One thing you can always count on Denzel Curry to do is honour his Southern rap roots. A proud Floridian and an even prouder rapper, he co-created the Ultraground with fellow rapper-producer Key Nyata. It’s a creative world that builds upon their own cultish, DIY posse-rap past as part of hip-hop collective Raider Klan into a sonic playground where grumbly, cocksure flows and warped, manipulated samples come out and play. Together, Curry and Nyata enlist a rotating cast of rapper friends – Bktherula, Lazer Dim 700, Smino and more – and legendary producer clan Working On Dying to form The Scythe and their chaotic debut, ‘Strictly 4 The Scythe’.
Jumping from New Orleans bounce to jerky, bucked-up crunk to vaporised drift phonk and flashes of powered electronica, ‘Strictly 4 The Scythe’ is the definition of sonically restless. It makes sense that Curry sits at the centre of the record, a spiritual cousin to his 2024 mixtape ‘King Of The Mischievous South Vol. 2’, where he first explored these subgenres. It also builds upon that project’s standout single ‘Hot One’ with TiaCorine and A$AP Ferg, both returning for opener ‘The Scythe’ in their established roles: Curry plays the brazen boss, TiaCorine’s the deceptive femme fatale, and Ferg is the blunt-force enforcer. Together, their egos ricochet off one another into a menacingly enthralling introduction to the larger-than-life characters of the Ultraground.
Other Ultraground affiliates impress too: 1900Rugrat’s gruff on ‘Mutt That Bih’ is harsh yet entertaining against the strung-out melodies of the Working On Dying clan. Former The Cover star Luh Tyler and 454 lock into the addictive phonk-y groove of ‘You Ain’t Gotta Lie’.But the best ode to Southern rap is ‘Phony’, where Curry, Key Nyata and Ferg prowl across eerie organ stabs and tolling bells before the Memphis vanguard Juicy J steps in with signature pimping swagger, turning the track into a generational handoff. Across the tape, one figure repeatedly steals focus: North Carolina’s TiaCorine, whose animated shrill sugar-coats her ballsy lines, like syrup over a switchblade.
There are a few misjudged swings, though. Sometimes, one too many verses are kept in rotation – and often at the expense of Nyata, who’s overshadowed by spunkier collaborators. Then, closer ‘Up’ feels like a musical mismatch: Ferg tries to inject urgency, but Rich The Kid’s lethargy and SadBoi’s vocals become swampy sop over the bellowing 808s for an anticlimactic ending. But, the most disorientating moment of all is the woozy rework of Bktherula’s 2023 single ‘Tan’, where swapping out the bellowing bassline for something lighter dulls the brashness that made the original a hit. It doesn’t help that Bk doesn’t pen a fresh verse to match TiaCorine, who steals the moment entirely: “Hol’ up, Swaggy T / Baby that be me / I’ve been going ham / Egg and cheese.”
Still, when it hits, ‘Strictly 4 The Scythe’ is undeniable. At its best, it’s chaotic, playful and packed with personality, where each voice sharpens the next. Like its namesake, the tape hits like the swing of a scythe: wide rather than precise – not every cut lands cleanly, but enough to make the chaos feel intentional.
Details
- Record label: Loma Vista Recordings
- Release date: March 6, 2026