One thing is always true about the Atlanta rap game, “It has refused to be ignored on a national and global scale.”
There has been a lot of recent focus on the artistic creations from Atlanta — such as Donald Glover’s TV series “Atlanta,” which centered itself around a rapper’s career, along with the new, hard-hitting Atlanta-based trio, Migos. With Atlanta’s time and history of the rap game being so strong, there was no doubt that Future would be cooking up something good.
But it isn’t your mother’s home cooking. Future just released his newest album and named it after himself. Usually this would seem like a selfish move, but he now has more than 250 songs and is not showing signs of slowing down. Sometimes people just really love creating, and after creating his own label it was obvious he was not going to be tamed. Freebandz is the name, and it has been blowing up since creation.
FUTURE begins with a quite relatable first song. Though most college students don’t have “broads on each side,” and “pounds and bricks,” most do chat about trying to make money for rent as he does in “Rent Money.” He maintains the same flow that he is known for and put the album together without any big features this time. Future has some shout outs to Gucci Mane and others in the next song, “Good Dope.” It is a short and sweet interlude that reflects on his hustle.
There are many skits scattered throughout the first couple songs that should not be looked over; they seem to keep the album a bit “less dark and heavy.” Among the drugs and car references present throughout the next few songs, there was one song that eluded to what the album was about. “POA,” is an acronym for “power of attorney,” and takes a step away from the political and drug chatter. The album is just a story that explains what he has been up to in between releases. If only there was a switch up in style, it would be easier to see where Future is moving as a rapper.
Being his first release in 2017, he seems to be less interested in self-evaluation. With his iconic trap style coming out again in “Super Trapper,” and “Scrape,” it is apparent that the year will be a testament for him. People are still numb to the style of artists when they find what people like and just stick with it.
Future has one characteristic, though, that keeps some interest in his stories. He has always been at his peak, when switching between moments of success and painful self-awareness. This is reflected well in the final two songs of the album, “When I Was Broke” and “Feds Did a Sweep.” Future reflects on his past and current relationships.
Being part of a genre that is highly competitive, and constantly losing focus in a generation of short attention spans, there may be a purpose behind Future’s style of putting out a lot of content. He now has released clips of another collaboration with Chance the Rapper titled, “My Peak.” Along with this, Future has also alluded to the fact that he is releasing another album by the end of this week.
Stay tuned, and watch out for the No Body’s Safe tour that will be in full swing this summer.
