REVIEW: FUTURE - MIXTAPE PLUTO

4/5

Pluto Nash

What a time to NOT be alive in rap! Drake just got lyrically assaulted by Kendrick Lamar for the stranger things that happen in his personal life. Meanwhile, after being raided by the Feds, music mogul and bad boy Diddy faces life imprisonment for a series of some of the most heinous crimes you would never want to think of. Seeing the video of what he did to Cassie (I couldn't watch), or what Dawn Richard wrote (I shouldn't have read) is enough to swear you off the entertainment industry for life. Especially with a rumoured rap sheet of the awful and abhorrent lifestyles of some of the rich and famous, longer than his bill for baby oil, expected to come to light.

The future does not look good. Fortunately for us, Future still seems like one of the bright spots in hip-hop. Even though those who hated tried to bring his mumble core rap generation down. They really won't like the 'MJ' track that moon sleepwalks, sounding like Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn just woke up like this, with Jordan eyes. Nevertheless, Atlanta's Cash returns with his seventeenth mixtape, two years after his ninth album 'I Never Liked You' racked up the Grammy nominations. But after all that, even so, as they say, mixtape Future is different. Especially with a J.Cole amount of features. Like the King on the Cavaliers, as he puts the sword in the stone, going 'Beast Mode' with another 'Monster' mix. Get your tape decks ready for 'MIXTAPE PLUTO' on the 808s. Another Freebandz Epic, shot gunned by the single 'TOO FAST', as an illuminating, trademark purple reign like the Lakers, emits from this princes castle of a haunted house just in time for Halloween. From 'LIL DEMON' to 'AYE SAY GANG', these are the real scary hours this season.

Making waves, 'SURFING' through his signature sound that you can just press play on ('PRESS THE BUTTON'), even though you can't with Puff, this is another classic tape from the legend of them, that took over from the locks of Lil' Wayne. This 'TEFLON DON', lets it all slide off him, smoother than a 'SKI' slope with the flow. It's his instrument 'READY TO COOK UP', all to his own planet 'PLUTOSKI' for his out of this world sound. You got that, broski? Just track after track of railroading the game. 'OCEAN' flows the same, as the birds over the beat sound like something out of a horror movie for this thriller dialled to eleven with no A Minor in sight. Hold up, on the big booming bass beat of 'BRAZZIER', Future raps "Keep it cool, don't front the mood, play the back, yeah/My n####s ain't no construction workers, but they love playin' with sand (Woo)/I just bust down another Rol' and put emeralds in the band (Yeah)/Touchin' down in Wakanda, goin' international on the 'Gram ('Gram)." Forever. Each cut is like a kill for this 'monger.

After his duology withe Metro Boomin ('We Don't Trust You', and the sequel 'We Still Don't Trust You', although it's only been a couple of months, guys), Future's seventeen tracks for his seventeenth mixtape (and his first in six years since 'Wrld On Drugs' with Juice WRLD) are enough to take him to the 'SOUTH OF FRANCE', merci beacoup. Produced primarily by Southside and Wheezy from 'MADE MY' to 'TOLD MY', this is an outstanding 'OATH' like "I went rags to riches just goin' ballistic". Breaking it down for 'LOST MY DOG' like a Weezy F. Baby 'Miss My Dawgs', over, "Lost my dog to fentanyl/I go up and I cry for you/Love you so much, I'd die for you/Lost my lil' homie to a gang war/I don't cry, I go slide for you," and haunting harmonies. It's been a big New Music Friday, especially with women in music. From pop superstars like Katy Perry and Nelly Furtado. But who would have thought the best album would be a mixtape? Somebody who saw the future as far as Pluto, that's who. Eminem, Common and Pete Rock, Lupe Fiasco, Big Sean, Childish Gambino, Rakim, LL Cool J and this week MC Lyte. It's also been a time for rap releases. And just like Lyte said she was '1 Of 1', this work shows that there is nothing to look forward to quite like the Future. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Playlist Picks: 'Too Fast', 'MJ', 'South Of France'.

Spin This: Future 'Beast Mode'.