Rating: NNNN
Future‘s name is a bit of a misnomer. His guests are not-so-futuristic 90s standbys R. Kelly and Snoop Dogg, and he still likes the sound of Auto-Tune, so he’s not exactly George Jetson.
But Pluto nicely refreshes current rap trends and offers some genuinely forward-thinking hooks.
Yes, Future owes lots to the past – particularly his spaced-out Atlanta predecessors OutKast. But he’s concocted an amazing update of Deep South rap that sounds like an intergalactic Pimp C, with church organs, rattling drums and laser noise.
Rather than being motivated by nostalgia, Future seems to live and breathe his heroes’ knack for taking risks and getting returns.
He also has a street gravitas not heard since Young Jeezy came out of Atlanta a decade ago. On street hit Tony Montana, a menacing but outrageous single, he makes guest Drake sound like Kreayshawn.
All his best traits come together on album closer You Deserve It, an ode to hard work, commitment and patience – because the future doesn’t happen all at once.
Top track: You Deserve It
