Don’t mistake this for a Denzel Curry episode of Hot Ones, though we’d gladly take that, too: The Carol City, Miami rapper has released “Hot One,” featuring A$AP Ferg and TiaCorine, the first single from the forthcoming follow-up to his 2012 mixtape King of the Mischievous South.
With King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 (July 19, Loma Vista Recordings), Curry returns to the timelessly distinctive sound that kick-started his career over a decade ago, taking listeners on an aural tour of Southern hip-hop, from the meccas of Memphis and Houston to his own South Florida stomping grounds. Assisting in the effort are a small army of regional heavyweights, including Curry’s former Raider Klan ally Key Nyata; Tennessee legends Juicy J and Project Pat; Maxo Kream, That Mexican OT and Mike Dimes, and Kenny Mason of the Lone Star State; North Carolina’s TiaCorine; Atlanta’s 2 Chainz; South Florida’s Ski Mask the Slump God and PlayThatBoiZay; and A$AP Rocky and Ferg.
On the FNZ and SkipOnDaBeat-produced “Hot One,” Curry—via his Big Ultra persona, a heightened version of the first King of the Mischievous South’s Raven Miyagi, a moniker bestowed on Curry by Raider Klan founder SpaceGhostPurrp—examines both how much and how little has changed since the Raven Miyagi days, his lyrics laden with Memphis gangster rap menace. “I can make money from the comfort of my sofa,” he boasts over a gritty Gimisum Family sample, later warning in the hook: “F*ck around and catch a hot one to yo’ temple, ho / Ain’t sh*t changed but the number on my front door.”
But Curry understands that the Memphis sound goes much deeper than chopped beats, eerie synth loops and skeletal snares—he also knows you’re only as good as the posse around you. Enter TiaCorine and A$AP Ferg, whose sing-songy vocal tone and elastic cadence, respectively, multiply the track’s dynamism, dimension and authenticity, leaving you wanting much more when “Hot One” skids to a stop in under three minutes. It’s the ideal appetizer for Curry’s King of the Mischievous South sequel, not to mention a compelling reminder of just how rich a stew Southern hip-hop can make.
After King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2’s mid-July release, Curry has a handful of festival dates on the docket, including sets at Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash in Illinois, Project Pabst in Oregon and Montreal’s Osheaga Music and Arts Festival. In August, he’ll kick off his extensive Grey Day Tour, which will criss-cross North America through the end of Curry’s busy summer and into mid-October.
See the details of King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 below and find Curry’s tour dates further down.
King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 Track List:
01. KOTMS II INTRO ft. Kingpin Skinny Pimp
02. ULTRA SHXT ft. Key Nyata
03. SET IT ft. Maxo Kream
04. HOT ONE ft. TiaCorine & A$AP Ferg
05. BLACK FLAG FREESTYLE ft. That Mexican OT
06. HEADCRACK INTERLUDE ft. Kingpin Skinny Pimp
07. G’Z UP ft. 2 Chainz & Mike Dimes
08. LUNATIC INTERLUDE
09. SKED ft. Kenny Mason & Project Pat
10. CHOOSE WISELY INTERLUDE ft. Kingpin Skinny Pimp
11. COLE PIMP ft. Ty Dolla $ign & Juicy J
12. WISHLIST ft. Armani White
13. HIT THE FLOOR ft. Ski Mask the Slump God
14. HOODLUMZ ft. A$AP Rocky & PlayThatBoiZay
15. KOTMS II OUTRO ft. Kingpin Skinny Pimp
Denzel Curry Tour Dates:
6/16 – Bridgeview, IL @ Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash at SeatGeek Stadium
7/28 – Portland, OR @ Project Pabst at Tom McCall Waterfront Park
8/3 – Montréal, QC @ Osheaga Music and Arts Festival at Pac Jean-Drapeau
8/7 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
8/9 – Birmingham, AL @ BJCC Arena
8/10 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
8/13 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
8/14 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
8/16 – San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
8/17 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
8/19 – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
8/20 – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
8/27 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
8/28 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
8/30 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego
9/3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Area
9/4 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
9/6 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
9/7 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
9/8 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
9/10 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
9/11 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
9/15 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
9/17 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
9/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
9/20 – Elmont, NY @ UBS Arena
9/21 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
9/23 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
9/24 – Montréal, QC @ Place Bell
9/25 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
9/27 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
9/28 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
9/29 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
10/1 – Cincinnati, OH @ Heritage Bank Center
10/2 – Detroit, MI @ Little Ceasars Arena
10/4 – Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Bankers Life Arena)
10/5 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
10/6 – St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
10/8 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/9 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
10/10 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
10/11 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena