Future is coming to New Zealand! Futurehive member Miriama Aoake breaks down why you should be as excited as she is.
A few weeks ago, my aging but reliable MacBook Pro crashed and burned in spectacular, day-before-assignment-is-due fashion; taking a vast majority of my music collection with it. Work and uni required an immediate replacement and lacking cloud back-up, I found my iTunes completely barren. Thankfully, Future has released a prolific quantity of free and accessible mixtapes which propagated growth in my sonic garden once more.
This isn’t the first occasion when Future has come to my aid. Dirty Sprite 2 was my only companion during my first semester in tertiary education. Monster nourished my boredom working at a minimum-wage job serving ice cream for an entire summer. Beast Mode became the soundtrack of domestic labour, house-sitting in Dunedin.
Future is such a formidable aspect of my day-to-day routine I have seriously contemplated him as a topic for postgraduate study. I relish any and every opportunity to engage in extensive discussions on my love of Future. For the purposes of your attention span, I’ll keep it concise.
1. He’s consistent
Future has emerged as one of, if not the most prolific artists of our time. Since 2010 he’s released 25 solo and collaborative projects, with at least 14 singles reaching gold or platinum status. Surprisingly he received his first platinum record with Stick Talk as late as 2015, but would go on to reach double platinum status with ‘Where Ya At’ from Dirty Sprite 2. Drake was lucky to nab the only feature on the album, prompting the platinum-certified, collaborative mixtape What a Time to Be Alive. From April 2014 to February of this year, he has delivered five albums and five mixtapes. The work ethic that defined his early success has spurred his relentless commitment to surpass his every achievement, with no plans to retire anytime soon.
2. He’s tenacious
Future’s performances have enamoured the reputation of his live shows. Thoroughly modern and unpredictable, he has an energy that emanates from within, bouncing from the DJ (usually Esco), to his dancers and the audience. It is a complete anomaly that everyone present avoids spontaneous combustion. His Summer Sixteen tour alongside Drake eclipsed Jay-Z and Kanye’s Watch the Throne tour for the highest grossing hip-hop tour of all time, earning over $70 million in revenue. After the release of back-to-back albums FUTURE and HNDRXX, he announced the Nobody Safe tour, enlisting Migos, Tory Lanez, Young Thug and A$AP Ferg.
3. He’s collaborated with everyone
It’s easier to compile a list of artists who he hasn’t worked with. He has secured credits for, and this is by no means an exhaustive list; Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, Usher, Calvin Harris, Maroon 5 , Ariana Grande, Gucci Mane, Andre 3000, Migos, Rae Sremmurd, Pharrell, Kanye West, Pusha T, Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, Kelly Rowland, Nelly, The Weeknd, Drake, Young Thug, Travis Scott, 2Chainz, Ty Dolla Sign, Dej Loaf, ASAP Ferg, Jay Z, Jeremih, Ciara, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Ludacris, M.I.A., Trina, Diddy, and Chance the Rapper. His versatility lends him to blend and defy categorisation, though he has developed a penchant for writing in-in-incredible pop hooks. ‘Drunk in Love’ ring any bells?
4. He’s compared to the greatest
Future is constantly negotiating a transitional space between genre, giving him a lot of flexibility in subject matter. Though the Atlanta native’s work confronts and maintains his relationship to a specific, localised culture that is unable to be replicated, his music is accessible to the masses because of the scope of his melody and flow, and his reliance on syncopated, ATLien beats from producers like Esco. To sustain the ability to harness and channel the energy of Atlanta while also taking a unique musical approach, requires an unnatural excess of talent.
With the release of FUTURE/HNDRXX, comparisons were drawn with Prince. Having played the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer in the 2014 biopic, Andre 3000 affirmed Future as the second coming of Jimi Hendrix. Stylistically, Future is considerably different to both Prince and Jimi, but his evolution suggests he is progressing along a similar trajectory.
5. He’s got a song for every occasion
Future’s discography is like a risk management plan that anticipates any possible combination of moods a listener could inhabit. Codeine prescription and buried feelings towards an ex bubbling at the surface? ‘Codeine Crazy’. About to compete for a gold medal at the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics, and on the cusp of becoming a meme? ‘Stick Talk’. A disgruntled employee at Subway dealing with an irrational customer, with a warranted desire to ruin their lunch? ‘Too Much Sauce’. Just had a baby and want to celebrate? ‘Lil One’. Future has accounted for all possible variants to ensure total consumer satisfaction.
To coexist at the same time Future is in his prime seems like a cosmic aberration. Prolific, tenacious and fluid, Future has cemented himself a legacy as one the greatest artists of all time. Being present to witness his ascension to heights most artists can only dream of is indisputable proof of his status as a legend.
What a time to be alive.
Future plays Spark Arena in Auckland on 28 September 2017. Spark Thanks have an exclusive pre-sale for Spark customers, available from 12pm on Tuesday 23 May until 12pm Thursday 25 May.