Future Projects Worth Listening to and Those You Need to Skip

With his codeine-soaked warbles, vivid lyrics and unmatched style, Future was one of the defining artists of the 2010s, and after releasing his High Off Life album this past spring and his joint project Pluto x Baby Pluto with Lil Uzi Vert last week, he’s poised to continue changing the game beyond 2020. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s been without his misses.

Like any great artist, Hendrix has had his fair share of artistic wins and losses. The wins come when he’s open and honest and steers away from trap clichés. When he combines vivid, unapologetic bars with potent crooning, you know he’s in his bag. DS2 is considered to be the Atlanta rapper’s premier project, from anthems like “F*ck Up Some Commas” to the rattling banger “I Serve the Base.” “Tried to make me a pop star and they made a monster,” Future raps on the latter track. No truer words spoken. The multiplatinum-selling rapper has proven to be a beast in the booth.

However, at times, he can stumble into the pitfalls of the trap genre or get tripped up by big collabs that don’t land the way they should. Those constitute some of his misses—or, in other words, the skips. Depending on how one fan might look at it, Future and Drake’s What a Time to Be Alive could be a skip or a listen. Sure, it’s got some dope songs, but with some thematic disjointedness, there is definitely room for criticism when it gets down to it. If you’re a die-hard Young Thug fan, there’s a chance you rock with Thugger and Future’s Super Slimey mixtape, but critics weren’t too enthusiastic about the project and a lot of fans didn’t like it.

Today, XXL takes a look at Future projects and offers up verdicts on whether you should listen or skip. Peep the breakdown below.