Denzel Curry is an American rapper from Carol City, Miami Gardens, Florida. Emerging on the scene in 2011 with mixtapes like King Remembered and King of the Mischievous South, he first gained attention working alongside SpaceGhostPurrp’s Raider Klan before striking out solo. His breakout came with the 2013 mixtape Nostalgic 64, followed by the viral anthem “Ultimate” in 2015, which cemented him as one of the most dynamic voices of his generation. Since then, Curry has released acclaimed projects like Imperial, Ta13oo, Zuu, and Melt My Eyez See Your Future. Known for his versatility, he’s collaborated with artists across genres, from hip-hop heavyweights like Joey Bada$$, JPEGMAFIA, and A$AP Ferg to unexpected pairings with Billie Eilish, Thundercat, and Glass Animals. Beyond hip-hop bravado, Curry’s music dives into deeply personal themes, grief over his brother’s death, childhood trauma, and his South Florida roots. Denzel Curry has been on the road for a bit now. In this feature, he talks about what it takes to stay balanced while touring, his experience with martial arts, and leaning on the same tight crew he’s rolled with for years.
I appreciate you taking the time—especially since you’re in the middle of tour. You’re taking a short break now, right?
Right.
And you’re about to head to Europe. When you break from tour, how do you center yourself? You’re going from performing every single day, and then suddenly you get a little bit of time. Is there anything specific you do?
Maybe for the first two days, I just hang out at home. But by the third or fourth day, I get antsy. So I end up going to the studio, working on more material, figuring things out. Sometimes I’ll stay home and have people come over—my engineer, whoever I’m cutting records with. But even when I’m off, I’m not really off. I’m still working. After these next couple months, though, I plan on taking a real vacation.
Are you able to fully unplug on vacation, or are you still creating in some way?
If I’m out with my girl, yeah—it’s a real vacation. But if I’m just out in the world, I’ll find a studio and try to knock something out.
Are you always working toward a full project, or is it more like creating and keeping stuff until it becomes something?
More the latter. I’m always creating. If it turns into something bigger, cool. But it’s really just about staying sharp.
I’ve listened to the album a ton—it must be amazing to tour. It has big energy, and the features are great. Have you been able to bring a lot of those features out on tour? I saw the Maxo Kream and That Mexican OT music videos, so I assumed those were filmed on tour?
Nah, those were filmed ahead of time. But they came out during the shows. OT and Maxo both came out during the Houston show. Maxo also pulled up with JPEGMAFIA to my LA show. Funny thing—I didn’t even know Maxo and JPEG were working together, so seeing them together was cool and kind of wild.
That Mexican OT—am I saying that right?
Yeah, that’s right.
I wasn’t really familiar with him, but that song with you two is now one of my favorites. Your cadences are so different, but you compliment each other really well. That must go crazy live.
Yeah, “Black Flag” always gets the same wild reaction at shows.
So how do you keep that energy, every night for six weeks straight? Are you just naturally high energy? How do you train for that physically and mentally?
A lot of rest. A lot of recovery. And I get a lot of sleep. I’m just a high-energy person naturally. But if I’m tired, I’m cranky. I’ll tell people straight up, “Come through another day.” I can’t function if I’m not rested.
Some of my guys photographed you at Terminal 5, and they mentioned you weren’t feeling well—but you still performed. That speaks to your commitment to fans. What drives you in moments like that?
It wasn’t like I was super sick—just allergies or maybe a cold from being around people on the bus. But I jumped on it early—took Benadryl, rested, and got back to work. Still sick, but working.
I’ve heard in other interviews you prioritize physical health. But how do you maintain your mental health, especially during touring and the emotional output of making music?
If I don’t feel like going somewhere, I don’t go. I might fly somewhere to work on music or chill—hit a comic book shop, stay in the hotel, go to the movies. On tour, my only real responsibilities are soundcheck and performing. That gives me time to balance everything else. If I don’t feel like doing a meet-and-greet or something extra, I skip it. That keeps me grounded.
Do you tour with close friends?
Yeah. Everyone on my team—my manager Mark, my DJ, Posh—they’ve all been my friends for over a decade. Mark wasn’t even my manager at first. We were just boys. Same with Posh. We used to make beats together. Even our sound engineer and lighting guys—we’ve been building the team over years. We try to keep it tight and only bring people who are necessary. Every time we add people from the outside, that’s when problems start. So we keep it lean and loyal.
You’ve been doing Muay Thai—have you always been into martial arts?
Yeah, since I was a kid. My dad taught me some boxing. My older brother and a few friends in the neighborhood taught me stuff—karate, judo, kick-boxing. I learned on the street, really. I liked it and lost weight from it. But then rap took over, and I couldn’t afford a school. I tried MMA in 2015, didn’t stick with it. I didn’t really get it until I moved to LA at 22 and stopped smoking weed. That’s when I took martial arts seriously.
Was there a reason you stopped smoking?
A fan on Twitter asked what I was on, and I said, “Sober,” even though I was about to light a joint. I realized I was lying and quit. Then I smoked again and got paranoid—sweating, anxiety, bad trip. Plus, my mom was always worried about drugs and the industry. I told her the real reason I stay sober is because I never want her to call me and I’m incoherent. She laughed—but it’s true.
“My mom was always worried about drugs and the industry. I told her the real reason I stay sober is because I never want her to call me and I’m incoherent. She laughed—but it’s true.”
Denzel Curry
Did stopping weed affect your creativity?
Not at all. I was always creative without it. I come from an art background.
You mentioned coming from a creative household—what does that mean to you?
My dad taught me and my brother how to draw. My brother’s super creative—he makes cards, films, designs. He just spreads himself too thin. My mom used to rap back in the ‘80s—she even had a record. But she saw what the industry did to people and decided it wasn’t for her.
That explains why your music videos feel so cinematic. Are you involved in the visual direction?
Yeah, especially on Melt. I’m always thinking visually when I hear my songs.
Can you give some examples?
For sure. “Walkin’” felt like Fistful of Dollars. “X-Wing” was inspired by Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell. “Troubles” had a Wes Anderson vibe, and “Zatoichi” was samurai-based.
Would you ever want to get into film or TV?
Yeah. Even after the “Speedboat” video, I got offers to act. I think I could tell a good story. I’d be open to it.
Did moving to LA have anything to do with that?
Nah. I moved because I felt like I was getting too much hate in Miami. Friends weren’t real friends. Things were going sideways. I just bounced. But the producers F&Z were in LA, and my manager wanted me to work with them—so I came out here.
Do you still feel the same way about Miami?
Yeah. I haven’t accomplished everything I want to yet. I’ll go back when I’ve done stadiums. That’s the goal.
That’s the benchmark—stadiums?
Exactly. I don’t care about being the biggest artist. I just want to sell out stadiums. Off of hard work. No selling out. No weird industry stuff.
*Full interview available only in-print.
This story was written for the release of Issue 11 of Living Proof Magazine. Now available on our Patreon and Online Shop.
Interview by Daniel Soprano
