By Maria Lubanovic, Copy Editor
[Epic/Freebandz; 2019]
Rating: 6.5/10

Key tracks: “Never Stop”, “Crushed Up”, “Baptiize”

With 20 tracks and clocking in at just over an hour, Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD marks Future’s seventh studio album. This album is freaking massive and covers themes of power, fame, mental state and drug abuse — the braggadocio is real.

Read more: Album Review: Future – FUTURE

Future knows that this album is an orchestral feat from the first track, opening with a breath of violins and sweeping synth before the beat kicks in on “Never Stop”. This track follows Future as he hustles and struggles to become the musician he is, referencing his drug use and the time he got shot as a teen. The record then takes the listener up through his success, as he raps about Rolls-Royce Ghosts and getting recognized in “Forbes.” That’s a powerful flex to open with, and Future doesn’t stop until the last beats of the album.

The money flows as smooth and free as the tracks underneath while Future raps about his obsession with diamonds and wealth on “Crushed Up”. Future is going to get anything he wants, whether it’s screwing his teacher (“Talk Shit Like a Preacher”) or staying on his own path and deciding to “just stick to the models and hit it” (“Stick to the Models”) so that he doesn’t have any distractions on his quest for fame.

Many of the tracks use drugs and drug culture as a legitimate flex or metaphor. This can especially be seen on “Overdose”, a track where Future’s verse references how he’s overdosing on wealth and how he feels high. His addiction to wealth has consequences, which he raps about how people have left him because of his success on “Krazy but True”. Future also seems to fear the sort of impact he has on kids who may be looking up to him.

Future pulls references from everything, including TLC’s “No Scrubs”, on “Promise U That” where he promises to shower his girl in riches and one-up everything she started with, turning cars into jets. He also samples his previous tracks as he looks back on his past, making his introspection and attention to the old times even more prominent.

Future describes this album as the last one of an era; His record deal is over, and he’s looking for something else, even though this album lets him re-live his past and define what he wants it to be. This album brings his old sound and allows for some introspection before he moves on to a new chapter.

Listen to Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD below.