The balance Future was able to achieve between quantity and quality in 2015 was a major headline throughout the year, deservingly so considering the potency of universally praised anthems (“Codeine Crazy”, “March Madness”, etc) that have fueled his series of overindulging mixtapes. Future faithful saw their styro foam cups refilled with consistency and after partnering with Drake to leave the masses appetized with What A Time To Be Alive, it didn’t take long for devout fans to speculate which project would arrive next. Since a fiend always needs their fix, Future wasted no time in delivering his first project of the year Purple Reign, which cleverly arrived right before the Carolina Panthers took on nemesis Russell Wilson’s Seattle Seahawks. The ‘purple umbrella with raindrops’ emoji took over social media upon the release of the tape, but reactionary first opinions regarding the music itself have proved to be mixed. It’s hard to expect Purple Reign to recapture the magic of previously lauded projects such as Monster and while this mixtape can be fairly categorized as simply more of the same from Atlanta’s fan-favorite supplier, the high wavers between wearing off and pulling you back in with the substance-induced bliss that Future specializes in.
As Purple Reign takes off, we are greeted with several familiar faces behind the boards with producer mainstays such as Metro Boomin and Southside playing prominent roles. And just as in previous releases, their resounding sonic backdrops are a nice match for Future’s commentary on his never-ending spiral of vices, riches, and staying true to himself in order to somehow make sense of it all. However, the more distinctive production this time around comes from others invited to the party such as Jon Boii, who contributes a rattling instrumental on “Never Forget” for Future to describe how drugs played a role on many branches of his family tree with the message of ’I had to take a loss to cherish this shit’ particular resonating amidst all the kush smoke and promethazine. Past Future collaborators Nard & B (“Runnin Through A Check”, “Throw Away”) also deliver a Purple Reign standout “Inside The Mattress” as Future finds himself ‘working everyday craftin’ in the zone he has masterfully created for himself, vividly depicting how he ‘came from the trenches and turned into art’. So although Future’s content on Purple Reign may be on the repetitive side, he still manages to provide unique moments of observation that stick with the listener who is willing to stay on board.
Unfortunately, Purple Reign does suffer from more filler when compared to his past projects. Avid Future fans will undoubtedly experience an enjoyable journey throughout the 13 track collection, but songs such “Bye Bye” and “Run Up” don’t offer anything memorable to the more casual listener who is well aware of Future’s style, but not personally invested in his each and every word. But just as in every Future release of the past two years, his most emotionally moving music arrives when candid introspectiveness takes a front-seat over the brags of riches/bottles/jewelry. Purple Reign ends on a strong note in this respect, with the piano-laden “Perky’s Calling” and lean/girlfriend personified closer “Purple Reign” effectively hitting at the core of Future’s current status in the game, an artist who has embraced his demons in order to create the music he knows his fans want to hear.
Future’s reflections prove to be powerful and while determining how much of Future’s drug addiction is persona-based as opposed to real life struggle is difficult, the inspiration feels authentic and between his knack for hypnotic melodies as well as well-oiled chemistry with his producers, we can’t help but come back for more. Evaluated in comparison to the likes of Monster and 56 Nights, Purple Reign is middle-of-the-road not because Future executes poorly, but more so because listeners can’t help but feel like they are being oversaturated with recurrent content. Nevertheless, the mixtape has several enjoyable records worthy of replay value because whether you love Future or are tired of him, he has found his niche and is running with it in pristine form. Ultimately, Purple Reign won’t have the lifespan of other albums in Future’s catalog, but more output is surely on the way and while people will continue to gossip about the realness behind the drug-consuming character he portrays, the mixtape is more importantly another example of his undeniable work ethic and the successful path he has paved for himself.
Repeatable: “Perky’s Calling”, “Purple Reign”
Skippable: “Bye Bye, “Run Up”
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