Source: Album Artwork
A mere three years, a tonne of hits, a good but not great album (we’re just trying to be ‘Honest‘) a Twitter army to rival Beyonce’s #Beyhive, a high profile relationship/ break up and most importantly a mixtape run that’s not been seen since ’07 Lil Wayne. It’s fair to say that Future is one of the hottest names in hip hop. ‘DS2‘ (Dirty Sprite 2) is the sequel to Future’s breakthrough 2011 mixtape ‘Dirty Sprite‘ and is the culmination of all the hype he’s built in 2015.
In October he dropped the ‘Monster‘ mixtape, the first of a three mixtape hot streak that has seen Future dominate. This is down to a sound hinted at on ‘Honest‘ and fully established on the following mixtapes. Future isn’t the most lyrical rapper and honestly that doesn’t matter. There are many rappers who can spit a billion compound syllables without saying really saying anything. Future on the other hand, has atmosphere. Metro Boomin has a lot to do with Future’s new sound. The sound can be traced back to their earliest collaborations ‘We Made Our Own‘ (from the ‘Black Woodstock‘ mixtape) and the title track from his last album ‘Honest‘. When Future and Metro Boomin come together they create an almost haunting sound, that is offset by the heavy trap bass. The result is a woozy, but bouncy blend of trap and screw music that is now a signature sound for Future. This sound contributes heavily to the success of this album.
‘DS2‘ is Future’s best album, which isn’t saying too much, but what makes it great is that how there is zero compromise. The sound he has been building since 2014’s ‘Monster‘ mixtape comes full circle here with opener ‘I Thought It Was A Drought‘ that is heavy with a melody compromised of keys resembling wind chimes. ‘I Serve The Base‘ is 3/4 parts a rattling bassline, but there’s still space left for a low flute to maintain the atmosphere.
What Future lacks in lyrical content he makes up in atmosphere. ‘DS2‘ has all the make up of a mixtape, but the content here is closer to a street album. More thought has gone into each track and how one flows into the next and there is zero filler. Every song is it’s own and not just thrown on to take up space.
This album is 13 tracks of Future making good music. That’s it. There’s no song aimed at the radio, not song for the ladies and songs for the ‘thugs’. Just Future making music specifically for his audience and having fun. ‘DS2‘ is Future at the height of his powers, giving his audience exactly what they want while also raising the bar for all his imitators and undoubtedly starting a new wave in hip hop.
