Denzel Curry: King of the Mischievous South Vol 2 review – annoyingly irresistible

Sometimes it’s unclear why an artist calls one collection of songs a mixtape and another an album. There’s little confusion here. Rapper Curry’s last album, the introspective, post-therapy Melt My Eyez See Your Futur e , was trailed by interviews positing the Floridian’s newfound emotional intelligence, in which he discussed influences spanning Akira Kurosawa, ballet, Sergio Leone, ancient martial art Muay Thai, HR Giger, manga, the Dune novels and Smells Like Teen Spirit. In contrast, this mixtape’s first single, Hot One, begins: “I can make money from the comfort of my sofa/ So much drive, now I gotta get a chauffeur.” A quote from Chapterhouse: Dune ? Seems unlikely.

Instead, KOTMSV2 is Curry as “Big Ultra”, obsessed with cash, firearms and the status both provide. It’s a sequel to his 2012 come-up tape, with a southern rapper featuring on nearly every track, although pretty much everyone else struggles to match Curry’s charismatic, mesmerising energy. There’s something about his cheeky cadence that’s annoyingly irresistible, no matter how lazy his verses get. Most enjoyable are the cloud-rappy Ultra Shxt and soulful Cole Pimp , while the gargantuan, distorted beat that powers Hit the Floor is impossible to forget.