Curren$y at Congress Theater | Concert preview

Curren$y

Photo: Chris Stanford

After a decade spent relegated to the background of the NOLA elite, Curren$y has shed his No Limit and Cash Money affiliations for a shot at the limelight. The New Orleans rapper has certainly earned it after an impressive run of well-received mix-tapes and albums blending jazz-inflected boom-bap with the lyrical decadence of early Roc-A-Fella. A recently inked deal with Warner Bros. serves as confirmation that he’s become a dominant influence on contemporary hip-hop.

On his major-label debut, The Stoned Immaculate, Curren$y exudes a newfound confidence occasionally missing from his back catalog. Having A-list guests like Pharrell, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz and Wale doesn’t hurt, and the gleaming production throughout only underscores the fact that Curren$y has made an elegant transition; the rough edges from the 31-year-old MC’s previous releases have been buffed down to a high-gloss sheen. What’s more, The Stoned Immaculate’s blend of live instrumentation and MPC trickery falls somewhere between the Soulquarians’ organic hip-hop and the dirty south’s 808 symphonies, which means the weed rapper’s ear for a decent beat is just as strong as his taste in bud. But his relaxed yet dexterous delivery sounds less like he’s faded and more like a victory lap following an exhausting race to the top.