If you’re looking for a revolutionary new group, here to change the game, The Scythe probably aren’t it. If you want Denzel Curry, friendship, and nostalgic bangers, then strap in for a great time.
Release date: March 6, 2026 | Loma Vista | Bandcamp | Website
This was not a difficult sell. Denzel Curry, FERG (formerly A$AP Ferg), TiaCorine, Bktherula, and Key Nyata. The Scythe. Eight tracks of a new group made up of artists I already liked. I knew what I was signing up for, and in large part I got exactly what I wanted, and I loved the surprises even more.
Strictly 4 The Scythe is the poppiest and most commercially friendly project Denzel has ever made. The pivot to do so largely pays off in some of the best tracks on the album, and it’s in no small part due to the massive improvement in Denzel’s hook-game all over the album. I love how anthemic “HOOPTY” is; it’s very reminiscent of Vince Staples on some of the bigger tracks on FM!, where the mid-2000s nostalgia is so worked into the fabric of the track it becomes impossible to resist. Denzel’s hook is one of the best of his career, and I love Smino’s verse – he’s always a great feature.
Speaking of 2000s nostalgia influenced bangers, “YOU AINT GOTTA LIE” is the best track on the album to me. It sounds just like something Akon, T-Pain, or any of the pop/r&b/rap fusion artists of the era that shall not be named would have turned into a decade long radio staple. LuhTyler is perfect for the track; he complements everything perfectly. Denzel sounds so much like Future crooning on the hook for “UP”. The track is focused on giving FERG a chance to shine, and he delivers even though Rich the Kid’s verse is a bit iffy. “TAN” really leans hard into some of the early Playboi Carti/Lil Uzi Vert rage vibe. It’s hard to miss. Bk name drops him and WLR. Also really sounds like MadeinTYO here. Could not get it out of my head.
It won’t shock you to hear that beyond some of the poppier and mainstream influences on Strictly 4 The Scythe, Denzel and company frequently celebrate some of the Dirty South rappers that have been so influential to their work. Juicy J, who along with the rest of Three 6 Mafia ranks high on Denzel’s most influential acts, provides a lot of energy on “PHONY” and FERG is able to give his best performance on the album to complement it. You can hear a lot of influential Southern rap hits on the intro “THE SCYTHE”; it’s very bassy and The Scythe’s main three rappers, especially Tia, kill it. “MUTT THAT BIH” rips too, 1900Rugrat actually steals the track with one of the more memorable verses of Strictly 4 The Scythe.
I’ll be a bit honest though, The Scythe doesn’t always feel like a ‘group’ per se. There’s unarguably a main character (Denzel) collaborating with a number of his friends, and the results are strong, but if Denzel doesn’t feel like doing another of these would you hear from them again? Almost certainly not. I like “TAN” but it’s not exactly very original to imitate Carti in the one standalone moment.
It may not be the boldest comparison considering FERG’s inclusion in both, but Strictly 4 The Scythe reminds me a lot of the A$AP Mob collab projects. Hell of a lot of fun, a lot of great rappers coming and going, maybe a bit eclectic, but still with a number of tracks that’ll stick with you for a long time. The Cozy Tapes especially did an excellent job both merging different members of A$AP together and bringing in some outside friends like Tyler, The Creator, Uzi, or the triple group posse cut on “What Happens”, and I still come back to a number of those tracks. All that applies to The Scythe. This’ll be a project I keep in rotation for a while, and even if the over-the-top ‘wow’ factor isn’t there, its steady enjoyability is.
