Future - FUTURE

Future
FUTURE
2017
Spotify

FUTURE is the surprise release from the rapper of the same name and a follow up to 2016's EVOL. Now Future has positioned himself as the King of Trap Music and made that particular sound the central focus of all his work. He doesn't stray, and in all honesty why would you? His fans love him and everything He touches eventually turns into a banger at least. However this may be the time where we start to see the cracks in his game. First, the skits, it's 2017 and He is still doing these boring and over long skits. No one has ever laughed at these, no one is clamoring for the hot new skit so why in the hell do people keep doing this shit? I loath the phrase "He should just stick to (fill in the blank)" but Future is not a comedy writer, and it shows. Second, so much of this album sounds just like everything that has come before. The only time we get some new take production wise is on "Draco" where some almost electronica is coupled with the classic trap beat. The next track, "Super Trapper", however has a beat that has been done over and over again. Some of Future's choices then have to be called into question, because someone at his level should never be recycling beats in the slightest bit. "POA" is an almost constant barrage of statements of things Future will or will not do, it is kind of nuts and doesn't create any kind of flow.

"Mask Off" seems like we actually might be getting a look inside at Future's real ideas but instead it begins with Future talking about Molly and Percocet. The title sets you up for for something that it never delivers on. At 17 tracks there has to be some variety in order to keep you interested but from subject matter to the music itself FUTURE is lockstep the entire time. The record is begging for something exciting or something new but it never happens. It is almost like if Lil Jon put out a song that sounded exactly like "Get Low" today, would the world be set on fire? Nope, they would be bored as fuck. It could be argued that FUTURE is Future returning to his street roots and abandoning any kind of pop appeal, which in a way it is, but it doesn't do Future any good to go back in time. For the diehard Trap fans I'm sure this will be in constant rotation, but the appeal to the casual listener is almost zero. "When I Was Broke" one of the last songs tries to be this almost love song, but it just sounds silly. I keep coming back to the same phrase whenever I try to sum up this album and it really does fit, because next time someone asks you about the new Future record just say: "It's Fine".

6.4 out of 10