Florida rapper Denzel Curry joined hardcore band Pain Of Truth on stage for two consecutive shows in California last week, fuelling speculation that he could release a hardcore record and potentially step back from rapping. Curry has long had ties to the hardcore and punk scene, and the appearances underline a possible new creative direction for one of rap's more genre-fluid figures.

Curry performed "The Test" with Pain Of Truth at LA venue Proyecto, then joined the band again three days later at the Warped Tour in Long Beach. Afterwards, he tweeted that he was "slowly flirting with the idea of creating a hardcore tape" and suggested he might rap "not as much" if it took off. Curry's history with hardcore includes covering Rage Against The Machine and Bad Brains, touring with Knocked Loose after their 2026 collaboration "Hive Mind," and namechecking Pain Of Truth's new single "Unforgiven" and Drain's album …Is Your Friend as current listening.