Mystikal is moving from the arachnid family to the royal family.

For his follow-up to last year's Tarantula, the Louisiana rapper will

declare himself The Prince of the South.

Although Mystikal just hit the studio with longtime producer KLC (Ludacris,

Destiny's Child), he said at Tuesday's BET Awards he expects to release the

album before the end of the year (see [article id="1455416"]"Ja

Rule, Missy, B2K Win, Suge And Snoop Exchange Words At BET Awards"[/article]).

As for the direction of The Prince of the South, the rapper is

sticking with his signature sound — a blend of Dirty South beats and

James Brown-like vocals.

"I'm gonna do what I do. Y'all know what I bring. Danger!" Mystikal said,

referring to his hit single "Danger (Been So Long)." "I kind of let the

beats guide it. You know, ... as long as the music is hot, it's gonna be a

slammin' album."

Mystikal released Tarantula in December and scored with the hit

"Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against the Wall)" (see [article id="1451480"]"Mystikal Screams On Bin Laden But Keeps Party Vibe On

Tarantula"[/article]). Since then, he has been featured on soundtracks for

"Blade II" and "The New Guy."