REVIEW: Future's self-titled album

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If there has ever been a rap artist who deserves to be called a crooner, it’s Future. However, on his latest self-titled release the crooning is kept at a minimum while debauchery runs rampant.

The east-side trap baron and MC, born Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, is often viewed through a lean-filtered lens, with heavy, dark beats over tales of drug use, depression and means-to-an-end sexual encounters. Yet, the most compelling moments on Future come when the production runs into foreign territory. On “Draco,” samples convey the buzzing sounds of an arcade game. Yet the infectious chorus, “You will never ever get your bitch back,” makes it easily among the most quotable tracks on the record.

Future’s trademark melancholy is replaced by the euphoria of success. “Mask Off” was made for a montage scene in an old western movie, one that follows a drifter searching for the world’s greatest molly and Percocet.

There are even bits of humor sprinkled throughout the album: The skit following “Zoom” undoubtedly takes shots at Future’s chief emulator Desiigner, as Lil Draco and Lil Extendo call in to win a nine-year, 12 album deal from “Cap City Records” amid Desiigner’s infamous gunshot ad lib. Future seems far from angry, though. He’s simply getting a good laugh at the young Brooklyn rapper’s expense.

“Feds Did a Sweep” takes a look back at where he came from (“It’s going to hurt my soul just to reminisce”) and where some of his peers still reside (“Cartier’s I got privilege, see the way my dogs living”).

At its core, Future is a return to the artist's comfort zone. The variations in production are clear high points, but as a whole, the album is a reminder that Future is still the godfather of mumble rap. ★★★☆☆

HNDRXX review coming soon.