Robin Murray Gem Stokes Sarah Shodipe Oshen Kieran Future is one of America’s iron-clad rap brands. The artist’s breakthrough was propelled by his frenetic work-rate, building a bulging catalogue that includes around 15 full-length projects. At times, it can seem as though Future is skating effortlessly on ice – the way 2015’s ‘DS2’ for example, was accompanied by a blockbuster Drake collaboration, ‘What A Time To Be Alive’. At others, though, the bombast, the braggadocio, and the lacklustre quality control can be difficult to swallow – take the divisive Juice WRLD collab ‘WRLD On Drugs’ as an example.
‘I NEVER LIKED YOU’ follows a decidedly un-Future break in his discography – his first full length studio album in two years, there are even rumours of a mysterious, quick-fire follow up lurking in the background. 16 tracks, the length of each song is kept trimmed, giving the record a scattergun experience. As a result, the opening is frenzied: ‘712PM’ and ‘I’M THAT N***A’ are arena-smashing returns, a terrific one-two that encapsulates Future at his most illicit and intoxicating. – ‘GOLD STACKS’ is a powerful entry into the mid-section, the incisive bars matched to fluttering studio effects on top of the rolling trap beats. ‘HOLY GHOST’ offers elements of introversion, a theme echoed by ‘LOVE YOU BETTER’ and its lyrics of regret.
Yet there’s a lack of focus at play on ‘I NEVER LIKED YOU’. After the intensity of the opening tracks the pulse slows, and the guest spots aren’t used effectively. Drake’s Lionel Messi referencing bars are cheesy – even by his own standards – while Gunna and Young Thug can’t save the forgettable ‘FOR A NUT’.
That said, there remains seams of gold at play in Future’s work. The eerie, dark, paranoid ‘KEEP IT BURNING’ boasts a feral Kanye West feature; following on the heels of Ye’s work on the new Pusha T record, it’s a sign that in spite of the wayward headlines you can never write Yeezy off.
There’s a curious irony in Future closing the album with ‘BACK TO THE BASICS’; in many ways, ‘I NEVER LIKED YOU’ stutters because it plays too close to the script. The punk-edge, the disrespect for norms that pushed Future’s unabashed style to the forefront in that 2014 – 2016 period feels stunted here, on an album that feels crowded out by his own catalogue. It’s not a bad record – the highs more than justify your entrance – but with a rumoured follow up on the way, perhaps it’s time for Future to break a few of his own rules once more.
6/10
Words: Robin Murray
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