Cosmic’.m4a
