Quite why Future is so popular, critically acclaimed even, might seem a bit of a mystery at first. On the surface, the Atlanta native is a serviceable rapper with little discernible lyrical flair. And, even with the help of auto-tune, he’s a god-awful singer.
On closer inspection, though, it’s clear that his appeal derives from an aesthetic that he has made entirely his own. His world is one of hazy, even ethereal, beats designed to evoke a drug binge, filthy trap rhythms, booming basslines and repeated, disposable vocal hooks.
Future mastered this distinctive sound through mixtapes like ‘Monster’ and ’56 Nights’, creating tracks that were grimier than anything being released by his southern contemporaries Young Thug and Juicy J.
Taken as club music, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that but ‘Evol’, his eighth project in the last two years alone, unfortunately brings nothing new to the table. Scrutiny of Future’s lyrics wouldn’t usually require more than a couple of sentences, but he offers even less in the way of content than usual here, spending much of his time bragging about money and “drinking codeine like wine”.
Whether lyricism really matters in Future’s world of drugs and debauchery may be a moot point, but the production isn’t up to much either. The mixing is unusually jarring on Maybach and Photo Copied, with the high-end arpeggiated synths particularly headache-inducing. Elsewhere, Lie to Me reveals that the trap ballad may be the most horrific fusion since crunkcore.
The brightest moments tend to occur when Future follows the advice laid out by his better mixtapes and simply allows for space in the mix. By placing his slurred refrains amid a subtler instrumental, the atmospheric Xanny Family is the closest thing to a banger on this album. Low Life is also passable, thanks largely to the Weeknd’s feature breaking up the monotony. Notably, Abel Tesfaye also proves that there are artists out there who can pull off Future’s style better than he can.
Though Future has deservedly received plaudits for pushing an original sound, he’s becoming lazier with each release. ‘Evol’ is a boring, repetitive and forgettable album that will only appeal to club-goers or those who can’t get enough of hearing the same thing ad nauseam.
Future’s previous projects suggested that there was scope for trap to expand and that it wasn’t a limited sub-genre. Given the quality of recent work by Freddie Gibbs and A$AP Ferg, it’d be unfair to suggest that isn’t still the case. But, if Future is going to release half-baked albums every 20 minutes, it’s unlikely that he’ll continue to be seen as an innovator for much longer.
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