Singular rap genius returns...
"Article published in Clash Magazine. Author: Robin Murray."
Future is unstoppable. In the past four years alone, the Atlanta, Georgia figure has delivered a spree of rap all-timers, unleashing five (solo and collaborative) album length projects. Matching up with Metro Boomin for a pair of projects this summer, ‘We Don’t Trust You’ and ‘We Still Don’t Trust You’ granted the world Rap’s Greatest Ever Beef (some would say) with Future lighting the fuse then escaping into the shadows.
‘Mixtape Pluto’ is a heavyweight return exactly when it was needed. With the dust settling from those Metro Boomin collaborations he seizes the limelight for himself on a gritty, widescreen selection. It opens with the starting one-two of ‘Teflon Don’ and ‘Lil Demon’ – the former interpolating the Godfather theme before a trap breakdown. ‘Ready To Cook Up’ is a potent dose of audio paranoia, while the cataclysmic ‘Ocean’ boasts stadium-worthy endeavours.
His first solo project since 2022’s ‘I Never Liked You’, ‘Mixtape Pluto’ is beset with jewels. ‘Surfing A Tsunami’ explodes his persona to god-like levels, while the searing ‘Oath’ is a vow of creative independence.
That said, it’s not perfect. Across 17 tracks – and with Future’s current rate of alacrity – there’s bound to some moments that don’t hit as hard as others. The stumbling ‘Plutoski’ for example, seems formless, while ‘MJ’ struggles to make itself heard above the noise.
That said, in a year of rap headlines there’s plenty here to dominate the newsfeeds. During Rap’s Greatest Ever Beef many saw Future as the wisest competitor – get in, get out, and ensure no one can lay a glove on you. There’s another view, however – the Atlanta rapper is just too slick, too fast-moving, and too good to truly bring down. ‘Mixtape Pluto’ offers ample evidence to his continuing singular form of genius.
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