Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats recently shared a nearly 24-minute music video for UNLOCKED, and this one mixes in some live-action footage with a bunch animation. That sounds like the basic recipe for a fun music video… except, that is, when some aspects of the animation are accused of ripping off Cowboy Bebop.
The video itself features a handful of tracks, with different styles of animation created by different lead animators throughout. The moment that’s receiving accusations of plagiarism comes in at around 20:52.
Here’s a comparison between that segment and Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, from Twitter user @DilapidatedHeap.
I liked the idea but Plagiarism ain’t it chief @denzelcurry pic.twitter.com/p80T6FmQ5a
— ochi-musha (@DilapidatedHeap) February 9, 2020
There’s also a segment at 21:36 that’s being compared to the Absolute Duo OP.
Denzel Curry does have an anime connection beyond being a fan. Curry provided “Crash the Server” and “Lonestar Jazz” as insert songs for the Carole & Tuesday anime’s 20th and 21st episodes.