The Scythe Strictly 4 The Scythe
Released Mar 6, 2026 Loma Vista Recordings
Established consensus 7 professional reviews Updated Oct 1, 2026
Mostly positive consensus
The Scythe's Strictly 4 The Scythe hits with bruising Southern energy and party-ready menace, and across professional reviews critics largely agree its highs are electrifying even when the record never quite gels as a unified statement.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
PHONY (feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata & A$AP Ferg)
5 critic mentions
“The horror-tinged beat feels ripped straight from Mystic Stylez” — Sputnik Music
THE SCYTHE (feat. TiaCorine & A$AP Ferg)
4 critic mentions
“Their egos ricochet off one another into a menacingly enthralling introduction” — New Musical Express (NME)
HOOPTY (feat. TiaCorine & Smino)
3 critic mentions
“Landing between chipmunk soul and snap music with a beat switch.” — The Line of Best Fit
Full critic consensus
The Scythe's Strictly 4 The Scythe hits with bruising Southern energy and party-ready menace, and across professional reviews critics largely agree its highs are electrifying even when the record never quite gels as a unified statement. With a 67/100 consensus score from 7 reviews, reviewers praise moments of genuine posse-rap chemistry while noting a restless, sometimes inconsistent execution.
Critics consistently point to the album's celebration of Southern rap traditions as its strongest asset. Standout tracks repeatedly named by reviewers include “PHONY (feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata & A$AP Ferg)”, “THE SCYTHE (feat. TiaCorine & A$AP Ferg)”, and “HOOPTY (feat. TiaCorine & Smino)” - songs singled out for menacing Memphis-tinged production, gang vocals, and high-energy interplay that evoke Raider Klan and Three 6 Mafia homages. Reviews from The Needle Drop, Sputnik Music, NME, and others highlight how these cuts stitch together nostalgia, horrorcore flourishes, and modern trap bravado into the album's most convincing moments.
At the same time, several critics flag stylistic inconsistency and glossy detours that undercut the collective concept. Pitchfork and The Line of Best Fit describe a record that is fun and ambitious but prone to drifting into solo-style, internet-trap territory on tracks like “TAN (feat. BKTHERULA & TiaCorine)”, reducing cohesion. Consequence and Shatter The Standards counterbalance that view by emphasizing tight runtimes and the record's knack for letting individual voices cut through when the group locks in.
Taken together, the critical consensus frames Strictly 4 The Scythe as an uneven but often thrilling celebration of Southern hip-hop and supergroup dynamics - worth attention for its standout posse tracks and nostalgic Memphis echoes, even if the full concept feels only partially realized.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
THE SCYTHE (feat. TiaCorine & A$AP Ferg)
LIT EFFECT (feat. BKTHERULA & LAZER DIM 700)
PHONY (feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata & A$AP Ferg)
MUTT THAT BIH (feat. 1900Rugrat & Key Nyata)
HOOPTY (feat. TiaCorine & Smino)
YOU AINT GOTTA LIE (feat. 454 & Luh Tyler)
TAN (feat. BKTHERULA & TiaCorine)
UP (feat. Rich The Kid, A$AP Ferg & SadBoi)
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 9 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
The critic foregrounds the group’s collective chemistry and the record’s short, no-wasted-moves runtime as central reasons these are the best songs on Strictly 4 The Scythe. Ultimately the strongest tracks are praised for stitching together eras of Southern rap while giving each member clear space to dominate.
Key Points
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The album’s core strength is its concentrated homage to Southern rap, threading eras into concise, hard-hitting tracks.
Themes
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Critic's Take
In a loose, club-ready way Denzel Curry and company deliver plenty of fun on Strictly 4 The Scythe, but the record rarely adds up to more than the sum of its parts. The result is an album of low-stakes, high-energy fun rather than a fully realized coalition.
Key Points
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The album’s core strength is high-energy Southern production and charismatic individual turns, despite uneven group cohesion.
Themes
Critic's Take
Denzel Curry’s collective project Strictly 4 The Scythe reads like a celebration of Southern rap, and the best songs on the album are the ones that lean into that heritage. Opener “THE SCYTHE (feat. TiaCorine & A$AP Ferg)” establishes the Ultraground’s menacing theatrics, while “YOU AINT GOTTA LIE (feat. 454 & Luh Tyler)” locks into an addictive phonk groove. The tape is chaotic and playful, so the best tracks are those that let each voice sharpen the next.
Key Points
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The album’s core strength is its chaotic, playful celebration of Southern rap voices and collaborations.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a voice that quizzes and celebrates in equal measure, The Scythe's Strictly 4 The Scythe finds its best tracks in the album's biggest, simplest pleasures. The tone is admiring yet wary — messy and overcommitted, but undeniably fun and full of good ideas.
Key Points
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HOOPTY is best because it most cleanly captures the group's referential energy and delivers uncomplicated fun.
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The album's core strength is its bold collage of Southern traditions, even when referential excess causes occasional compositional thinness.
Themes
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Critic's Take
The Scythe’s Strictly 4 The Scythe sells itself on posse-rap nostalgia, and the best tracks prove it - “THE SCYTHE (feat. TiaCorine & A$AP Ferg)” functions as the album’s mission statement with filthy Memphis beats and genuine interplay. The reviewer's voice loves the horror-tinged highlight “PHONY (feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata & A$AP Ferg)”, which summons Juicy J and channels Mystic Stylez energy. “LIT EFFECT (feat. BKTHERULA & LAZER DIM 700)” gets props for Denzel’s stellar verse, though some guests underwhelm, and that inconsistency is why the best tracks sit mostly in the first half.
Key Points
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The best song is “THE SCYTHE (feat. TiaCorine & A$AP Ferg)” because it crystallizes group interplay and Memphis-style production.
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The album's core strength is nostalgic, gritty 90s Memphis energy, but it falters due to stylistic inconsistency and weak group cohesion.
Themes
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Critic's Take
Hi, everyone. The Scythe’s Strictly 4 The Scythe is at its best when it leans into grimy Southern energy, like on “THE SCYTHE (feat. TiaCorine & A$AP Ferg)” and “PHONY (feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata & A$AP Ferg)”, which feel large, cohesive, and hype. The record also lights up on “HOOPTY (feat. TiaCorine & Smino)” with gang vocals and a block-party momentum that showcases TiaCorine and Smino. Yet the album drifts into glossy, internet-trap territory on cuts like “TAN (feat. BKTHERULA & TiaCorine)” and loses collective focus, turning some tracks into standard solo-artist fare rather than a unified posse statement.
Key Points
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The best song is "THE SCYTHE (feat. TiaCorine & A$AP Ferg)" because of its booming beat, cohesive group choruses, and strong guest turns.
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The album's core strength is its grimy, energetic Southern-rap moments, but it loses focus when it drifts into glossy internet-trap.
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Critic's Take
The Scythe sounds deliberate and nocturnal, and on Strictly 4 The Scythe the best tracks come through with the tape's sharpest lines and momentum.
Key Points
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The album's core strengths are consistent murky production, guest highlights from Key Nyata and Bktherula, and palpable group energy.