Denzel Curry - King Of The Mischievous South Vol. 2

As proved by his stage dive-laden headline set at last year’s Outbreak Festival, Floridian rapper Denzel Curry is among the most exhilarating MCs in the game right now. He’s got the work to match his stage presence too; a prolific stream of excellence displaying artistic vision, curiosity and depth, infused into an endless parade of bass-heavy, futuristic bangers. Given his white-hot recent form, the back-to-basics mixtape ‘King Of The Mischievous South, Vol. 2’ feels like a bit of a sideways step. Designed as a sequel to a 2012 tape, these 15 tracks see Denzel performing as a braggadocious alter ego Big Ultra. It fits the flavour of the record, which is similarly bolshy and surface-level. The beats may occasionally be interchangeable, but several cuts stand out, such as the minimal speaker-blower ‘SKED’ and the menacing ‘Hit The Floor’. Each track features a guest spot, which helps provide their sometimes homogenous nature with personality, particularly during Project Pat’s charismatic verse on ‘SKED’, and TiaCorine’s quietly vicious ‘Hot One’ spot. Denzel drops in and out to tie it all together, as if he’s introducing you to his plethora of friends at a raucous party. And like all parties, ‘King Of The Mischievous South, Vol. 2’ journeys through highs and lows, but it’s never boring.