A Conversation with Denzel Curry – King of the Naughty South

I sat down with Denzel Curry Denzel took to a Parisian underground studio to delve into the creation of his Big Ultra persona, born from his Ultraground collaboration with Key Nyata. We explored his many alter egos—Raven Miyagi, Aquarius’Killa—and the influence of icons like SpaceGhostPurrp and Yusaku Matsuda on his evolving artistry. With his latest project, *King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2, Denzel’s message is simple: turn your brain off and have fun. Get ready for a raw, insightful ride.

Andy Zozulya: Absolutely!

Denzel Curry: What’s up, man?

Actually, I wanted to talk about the big ultra personality.

Oh, word.

Okay. So what inspired the big ultra persona and how does it differ from your previous alter egos?

Well, the creation of Ultraground with me and Key Nyata, like, because it’s kind of a joint venture between me and him. When we created that, like, you know, he was going by Mr. Don’t Fold and he came out with Don’t Fold Vol. 1. So I was just like, man, I’m just gonna call myself Big Ultra, just because. And that’s literally how I came up with the name. There’s no, like, persona to it. And I remember just trying to create a persona and then talking to my managers about it. Like, bro, you do that with every tape. Like, just don’t do it. I was like, bro, it’s just a name at this point. It’s just another nickname for me.

It had nothing to do with any particular sound aspect, because I listened to the new album and it sounded different.

It’s not about the dimension of sound, because, like, because when I, like, what most people don’t know is when I first started my career, I was rapping like this. And if you were at the beginning of my career when I was in Raider Klan, you know, I was rapping like that first. You know what I mean? So, Big Ultra is just a nickname, a label, just to celebrate the new adventure that I’m on.

One of the first alter egos you started with was Raven Miyagi.

Yeah. The Raven Miyagi. And yeah, I got that name from SpaceGhostPurrp from way back when, because me, Yung Simmie and this rapper named N3ll, we had a group called Black Raven. And originally it was me and Simmie and then N3ll became part of it.

I remember Purp went to my own Facebook page, because that’s where we all met and my name was Denzel Aquarius Killer on my own Facebook page, and in brackets it said Miyagi. And then he went to my page and said Raven Miyagi. That’s how I got that name.

I had this whole backstory, and there’s a third one, Aquarius Killer is like the crazy one. This one is like the… I was just, like, like, just thinking about it over some comic book shit. Raven Miyagi is the intelligent one and, like, thinking about lyrics and stuff.

So that helps you in a way to separate your art. Like David Bowie, for example, when he had different personas. Is that the case for you? So is it easier for you to categorize the kind of art you make? Or is it a mental thing?

I mean, over the years I’ve had different personas. So it was like Aquarius’ Kill, then there’s Raven Miyagi, then there’s Denny Cascade, then there’s Ultimate Denzel Curry, then there’s Zeltron 6 Billion. The most famous one is Zeltron 6 Billion and the Big Ultra that you just talked about was just a nickname, and, yeah, like, oh, and Black Metal Terrorist, but when it comes down to it…

Black Metal Terrorist. What, your traditional Scandinavian Black Metal form?

I got so many names, bro. I just think, like, every… Even, like, back in the day, like, if you watch Three 6 Mafia, like, Lord Infamous, and they have a bunch of his nicknames in, like, a bio or whatever they call him. And even MF Doom has it. So I just thought, like, man, I’m not that far off, you know? Yeah.

No, I’m going to check it out. I didn’t know about Black Metal Terrorist. I’m actually a huge Black Metal fan.

Do you like Euronymous and Dead?

Yes, of course. Classics.

Burzum. I don’t really like Burzum, but…

I mean, he’s got some nice songs.

I have nothing to do with Varg.

I mean, he’s a fucking Nazi, in that sense, yeah… Fuck Varg.
Okay. So, on your new album, you have a bunch of guests, like A$AP Rocky and Ski Mask. How do you choose your collaborators, usually?

Mainly who would work for the song, but usually it’s just who fits the vibe of the album that I’m looking for. So when you hear Melt My Eyez See Your Future, I wanted people who are lyrically talented and can sing. I wanted to feel, like the Electric Lady sessions, Common’s Like Water for Chocolate, D’Angelo’s Voodoo, stuff like that.

So while that was going on, I was sending tracks to people that I had in mind. I was like, ‘Hey, can you send this back?’ And they were like, ‘Bro, I got you.’ And they ended up sending it back and everything.

Sweet. Now, the live at Electric Lady EP. I did quite a bit of research, the covers that you did, like, in the past. Rage Against the Machine one, Erykah Badu and Shogun’s Lonely Man.

Lonely man.

How come? A song from a Japanese detective series.

Since we’re here for Fashion Week, I have to let you know that I chose Lonely Man because I really liked the song. The actor Yusaku Matsuda has a big influence on the way I dress to this day. That’s why I chose Lonely Man.

Because I remember watching Detective Story, and, you know, he inspired a lot of characters that I really, like, dig. Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop, Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star, and Kuzan Aokiji from One Piece.

So when I chose Lonely Man, it was because it just sounded so cool and nostalgic and old. The lyrics were tight, so I felt it fit the vibe of what I was doing on Melt My Eyez. I couldn’t really find a jazz band to do it originally, but I wanted as many live instruments as possible.

And what about Takashi Miike?

DC: I like his movies. He did Ichi the Killer and 13 Assassins is my favorite movie.

What’s the craziest moment from a live performance that you can remember?

It all feels like a blur to me. I think the most recent memory was a tornado warning. It started out as a yellow, then it went to a red, and then they had to turn off the PA system and all that stuff because it could do a somersault on you. But yeah, I think that’s the most recent thing that just happened that was pretty crazy. A tornado could have ruined the set and killed us all.

With your new album King of the Mischievous South Vol.2 recently released on vinyl, what is the message you hope listeners will take away from it?

Nothing. I gave you introspection of the last tapes and tapes long ago. This. Nothing. To have a good time. That’s my whole thing. I make music because I want to make music, and I think everyone should just, you know, just turn their brains off for a minute and just have fun with this!

Yeah. And the last album sounds fucking fun. It’s really good.

Thank you. Okay. It’s good.

It’s okay. I’m done.

Oh, you’re done? That’s it?

Yes.

What the fuck?

Watch ‘HOT ONE’ (Mischievous Summer) below: