Future has officially changed the rap game. He managed consistently to release multiple albums and mixtapes a year, and he’s upped that benchmark by releasing two solid albums in the span of two weeks.
FUTURE spanning 17 songs and running 62:47 helps Future cement his status in the upper echelon of trap artists while paying homage to his old mixtape days. HNDRXX, also with 17 songs and running 68:59 really showcases
Future’s growth as a storyteller as he gives us glimpses into his post-Ciara life. While also proving his growth as an artist as he raps over eclectic beats and showcases his whole range of talents.
FUTURE accomplished two main things. It was a platform on which he proved that his music is timeless as he can easily reintroduce his old sound today and have instant melodic bangers.
The shots aren’t direct, nor are any names mentioned, but subliminal shots are fired. The first song that really gets your head bumping is “Zoom,” with its out-of-left-field beat, quick one-liners and simple, fantastic hook, money machine. The real purpose of this song is to take shots at Desiigner. Future imitates Desiigner’s trademark gunshot noises on the song.
“Super Trapper” accomplished exactly what it was meant to. The gloves come off, a simple snare supplies a majority of the beat, and the words just flow. The skills are there, and this song highlights them perfectly.
The harmonic beat of “Draco” instantly catches your ear and lets you vibe with the song. Don’t get fooled by the easy listening beat, this song is one long shot at Soulja Boy aka “lil Draco.”
“Poppin’ Tags” is a clear shot at Migos as he copies their style. “Mask Off” is the first time Future takes a break from his relentless assault on today’s new rappers to remind us how he really got big — selling molly and Percocet.
It’s unapologetic and honestly the most truthful thing he’s ever put out — or it could just be I’m drawn to that because of my love for Kid Cudi.
On “I’m So Groovy,” Future raps “I am Pluto” and takes us back to his Pluto mixtape days with melodic beats and harmonious auto tune singing thrown in.
His last song on this album, “Feds Did A Sweep,” is uniquely grounded in reality, with Future emphasizing “You gotta understand what I represent...” It serves as a perfect preamble for the next album he would drop in seven days.
HNDRXX starts off with Future Hendrix reminiscing about his lost love, lamenting that even if they never talked again after, they had been part of his collection. Future has never shied away from potentially misogynistic lyrics; Why would he start now? He also doesn’t shy away from rapping over completely different styles of beats.
The first couple songs of the album blend together, but Future flexes his lyrical chops by completely changing up his flows on the trio of songs “Incredible,” “Testify,” and “Fresh Air.”
These songs are a clear departure from the beginnings of this album, as Future turns the focus of the album to himself, rapping about a new change of pace. HNDRXX pays homage to FUTURE as “Neva Missa Lost” serves as a clear continuation of “Feds Did A Sweep”, with Future talking about memories he will never forget.
Far and away the best song on the album was “Selfish,” featuring Rihanna. Future and Rihanna play off of each other perfectly with the song sounding more like a love song than a harmonious rap song. It’s a song I didn’t know the world needed until I heard it.
Working with Drake has clearly influenced Future’s growth as an artist. After using FUTURE as a platform to reintroduce himself to the new blood in the game and taking shots at them, he used HNDRXX as his version of Drake’s Take Care lamenting about girls and laying out his future plans to dominate the game.
Out of the two albums released, there is no clear winner. They are both solid albums, with clear messages and themes but neither of them are doing anything more than adding to Future’s already sizeable list of solid yet non-game changing albums.
