Terrace Martin & Denzel Curry, Pig Feet | Track Review 🎵

Terrace Martin and Denzel Curry, assisted by Kamasi Washington, G Perico, and Daylyt, deliver a powerful protest track with “Pig Feet.” 

“They shot him / They shot him, they shot him / Oh my god, he didn’t even have a gun…” And so, it begins, sigh.  Terrace Martin and Denzel Curry don’t waste anytime joining a growing group of black artists expressing their frustrations with racial injustice, particularly police brutality.  Contemporary protest record, “Pig Feet,” is a perfect musical means to continue to build the movement of not only awareness, but fuel systematic change.  Martin and Curry are assisted by gifted saxophonist Kamasi Washington and rappers G Perico and Daylight.  

Following the tone setting intro by Britney Thomas (which features gun shots, police sirens, and Washington’s sax playing), Denzel Curry properly dives into the meat of the song on the first verse. There is no shortage of emotional, ‘heavy’ lines, starting at the top, honestly:

“Helicopters over my balcony
If the police can’t harass, they wanna smoke every ounce of me
Breath is alchemy, see how the life converted
You tell me life’s a female dog, well, I’m perverted...”

That doesn’t even account for the “Tragedy all over the screen like William Shakespeare plays,” or the fact that Curry believes, “They want us crucified with stones and hard rocks.” An interlude, featuring G Perico and Thomas follows, playing off the intro regarding police brutality.  From there, Daylyt takes the second verse which is absolutely wild – in the most artistic way possible.  Quite gifted lyrically, Daylyt delivers some sick wordplay that you definitely have to listen to a couple of times just to full process.  What is self-explanatory are lines like, “They gon pay for takin’ my brother,” as well as the powerful closing statement, “I’m here to remind niggas we kings.”

Final Thoughts 

It goes without mention above, but Terrace Martin does a fantastic job with the production, which has more of that old-school, jazz rap vibe – for the win of course! All in all, “Pig Feet” is another powerful, contemporary protest record.  Denzel Curry and Daylyt do an amazing job rapping, while Britney Thomas and G Perico are superb on the interludes.  And Kamasi Washington – well – the man is just a beast on the saxophone.  Times are turbulent and ugly, but some truly great, meaningful music is arriving out it.

Terrace Martin & Denzel Curry • “Pig Feet” (Ft. Kamasi Washington, G Perico & Daylyt) • Sounds of Crenshaw / EMPIRE • Release: 6.2.20

Photo Credits: Sounds of Crenshaw / EMPIRE