The tireless Florida rapper Denzel Curry went for a relatively restrained, insular, eclectic style on his most recent album, 2022’s Melt My Eyez See Your Future. It looks like that’s over. Last year, Curry teased a return to his anarchic underground roots with a project that was going to be called 13LOOD 1N + 13LOOD OUT RELOADED. That album is finally coming out next month, but now it’ll be known as King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2.

You probably only recognize that album title if you’re fully schooled on Denzel Curry’s history. Curry released his King of the Mischievous South, Vol. 1 (Underground Tape 1996) mixtape back in 2012, when he was still a teenage Raider Klan member. (The title was confusing on purpose; Curry was just a year old in 1996.) That tape featured Curry contemporaries like SpaceGhostPurrp and Lil Ugly Mane, and its sequel will feature a whole bunch of Curry’s peers and influences.

According to a press release, King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 is Curry’s tribute to his Southern rap heritage. On its predecessor, Curry was apparently rapping in his Raven Miyagi persona, but now he’s using his Big Ultra alter-ego. He’s been trying to make King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 for a while, and one of those attempts led him to make the 2020 EP 13LOOD 1N + 13LOOD OUT.

The new album features tons of guests, including A$AP Rocky, Juicy J, Project Pat, 2 Chainz, Maxo Kream, That Mexican OT, Ski Mask The Slump God, Ty Dolla $ign, Armani White, and Kenny Mason. At least one track, “Sked,” seems to be a new version of one that Curry released last year. It appears that Memphis rap originator Kingpin Skinny Pimp will serve as a kind of host for the album. First single “Hot One” is an energized team-up with fast-rising North Carolina rapper TiaCorine and with the man formerly known as A$AP Ferg. (He’s just FERG now, apparently.) All three rappers go in over the tingly beat from producers FNZ and SkipOnDaBeat, and it’s a lot of fun to hear Curry back in this mode.

Denzel Curry teased “Hot One” in an OnTheRadar performance this past weekend, lip-syncing the track in a staged cypher with FERG and TiaCorine. The performance also features two other guests from King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2, Curry’s protege PlayThatBoiZay and his fellow Raider Klan vet Key Nyata. Below, check out “Hot One,” the OnTheRadar performance, and the new album’s tracklist.

TRACKLIST:
01 “KOTMS II Intro” (Feat. Kingpin Skinny Pimp)
02 “Ultra Shxt” (Feat. Key Nyata)
03 “Set It” (Feat. Maxo Kream)
04 “Hot One” (Feat. TiaCorine & FERG)
05 “Black Flag Freestyle” (Feat. That Mexican OT)
06 “Headcrack Interlude” (Feat. Kingpin Skinny Pimp)
07 “G’z Up” (Feat. 2 Chainz & Mike Dimes)
08 “Lunatic Interlude”
09 “Sked” (Feat. Kenny Mason & Project Pat)
10 “Choose Wisely Interlude” (Feat. Kingpin Skinny Pimp)
11 “Cole Pimp” (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Juicy J)
12 “Wishlist” (Feat. Armani White)
13 “Hit The Floor” (Feat. Ski Mask The Slump God)
14 “Hoodlumz” (Feat. A$AP Rocky & PlayThatBoiZay)
15 “KOTMS II Outro” (Feat. Kingpin Skinny Pimp)

King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 is out 7/19 on Loma Vista Recordings.