Listen to Kurious’ “Untainted”: The Ones

Kurious, photo by Angel Flores

Kurious: “Untainted”

The top hat-rocking Kurious has been on a single run so cool that I’m currently reassessing my opinions on the headgear. A longtime New York underground enigma, probably best known for kicking memorable verses on MF Doom classics like Operation: Doomsday and Take Me to Your Leader, Kurious is gearing up to release a new album called Majician, overseen by Doom before his death. The anti-corporate “Untainted” is essential: The funky Mono En Stereo beat could soundtrack the on-screen introduction of the flyest hustler in a Blaxploitation flick, while Kurious’ verses thread together hip-hop memories, societal critiques, and words of positivity. My favorite bar is his tight, lowkey hilarious description of his style aspirations: “Pop out like an old timer in his Sunday best.”

With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace, it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear.

Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from Kurious and more on our Spotify playlist.

Originally Appeared on Pitchfork