The first big hip hop album of 2019 has arrived. Atlanta rapper Future released his seventh studio album titled “The Wizrd” on Friday, Jan. 18.
Future grounded himself as one of the giants in the hip hop industry. His last three albums, “Evol” (2016), “Future” (2017) and “Hndrxx” (2017) have all debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard charts. It would not be surprising if this album found its way to the top of the charts as well.
“The Wizrd” falls back on the same hip hop formula that Future used to make his mark as a hip hop legend. The intense club anthems about drug addiction, wealth and partying have changed little since his debut album “Pluto” in 2012. Future understandably doesn’t want to stray away from a combination that has brought him so much success over the past few years. This fear of diverging from his musical roots however, becomes stale after a while.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Future shared the guilt he feels for promoting the use of drugs and lean to the younger generation. This remorse resulted in the rapper supposedly giving up drinking lean for good. The songs “Krazy but True” and “Tricks on Me” offer an insightful look into his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. Surprisingly, this revelation about the potential harmful consequences of glorifying addiction did not stop the rapper from talking about partying the entire rest of the album.
For the most part, all of the 20 tracks on “The Wizrd” blend together. The stuttered lyrics, auto-tuned choruses and loud bass lines that are constantly used make it hard to distinguish between songs. Features by Young Thug and Gunna on “Unicorn Purp” and Travis Scott on “First Off” add a much needed variation from the rest of the album.
Future flaunts his wealth by talking about his array of jewelry in the first single of the album titled “Crushed Up.” The catchy chorus, which repetitively chants about diamonds, could turn this track into one of the more popular of the bunch. An extremely artistic and cinematic music video released on the same day will also be good promotion for this song.
The second single of the album titled “Jumpin on a Jet” once again preaches about a rich lifestyle. Future raps about private jets, fast cars and his favorite topic of them all, expensive jewelry. Even though it isn’t quite as catchy as “Crushed Up,” this single has the potential to be a stand out of this album.
Future has been pushing the same rags to riches narrative ever since he became popular in the hip hop scene. He obviously found a considerable amount of success with the hip hop formula he is using, but the same beats and lyrics can get dry after a while. It would be refreshing to see him step out of his comfort zone and try a sound we’ve never heard before. “The Wizrd” is supposedly an “end of a chapter” in Future’s rap career. Let’s hope his newest chapter is full of fresh music and introspection.
Rating: 2.5/5
Matt Souvigney is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at matthew.souvigney@uconn.edu.
