There has been no stone left unturned by hip-hop writers over the past year when dissecting the impressive, bordering on historic output of Future. Releasing six projects since October of 2014, the Atlanta luminary is on a manic pace and with each collection sparking widespread dialogue, it’s hard not to blame Future for striking while the iron is hot in an industry that shows no mercy when chewing and spitting out rappers once their buzz dies down. And while Future’s pedigree is much more solidified than victims who usually suffer from this fate, it doesn’t mean he’s immune from fickle criticism. The universal praise of memorable works such as Monster, Beast Mode, 56 Nights, and Dirty Sprite 2 hit a roadblock upon the release of Future’s latest project Purple Reign, which received mixed reviews and marked the inevitable moment of new Future hive members questioning how much music is too much music. Not fazed in the slightest bit, Future recently linked up with another sought after figure in DJ Khaled to release his new album EVOL via Apple Music, a well-deserved achievement for an artist who maintains his position atop the trap throne amongst a large crowd of imitators. Showing no hesitation in reinventing the wheel of his own creation, Future on EVOL is in uniform with the persona we know all too well at this stage of his run and depending on your viewpoint, the album offers either a sizeable grouping of new records to place on your Future playlists or unmemorable tracks that you swear you’ve already heard before.
After a short hiatus, Future welcomes us back into his materialistic realm of decadence on Southside-produced intro “Ain’t No Time and the topics discussed on EVOL as a whole follow the ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’ formula of money, sex, drugs, and relishing in the madness of it all. While previous Future projects have instances in which he drowns in covertly disguised displays of emotional anguish, EVOL is mostly void of repentance and sticks to delivering tracks rooted in his commercialized hedonism. Vulgarity is at an all-time high on records such as “In Her Mouth” featuring a bawdy chorus ‘I’m tryna f*ck the DA lady in her mouth though, hit some R&B sh*t on the jet though’ and a drug initiation amongst ‘3 exotic broads’ takes place on the spellbinding Metro Boomin/Southside-produced “Xanny Family”, neither of which should come as a surprise to those who have been dedicated in immersing themselves into Future’s land of the untamed. Regardless of whether you place personal significance into Future’s claims of artistic ascendance, his Auto-Tuned and mumbling flow convincingly inculcates its recurrent messaging to the point that it becomes gospel in the minds of his supporters.
While Future’s lyricism remains fixed within its comfort zone, the production on EVOL is largely responsible for creating the records that should prove to have longer lifespans. “Lil Haiti Baby” is a standout in this respect as Future accentuates his kingpin disposition over a towering instrumental courtesy of Ben Billions as well as an up-tempo head nodder “Seven Rings” (prod. TM88), which commemorates Future’s hot streak of releases and provides an ideal sonic backdrop for his surefire delivery and well-placed Robert Horry references. Considering EVOL is an official album release, the track most well-suited to be latched onto as a fan-favorite is single “Low Life”, which succeeds thanks to a welcomed feature from The Weeknd, who specializes in depicting scenes of excessive indulgence and alongside Future, the two prove to be a perfect match as they transform luxurious hotels into poor houses. The usual cast of characters behind the boards (Metro Boomin, Southside, DJ Spinz, etc) continue to construct gripping trap soundscapes, differing just enough from Future’s previous releases to make EVOL an interesting listen the first time around.
By the time Future wraps up his latest dish of material with a guitar-laced outro “Fly Shit Only”, we once again become fully acquainted with the lavish ‘savage time’ lifestyle of Atlanta’s current torchbearer. Evaluated as a full body of work, EVOL doesn’t suffer from any glaring missteps, but it expectedly lacks the special thrills and excitement of Future’s 2015 releases. It’s most potent offering are enjoyable and replay-worthy, yet are unlikely to pass the test of time like anthems such as “March Madness” and “Codeine Crazy”. This is a classic case of oversaturating the market and while by no means does Future take a loss with EVOL, he is walking on a tight rope and risks agitating his new listeners if he keeps up his torrent pace with only mediocrity to show for it. Nevertheless, Future’s core following is committed to the cause and this support system will embrace new material from Future as he sees fit to deliver it. One has to wonder how long Future will be able to ride his seemingly never-ending wave, but as of now we are still all here for it and EVOL is simply the newest ring for Future to sport as he celebrates his ongoing dominance.
Repeatable: “Low Life” (feat. The Weeknd), “Seven Rings”
Skippable: “Program”
Purchase: iTunes