All right, so I was cruising down the street when I got the notification on my phone that a new Denzel Curry album had popped up on YouTube Music. Of course, I was excited, because his previous outings have been really good. I really like the raw grittiness of his style. I was introduced to Denzel a few years ago by one of my students, and I haven’t turned back since.
So when I saw Denzel Curry pop up, I was instantly excited. But lo and behold, it was *Strictly for the Scythe* — and it’s actually from the group The Scythe. If you’re unaware, The Scythe is a newly formed supergroup of sorts, with the likes of Denzel Curry, TiaCorine, A$AP Ferg, Bktherula, and Key Nyata. The album also features SadBoi, Rich the Kid, 1900Rugrat, Juicy J, and Laser Dim 700.
I was really stoked to see this come up. It’s a quick little eight-track album, just 29 minutes long. When I saw that the Emperor was looking for a review on it, I said I’d take a look. At first, I didn’t give it a fair shake. I believe the words I sent to the Emperor after maybe the first listen were, “Dang, this new Denzel album kind of sucks.” But I definitely didn’t give it the proper shake. After listening to it three or four times, I’ve got some notes.
This album is kind of like a roller coaster of HYPE highs and ‘meh’ lows. If you think 2010s Southern grim mix tape you’ll be just fine. If you think you are getting a new Denzel album like I did, you’ll likely have similar sentiments.
First of all, the opening track is GAS. It’s a solid opening. It’s the strong bookend. You know how bookends work: there’s one on one side, a bunch of books in the middle, and then another one on the other side. If one of those bookends is weak, the whole stack can slide. This opening track is definitely the strong one.
It’s got a really catchy, grimy, gritty beat, and that’s going to be a theme throughout the rest of the album: grime, grit, Southern UGK, Bun B style vibes — just that down-south dirt and grit that I’ve come to love over the years. It’s really catchy. “F*** with the Scythe, you’ll get sliced” goes hard. I found myself coming back to it over and over. There are also some good features from Ferg, and pretty much any track A$AP Ferg is on, he tends to carry a little bit.
Now, there was a track being hyped up called “Lit Effect.” That seemed to be the main one people were excited about. I’m not going to lie — it’s just not for me. It didn’t really do it for me. A lot of these songs feel like they’re 50 or 60 percent chorus, with a couple of lines and then a repeat after a few bars. That works for some people, but for me, it makes certain tracks feel a little thin.
After the first track, though, the third, fourth, and fifth songs are where the album really hits its stride. Those are the high highs for me. Honestly, the whole album feels like it’s bound to be sampled by Phonk artists around the nation. Yes, P-H-O-N-K is a music genre and this album is just begging for phonk remixes. “Phony” is very Bone Thugs-n-Harmony meets down-south grit. It bops in the speakers. You can drive to it. If you were driving somewhere and had this album on, you’d probably skip tracks two, six, and eight depending on your mood.
“Phony” is really where it starts to click for me. I really enjoy the Key Nyata verse and the third verse on that song. “Mutt That Bih” definitely has a lot of quotable lines that twenty-somethings would be screaming in the club or yelling out with their friends while getting hyped up. But honestly, the last minute of “Mutt That Bih” is all you need. Other than that, you’re not missing much.
This whole album is laced with FERG callouts, chants and overall samples from what I believe are some of his previous outings. Moving on, “Hoopty” has that New Orleans bounce flavor that was big in the early 2010s. I really enjoy bounce music and bounce dance choreography, so “Hoopty” really works for me.
As the album moves along, you get an Akon-like party anthem with “You Ain’t Gotta Lie,” which can absolutely be a bop if you’re in the right mood. It has that early-2010s club anthem energy.
Then “Tan,” with Bktherula and TiaCorine, is catchy, but it’s also really repetitive and kind of derivative. Ultimately, the last two tracks need help lifting the rest of the album.
It’s like if you only go to the gym and never do leg day. The last two tracks are skipping leg day, and this album needs strong legs to stand on. I honestly think a little more rearranging would have helped it. I don’t think “Tan,” “Up,” and “You Ain’t Gotta Lie” are the best base to build the album on.
Looking back, I think if you started with “The Scythe,” then moved into “Phony,” “Mutt That Bih,” “Hoopty,” and ended there, you might be in a better spot. With a little reevaluation, “Tan,” “Up,” and “You Ain’t Gotta Lie” could probably move up to three, four, and five, so the album opens with two hype songs, then shifts into the club anthems, and finishes with “Mutt That Bih,” “Phony,” and “Hoopty” to end strong.
I do think twenty-somethings would enjoy this album. It’s very quotable, and the choruses lean into the kind of vernacular that new-gen listeners really connect with. Denzel and this group have clearly locked in with their fan base. Personally, though, Strictly for the Scythe is more of a mixed bag. There are definitely some tracks I’d give a seven or eight out of ten, but as a whole, the album is probably around a six or six-and-a-half out of ten.
The standout tracks for me are track one, “The Scythe”, “Phony”, “Hoopty”, and “You Ain’t Gotta Lie,” if you’re into that kind of thing. Fifty percent isn’t bad. I’ve heard worse albums, but this is definitely one where I’d skip a few tracks. I might throw a couple of these on a playlist of grimy Southern beats, but other than that, that’s my thought process on it.
Yeah, I appreciate you guys listening along with me, and I appreciate you guys reading along on my first album review.