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
Released	May 31, 2019
Genre	Hip hop
Length	29:02
Label	PH Loma Vista
Producer	Charlie Heat Fabio Aguilar FnZ Keanu Beats Mickey de Grand IV Ronny J Rugah Rahj Tay Keith
Denzel Curry chronology
Ta13oo (2018) Zuu (2019) Unlocked (2020)
Singles from Zuu
"Ricky" Released: May 8, 2019 "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.

Themes

Denzel Curry said that while his previous album Ta13oo (2018) was rooted in darker themes, Zuu came from homesickness for Miami. He explained: "it goes from the sounds of where I grew up, to what I was raised around, to the people I was raised around, to the sounds that pretty much shaped the person I am."^[1]

Promotion

The first single, "Ricky", was released on May 8, 2019, for streaming and digital download, along with an accompanying music video.^[2] The second single, "Speedboat", was released on May 21, for streaming and digital download after Curry teased it on social media.^[3] Curry's television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, included a medley of "Ricky" and "Wish".^[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.6/10^[5]
Metacritic	85/100^[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[7]
Clash	8/10^[8]
Consequence	B^[9]
Exclaim!	8/10^[10]
Highsnobiety	4.5/5^[11]
HipHopDX	4.1/5^[12]
NME	^[13]
Pitchfork	8.3/10^[14]
RapReviews	7/10^[15]
Spectrum Culture	^[16]

Zuu was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, 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]

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 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]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings of Zuu

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

Track listing

Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes.^[27]

Zuu track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Zuu"	Denzel Curry Fabio Aguilar Issac DeBoni Michael Mule Keanu Torres	FnZ Aguilar Keanu Beats	2:06
2.	"Ricky"	Curry DeBoni Mule Gerard Powell II Luke Blair	FnZ	2:27
3.	"Wish" (featuring Kiddo Marv)	Curry DeBoni Mule Ernest Brown Ryan DeGrandy Marvin Beauville Ulysses Kae Williams	Charlie Heat FnZ Mickey de Grand IV	3:12
4.	"Birdz" (featuring Rick Ross)	Curry DeBoni Mule William Roberts II	FnZ	3:24
5.	"Automatic" (with Tay Keith)	Curry Brytavious Chambers Mark Maturah	Tay Keith	3:02
6.	"Speedboat"	Curry Rugah Rahj Michel Magne	Rahj	3:42
7.	"Bushy B Interlude"	Curry DeBoni Mule Lavares Joseph Darnell Matthew Montrell Sneal	FnZ	1:05
8.	"Yoo"	Plus Pierre		1:04
9.	"Carolmart" (featuring Ice Billion Berg)	Curry DeBoni Mule Jasper Harris Joseph Derrick Baker Richard Jones James Scheffer Mark Seymour Katrina Taylor Algernod Washington	FnZ Harris^[a]	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	FnZ	2:27
11.	"Blackland 66.6"	Sneak Reyshod Curry Shane Starks		0:49
12.	"P.A.T." (featuring PlayThatBoiZay)	Curry DeBoni Mule Ronald Spence, Jr. Isaiah Loubeau Markese Rolle	FnZ Ronny J	3:00
Total length:				29:02

Notes

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

Sample credits

• "Ricky" contains a sample of "Twisted Blood" as performed by Lukid, written by Luke Blair.
• "Wish" contains an interpolation of "Genie", written by Ulysses Kae Williams.
• "Speedboat" contains a sample of "Don Juan", written and performed by Michel Magne.
• "Carolmart" contains a sample of "So Fresh" as performed by Trina, written by Derrick Baker, Richard Jones, James Scheffer, Mark Seymour, Katrina Taylor, and Algernod Washington.
• "Shake 88" contains a sample of "Boot the Booty" as performed by MC Cool Rock & MC Chaszy Chess, written by Clay Dixon, Bobby Ford, and Cedric Woodside.
• "P.A.T." contains a sample of "Possessed" as performed by SpaceGhostPurrp, written by Markese Rolle.

Charts

Chart performance for Zuu

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[28]	18
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[29]	38
Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[30]	36
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[31]	29
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[32]	33
French Albums (SNEP)^[33]	184
Irish Albums (IRMA)^[34]	36
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)^[35]	9
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[36]	21
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[37]	27
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[38]	99
UK Albums (OCC)^[39]	61
US Billboard 200^[40]	32
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[41]	19

References

1. Thompson, Paul. "Denzel Curry channeled homesickness to make a Miami masterpiece". The Fader. from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
2. D'Souza, Shaad (May 8, 2019). "Denzel Curry's new single 'RICKY' pays tribute to his father". The Fader. from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
3. Espinoza, Joshua (May 21, 2019). "Denzel Curry Announces 'ZUU' Album, Drops New Single "Speedboat"". Complex. from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
4. Breihan, Tom (July 16, 2019). "Watch Denzel Curry Make His TV Debut & Show Off His New Haircut On Fallon". Stereogum. from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
5. "ZUU by Denzel Curry reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
6. "ZUU by Denzel Curry Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
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9. Thiessen, Christopher (June 3, 2019). "Denzel Curry Returns Home in Time for Summer on the Bittersweet ZUU". Consequence. from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
10. Chini, Joey (May 29, 2019). "Denzel Curry: ZUU". Exclaim!. from the original on July 6, 2019. 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.
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27. Zuu (Media notes). Denzel Curry. Loma Vista Recordings. 2019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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