“Commercial rap is dead,” at least according to Denzel Curry.
In a series of Instagram Stories updates on Wednesday (Nov. 12), the King of the Mischievous South artist, whose 2019 take on Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” arguably remains one of the strongest covers of all time, detailed his assessment on perceived industry woes while also calling out those focused on mere imitation.
“None of this music shit is interesting anymore,” he wrote in one update, followed by: “Commercial rap is dead. And I’m here for it. Shit was trash from the jump.”
Elaborating further, Denzel conceded that he might “sound like a hater,” but argued “you need a hater to tell the truth.”
As the 30-year-old sees it, the OGs currently have “no respect” for younger artists, though he believes there’s “a space where they can learn from each other.” However, he doesn’t believe another “Big 3” is needed (“Fuck that”) and instead encourages those who may be “bitchin’ ‘bout the rap game” to instead consider taking action of their own.
It wasn’t immediately clear what spurred Denzel’s remarks. However, much has been said in recent weeks about rap’s temporary absence from the top 40 of the Hot 100 chart, a brief drought that was ultimately ended by Megan Thee Stallions’s Klay Thompson-inspired “Lover Girl” track.
Meanwhile, three rap titles—Kendrick Lamar's GNX; Clipse's Let God Sort Em Out; and Tyler, The Creator's CHROMAKOPIA—were recently announced to be up for a potential Album of the Year win at the 2026 Grammys.