The rapper Future has purchased brand new cars with digital dashboards more than a few times — and in his newest release, EVOL, he’s letting everyone know.
The Atlanta native has had a loyal following since the release of one of his first mixtapes, Dirty Sprite, but it was his collaboration with Toronto rapper Drake that thrust him into the spotlight in September. Now, Future has released his seventh highly acclaimed project, which he refers to in the song “Seven Rings.”
Future is prominent in the rap community for a few things like his signature cadence, flaunting of wealth and slurred, sloppy style. All three make an appearance on EVOL, though he certainly doesn’t limit himself to these modes of expression.
In fact, an oddity occurs in “Seven Rings,” In the first verse, Future scraps his usual, somewhat repetitive flow in favor of something different. Rather than bombard listeners with line after line, he pauses before spitting the last word. Though the song is still a bit dry as a whole, it’s a lot better with this new approach.
Future continues to rap about killing his haters and purchasing expensive vehicles and liquor, but at times he tones it down. On “Lil Haiti Baby,” he proudly expresses his loyalty to his colleagues in the Little Haiti community in Miami by spitting, “Oh you want my life, that’s la famil, that’s all I know.”
He gets even softer on “Lie to Me,” when he declares,“I got way way too many issues / Some are coming out on the Internet.”
If it seems like those last two lines don’t rhyme, or even fit well rhythmically, it’s because they don’t. Though it doesn’t end up sounding terrible, Future definitely has to stretch to make the lines sound right together.
As far as instrumentals go, one can expect heavy bass on any one of Future’s songs. “Lil Haiti Baby” is a perfect example of a typical Future beat, sounding more like a high school football recruiting song than a legitimate track — though it is pretty hot.
But, “Xanny Family,” while still maintaining a heavy bassline, manages to escape the booty shaking beats Future’s producers have created. Instead, darker, quieter themes emerge, a fitting background for lyrics detailing multiple drug- addicted women performing sexual favors for a fix.
The Weeknd’s silky vocals provide a nice contrast to Future’s raspy voice on “Low Life,” an ode to the life of drugs and money. A bit slower and less in-your-face than the rest of the album, the song serves as a nice, relatively calming outro to the album.
Future hasn’t pioneered anything new in EVOL, but he has proven himself a worthy contender in the world of trap music. EVOL represents a rich, eccentric and somewhat pained rapper who has found a formula and, for the most part, stuck to it.
Don’t expect to stop hearing Future’s blaring music anytime soon, or to sound much different.
