King of the Mischievous South, Vol. 2 (2024)

King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 (shortened to KOTMS II) is the first commercial mixtape (seventh overall) by American rapper Denzel Curry, released on July 19, 2024, via PH Recordings and Loma Vista. The mixtape features guest appearances from Kingpin Skinny Pimp, Key Nyata, Maxo Kream, TiaCorine, ASAP Ferg, That Mexican OT, 2 Chainz, Mike Dimes, Kenny Mason, Project Pat, Ty Dolla Sign, Juicy J, Armani White, Ski Mask the Slump God, ASAP Rocky, and PlayThatBoiZay. It serves as the sequel to his third mixtape King of the Mischievous South Vol. 1 Underground Tape 1996 (2012), and also serves as the follow-up to Curry's fifth studio album, Melt My Eyez See Your Future (2022).

On October 30, Curry announced a deluxe edition of the mixtape, which he described as an album, with five additional tracks, it was released on November 15 as King of the Mischievous South; it includes additional guest appearances from Duke Deuce, Slim Guerilla, 454, Sauce Walka, Bktherula, and Lazer Dim 700.

Release

"Sked" was originally released as a standalone single on September 14, 2023, without a Project Pat verse. Curry announced King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 on June 5, 2024, with the lead single "Hot One" featuring TiaCorine and ASAP Ferg. "Black Flag Freestyle", featuring That Mexican OT, was subsequently released on June 21, 2024, as the second single. The third single, "Hoodlumz" featuring PlayThatBoiZay and ASAP Rocky, was released on July 16, 2024. The mixtape was released on July 19, 2024. An expanded edition was released on November 15, 2024.

Critical reception

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 from 8 critic scores. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Steve Erickson concludes his review for Slant stating: "Having long since proven his skill as a lyricist, Curry is more concerned with having a good time here. And that also makes for a hell of a good listen." Tom Morgan of DIY wrote that the album was "back-to-basics" and "a bit of a sideways step." Ciaran Picker's review for Dork concludes: "Maybe it is a slightly predictable record, but that doesn’t make it any less an impressive and sonically sound album." On the album's lyrics, Sputnikmusic's review states: "Curry opts for a shrewd and understated angle throughout the record's lyrical content that I appreciated more and more as I continued to pore over his bars." Damien Morris of The Observer writes: "There’s something about his cheeky cadence that’s annoyingly irresistible, no matter how lazy his verses get." Writing the review for Kerrang!, Sam Law concludes that "as a subversive stopgap, KOTMS2 sure hits the spot." John Wohlmacher of Beats Per Minute wrote that the album was "fun" and "infectious."

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, David Crone commented that in, "Taking notes from his original Raider Klan sound, [Curry] uses this mixtape to return to styles he's used throughout his career, evoking a specific nostalgia for the sound he first came up with."