Future Monster

The first in a trio of album-quality mixtapes released in a five-month blitz between fall 2014 and spring 2015, there’s a solid argument to be made that Monster is Future’s most pivotal project. By the mid-2010s, the wild vocal experiment and infectious, post-Lil Wayne pop-rap that defined Future’s first few years had begun to stagnate. And despite the crossover success of his first two albums, the ATLien’s staying power seemed uncertain. Then came Monster, which was released just before Halloween, and which featured gruesome cover artwork that accurately reflected its contents. Monster is a primal scream from the id, and a total rejection of complacency. The tape’s wounded, snarling songs were born from heartbreak (Future’s engagement to R&B star Ciara had recently imploded). But Monster was also a pronouncement of the kind of artist Future wanted to be: not a pop star, but an anti-hero. And while Monster marks a return to form, it also vaults Future to a new tier of artistry, re-christening him as the king of the toxic-rap banger. “Radical” groans to life like the yawn of an ancient hell-mouth, while “Gangland” presents the rapper as a red-eyed vigilante whipping a Hummer through enemy turf. The Monster squad of producers—which includes Nard & B, Southside and ascendant newcomer Metro Boomin—understood the assignment: Make beats that sound downright sadomasochistic. But for all his insistence that he’s doing just fine on a diet of spite and chemicals, it’s Future’s vulnerability that gives the tape its power. “Throw Away” starts with two minutes of disaffected hedonism until the beat switches to reveal a shattering breakup ballad, with Future’s voice cracking as he wonders if his ex still thinks about him. Then there’s the closing track, “Codeine Crazy”, a TM88-produced masterpiece of lean-drenched anhedonia that could just as easily be called a blues song. It’s a crushing and catchy reminder of Future’s monster talents.