Future - DS2

Future (Deluxe)
DS2
2015

DS2 is a turn for Future, a rapper that was on the verge of breaking hard into the mainstream. Instead of picking up some high profile producers, a bunch of features and a few club banger tracks Future has done the opposite and gone inward. This record isn't just personal it is on the edge of self aware. Future puts it all on the table his depression, his introspection and his decent into darkness. DS2 is a bit similar to Tech N9ne's most recent album Special Effects in it's ability to connect on a very real level and it's complete embrace of the dark side. The beats, the lyrics and everything in between drips of pain but in a style all Future. The 808s drive the entire record letting long bass bumps rumble your inner core until something breaks loose. The beats often have an early 90s element that you might hear on a Biggie or Tupac track, but it is only a nod to those greats not some kind of way to copy them. This record is also dense, 18 tracks and only one feature Drake on "Where Ya At", Future is putting himself out there without a safety net of some one to hold on to him.

Listening to DS2 is challenging and it is supposed to be but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with how intense these songs can be. The vibe that Future creates can get you lost in rhythm and hypnotic nature trap music and focusing on what He is actually saying can be difficult. However Future disguises his voice much less on DS2, the autotune singing has taken a backseat and Future wants us to hear what He has to say. "Rich $ex" works like a slow jam but there is not a trace of R&B on the track, It is Future's take on the genre much like a Chef deconstructing a BLT. "Trap Niggas" is Futures ode to the mythology of the genre, the tale he wants to spin about his march toward hip hop glory. What he really does well on this album is create a narrative. These lyrics don't just get spit out for nothing to be ingested and moved on from, instead each line builds to other crafting a story wrapped up in album form. Future is making a case for best rapper of the year and if DS2 is only the accumulation of three stellar mixtapes, so He may very well be right.

8.2 out of 10