There are very few artists who rebound from a disappointing sophomore slump, and even fewer who do so solely on the back of mixtapes. Future's Honest, released in 2013, wasn't even a flop-- it spawned his most successful single to date, featured Andre 3000 and had some very solid deep cuts-- but it pales in comparison to what the Freebandz rapper has accomplished in its wake. Monster, Beast Mode and 56 Nights, all released within six months of each other, paired Future's more freewheeling, less structure-oriented vibe from his past mixtapes with more well-curated and consistent production, and are responsible for revitalizing his career.
Now that we've got #FutureHive, people who walk around mumbling "I think 56 Nights crazy" under their breath, and those who spend all day on Twitter asking where Ape Shit is, the pressure's on for Fewtch. The world is apparently ready for his next album, but how can he avoid the same pitfalls as Honest and stay atop this remarkable wave? We've got five suggestions...
More Dungeon Family collabs
It's a little-known fact that Future got his start (under the name "Meathead") as part of a Dungeon Family group called "Da Connect," which was organized by Rico Wade, Future's cousin. We already alluded to the Three Stacks collaboration on Honest, "Benz Friendz (Watchutola)," and that was one of the definite highlights of the album. Mr. DJ, a DF member who produced most of Stankonia alongside Andre and Big Boi, lent production that straddled eras of Atlanta hip hop, making it an all-out Dungeon party. Both Pluto and Honest also had interludes from DF's resident poet laureate, Big Rube, whose appearances on Outkast tracks like "Liberation" are nothing short of legendary.
Now that Future's done a track with veritable rap game unicorn Andre 3000, where can he go from here? Goodie Mob reunion? Blistering Killer Mike guest verse? Or how about the first Outkast reunion on-record since their breakup? It's a tall order, but Future's the one dude who could foreseeably fill it.
Unexpected production choices
The recent mixtapes, especially Beast Mode and 56 Nights, have thrived on impeccably consistent sounds, with Zaytoven and Southside respectively supplying packs of beats that gelled ridiculously well throughout each project. For an album, though, we'd like to hear a bit more than just eight tracks of smooth consistency. Honest was fairly all over the place beats-wise, but there were still a few too many paint-by-numbers trap beats for someone with Future's elevated stature.
So what we're saying is a few less "My Momma" and "Covered N Money"s and a few more like "Look Ahead" (which sampled African duo Amadou & Mariam) and bonus track "Side Effects," which was built around an uncharacteristically wonky instrumental. Future's proved himself more than adept at killing standard trap beats throughout his career, so it's time to step out of the comfort zone and take on some new challenges.
More trippy, less aggressive tracks
When Fewtch first became popping, it was due to shout-rap cuts like "Tony Montana" and "Same Damn Time." He parlayed this style into a few more street bangers, namely "Sh!t," but he seems to have inched away from this in favor of more mumbly, codeine-crazed fare. And that's probably a good thing, considering that Monster's weakest tracks were its most aggro.
Future's subject matter hasn't ever really evolved past drug-taking and girl-slaying, but his delivery has, as he now sounds more comfortable than ever on his tracks. It's similar to Drake's progression, in that he sounds like he's not trying as hard as he used to, and can say whatever he wants. Nobody else can makes lines like "I'm poppin' tags, he poppin' tags, He's swaggy and I'm flashy" sound as good as he can.
It's on tracks like "Codeine Crazy" and the recent "News Or Somthn" where Future's allowed to explore his full vocal range while keeping a hypnotic, psychedelic-tinged vibe. Of course, we'd still welcome a street banger or two, but Future's at his strongest these days when he goes all the way down the rabbit hole.
Fewer obvious, big-name collabs
This might be an unpopular opinion, but the two biggest guest spots on Honest (Kanye on "I Won" and Drake on "Never Satisfied") seemed to fall a bit flat. Hell, Drizzy's verse was even cut off halfway through the album version. Young Scooter, Andre, Pusha T and Pharrell all did better (still on the fence about Khalifa's spot on "My Momma"), but Future's shown us in the past few months that he's more than capable of running shit solo dolo. Is there anyone in the world who prefers the "Commas" remix to the original?
Some smaller or unexpected guests would be welcomed, but the last thing Future needs to do right now is reach for big names. Rick Ross wouldn't add anything to an already-dope Fewtch track, it's almost impossible to imagine Jay Z being able to hang with him on a song, and as much as some people might want it, a Weeknd/Future duet sounds like hell to me. Get some hungry up-and-comer or a rarely-seen veteran on there to surprise people, don't just make the album a who's-who of raps biggest stars as an attention grab.
The title "Future Hendrix"
Future's been talking about calling an album Future Hendrix since 2012, and it was even the working title of Honest before he opted to change it. He didn't give much reasoning behind that decision, but it almost seemed like he was waiting to make a more grandiose project before he wasted that title.
With everyone and their mother calling him the MVP of the rap game in 2015, Future's finally reached that ascendant "rock star" position he's always talked about. The time to capitalize on that is now; this could be his "Star Spangled Banner"-at-Woodstock moment. And hey, "News Or Somthn" even closes with a guitar solo.