All photographs by Jennifer Lake
I was 12 years old when Vine was truly popping, and I was debating with my friends what was actually being said in Denzel Curry’s viral breakthrough song “Ultimate.” While a nice song, the mainstream braggadocious pop trap of 2016 began to fade in popularity – and Curry could have become an artifact of the past with it. Instead, he has continued to adapt to the needs of the hip-hop market while maintaining an authentic connection to his Miami-Dade roots with 2018’s TA1300, 2019’s ZUU, and 2022’s Melt My Eyez, See Your Future. Yet his latest two-volume release, King of the Mischievous South (from now on OTMS), feels like the perfect setup for an ascension to a currently empty throne. Southern hip-hop is more of a collective than anything else right now, and Curry made sure to showcase that in action: his openers included CLIP, 454, and Kenny Mason – who notably did a great job orchestrating mosh pits on songs like “Stick”. But in a love letter to Houston, he brought two of our finest along for brief appearances: Maxo Kream and That Mexican OT (we’re counting Bay City as the H). In spite of all that, there was never a doubt this was Curry’s show – with an abundance of energy and crowd interaction, you’d be hard-pressed to find a hip-hop fan who left the show unimpressed.
Curry’s intro music paid homage to Houston legend E.S.G with “Sailin’ da South,” most notably chopped and screwed on D.J. Screw’s 3 N The Mornin’ Part Two. This laid-back groove purposely contrasted with the headbanger “Act a Damn Fool,” to which mosh pits formed before Curry even made his way out. While the majority of the setlist elevated songs from KOTMS, he made sure his more nostalgic fans were comfortable by performing joints like “Ricky” and “Walkin,” the latter of which led to my very passionate singing along.
This “setlist strategy” ensured the crowd was at peak energy levels when the supporting artists graced the stage – Maxo Kream for “Set It,” and That Mexican OT for “Black Flag Freestyle.” I’ll admit that I still haven’t listened to Maxo outside of a solid feature on Mike Dimes’ “Off the Porch,” but his well-performed verse on stage and his constant collaboration with other artists mean it may finally be time. As for OT, he bounced off the huge boost of energy that comes in when you get rolled out as the “surprise guest,” and synced up with Curry to deliver a gritty Southern Statement song. To conclude, he asked where “his Mexicans” were at, which is not insignificant – the crowd was quite diverse not just in race and ethnicity, but in age as well.
It was Curry’s turn to direct a moshpit with “G’Z up,” which was more like a chant than a song without the featured artists. This middle part of the show was my least favorite, with the same braggadocious theme repeated on songs like “Goated,” “Diet_,” and “SUMO”. It worked well in the bass-heavy concert environment though, and with the crowd now lifting people in the air and throwing Tracy McGrady jerseys up (?), Curry was likely not concerning himself with my judgments of lyrical depth. After bringing Kenny Mason back for “SKED,” he concluded this segment with “ULT,” and “Hot One,” the latter of which he brought fans on stage to sing for.
To bring the show to its end, Curry orchestrated the moshpits once again to a more successful result: the Waka-Flocka inspired “Still In the Paint,” nostalgia throwback “Ultimate,” and the anthem of fame “Clout Cobain,” Curry’s open letter to the world on how the tightrope of stardom is not as fun as it looks, and can lead to consequences such as that of the late Nirvana lead singer.
Like great artists do, Curry stayed grounded in all the different subgenres that inspired his present work. Many hip-hop artists use album titles as statements – ex: Jay-Z is the Blueprint of rap, or Lil Baby letting the world know it’s My Turn. Denzel Curry’s King of the Mischievous South is a bold claim, but with performances like this one at Bayou Music Center, the crown is his for the taking.
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