Future - The WIZRD (Album Review)

The Atlanta and trap rap scenes both have Future to thank for helping put them on the map. While Future’s influence and importance to trap cannot be denied, the consistency of his music isn’t quite so. Future’s had ups and downs in his career, yet it feels like he’s never nailing it. The challenge of being a top influencer in a genre seems to get to Future in Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD as filler dominates the record even while he employs current trends.

To keep on top, you have to prove that you’re able to adapt to an ever-changing landscape of music. Hip-hop especially is prone to trends, and Future makes sure to jump on some of them on The WIZRD. This is when the music on The WIZRD shines; particularly because it involves the beats. The highlight of this record is ‘F&N,’ where Future actually delivers consistently throughout the track. From the flow to the beat change, everything about ‘F&N’ makes it one of the album’s most successful tracks. Future also managed a Travis Scott feature in ‘First Off,’ which is another solid track all around, though it’s not terribly impressive overall. Closing track ‘Tricks On Me‘ changes things up with a more summery, Caribbean-type beat and nice overall mood to take things out on a high note.

The WIZRD doesn’t really do too much else well. There are many solid tracks that are simply just inoffensive and don’t bring the album up or down, such as ‘Faceshot,’ ‘Baptiize,’ and ‘Talk Shit Like A Preacher.’ The hook of ‘Crushed Up‘ is also pretty catchy. Otherwise, The WIZRD is a trainwreck. Opening track ‘Never Stop‘ kicks things off with a nice atmosphere, but poor flow prevent the song from really shining. Lyrically, there are — unsurprisingly — some pretty low moments on this record. All of ‘Overdose’ is a mess, while ‘Temptation‘ and ‘Promise U That‘ are just dull. Even the features can’t hold their ground sometimes: Young Thug and Gunna do ‘Unicorn Purp' absolutely no favors. Sometimes, you can’t even tell what Future’s trying to get at, such as in ‘Krazy But True‘ where you can’t tell if he’s trying to be cool or romantic.

It’s not easy being at the top, but with inconsistency like this, it’s hard to see how Future still manages to keep his footing. Future mostly misses the mark in Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD, offering too many weak filler tracks and not bringing enough highlights. Future seems to think that the weight of the world (or at least, Atlanta) is on his shoulders - and it’s starting to get to him.

Favorite Track: F&N

Least Favorite Tracks: Overdose, Unicorn Purp

Rating: 52 / 100

Stream or buy The WIZRD on Apple Music, and follow our 2019 Playlist on Spotify: