Label: Loma Vista
Released: 19th July 2024
You don’t get the likes of A$AP Rocky, Ty Dolla $ign, and 2 Chainz to appear on your record if you’re not any good. Combining the heavy aggression of the East Coast rap scene with the RnB-infused beats of West Coast hip-hop, Florida’s Denzel Curry creates his own sound, using interludes to break the album into chapters and let you come up for air. There are elements of SoundCloud rap, drill, and ambient rap, bringing together all of US rap’s rival teams into one project, making you forget they were ever at war.
‘The King of the Mischievous South vol. 2’ is ostensibly a collaborations album, with each song featuring a hand-picked selection of both the aforementioned rap stars and up-and-coming artists, such as Ski Mask the Slump God, A$AP Ferg, and Kenny Mason. Curry’s lyrical flow stands tall against a thinner sonic background in ‘Ultra Shit’, before the deeper bassline of ‘Set It’ and the Astroworld-esque ‘Hot One’ begins a descent into the traditionally bold and brash run of ‘G’Z Up’ and ‘SKED’.
Dreamlike interlude ‘Choose Wisely’ leads into the 90s vibes of ‘Cole Pimp’ and ‘Wish List’, before the album closes out with ‘Hit The Floor’ and ‘Hoodlums’, bringing back the braggadocio and bravado of the first half of the album. The album’s track list feels a little confused and clash-y, but then we were promised mischief.
On the whole, this feels like Denzel Curry at his most confident, leaning into the influences and imagery that inspired his rise to the top, resulting in a rap album that very much befits the current scene. Maybe it is a slightly predictable record, but that doesn’t make it any less an impressive and sonically sound album.
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