Denzel Curry’s explosive 2019 cover of Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” might have raised a few hairs and eyebrows, but it showcased what the 26-year-old Floridian has been doing all along: proving he’s an anomaly.

The rapper released his first album while still in high school and, in tandem with rap collective Raider Klan, positioned himself as one of the pioneers of lo-fi SoundCloud rap. He has since pumped out four critically acclaimed studio albums and captivated fans with a slew of diverse features, including a metal song with PlayThatBoiZay titled “Bad Luck.”

Curry is a chameleon of an artist, a muay thai fighter in his spare time and a must-see act at Day N Vegas. Ahead of his Sunday set (8:10-8:50 p.m. on the Sammy Stage), the rapper spoke to the Weekly about the importance of self-growth, how anime informs his music videos and why his next projects need to be very different.

You’ve been releasing music for a decade now. What has contributed to your style maturing over time? My style of music changed over the years due to me going to therapy and doing martial arts. I remember before quarantine, all the music [I was making], I was just catering to what I thought fans liked. It was usually the same thing, but I started to change over time, because I got tired of doing the same thing. Then once all that was stripped away during quarantine, I had to really look at myself and be like, Damn, who am I? Once the curtains are closed and there’s nobody saying you’re this person or you’re that person, who are you?

So throughout the whole journey of making music, it changed over time as my demeanor changed over time. … Cause if you don’t grow inside, how can the stuff you do grow outward?

In your music videos, specifically ones for your 2020 album Unlocked, there’s a strong anime and video game influence in the art direction. What’s your connection to those styles? To be honest with you, I’m actually terrible at video games (laughs). But when it comes down to anime … when I went to art school, I was a film kid. A lot of the stuff I put in my music videos is based off films—films and anime, certain things I like. I just try to incorporate it the best way I can with my stuff, especially with Unlocked. Unlocked was an ode to all my favorite cartoons that I was growing up on. If you know me personally, you know how much I enjoy cartoons and anime and movies [like] Star Wars. … I put it all together.

When it comes down to my music videos, I just wanted to do something different that no Florida rapper’s ever done before. While everybody’s trying to be Kodak or X or all these motherf*ckers, I’m gonna be the one going against the grain and being like nah, I’m not gonna be like all of them. I know who I am, and I know what my strong suits are.

What are some of your favorite anime? Fist of the North Star is one of them. Cowboy Bebop is my all-time favorite. Samurai Champloo, YuYu Hakasho, Dragon Ball Z, of course. Dragon Ball Super’s pretty dope, the original Dragon Ball’s good. Naruto, Naruto Shippuden. I don’t watch Boruto at all, Boruto is garbage to me. I like a lot of anime. I started to get into this anime called The God of High School, I heard [that’s] pretty good.

As an anime fan, have you been following Cowboy Bebop’s live-action Netflix show news? The live action looks trash. … [I think] John Wick is a better Cowboy Bebop than the actual Cowboy Bebop remake.

You think so? Hell yeah. John Wick is the same story. It’s like the background of Spike Spiegel. That’s what John Wick is to me. They have similar storylines and similar character development.

It’s nice to see you taking two art forms and marrying them into something unique. Art is art. It’s not meant to be separate. Art is art, and art is subjective. … Back in art school, they used to tell us that anime is not a real art style. I went back to teach the same school that kicked me out. I taught their students, because their kids loved me, and at the same time, I was like, ‘Look man, they told you anime’s not a real art style, I’m here to tell you f*ck that sh*t. It is. It is a real art style.’

How was it to be able to go back and do that? Man, it felt good. Those kids needed a break. They needed somebody to tell them [what was true.] Someone who understood what was going on.

You have a lot of creative interests. What’s something else you’d love to pursue that not a lot of people know about? My fans and I are really connected, so usually I’d tell them—comic books, cartoons, they know that stuff. But for me really, it’d be filming—directing films and writing films. I’m a writer ultimately when it comes down to my music and stuff. I was able to navigate and direct my music in a way that’s visual, that people can see it. I feel like I have success in that, and I could have success in other [things]. It’s just how I go about writing it, and the dialogue and studying different writing styles. The same way rappers study other rappers.

In an XXL interview, you said you have three albums coming. How do you pace yourself when making a lot of music? And how will these albums differ from the past? Well, that’s the thing, you just have to live life. ... When it comes down to making albums, the reason why fans weren’t getting that relatability to me was because I was just pumping them out real quickly. But they all stem from something. They all stem from some type of homesickness or depression or whatever the case may be. But now, I’m in a new mindset where I’m turning over a new leaf in a way where you’re not going to get that depression. I already talked about that; I don’t need to talk about that no more. Plus, I’m not even in that mindset. My life got relatively better.

I’m gonna talk about the trials and tribulations I’m going through as a man, growing into myself. And that’s always gonna be relatable. Not everybody’s gonna relate to money, because people are broke. Not everybody’s gonna relate to having chains and diamonds, because they don’t have it. Not everybody is going to relate to having the finest car, because they’re driving a beat-up bucket or they gotta take the bus. So it’s just navigating through that world, in a sense. It’s just me being more relatable as a person, on a human level. And that’s how I’m gonna maneuver through the game.

Will exploring those themes be a challenge for you or a welcome project? When you challenge yourself, it’s always a welcoming feeling. … When you allow that challenge, you’re able to grow. Once you grow, you become something different, almost like the butterfly effect. You’ve gotta go through these changes in order to have your wings and spread them.

How are the projects going so far? I’m almost done with one, which you’re probably gonna get at some point. Can’t tell you when. It’s called Melt My Eyez, See Your Future. When it comes down to the other two, it takes careful research, because I don’t want to rehash the thing I just did. I wanna give a new experience.

Growth seems to be huge for you right now. Yeah, more soul growth, spiritual growth, physical growth and also emotional growth. Just being more articulate with the way I express myself.

Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!