By Jessica Thrasher, Contributor  

[Republic Records; 2024]

Rating: 6/10 

Key Tracks: “Like That”, “Everyday Hustle”, “Ice Attack”

Future and Metro Boomin have released a long-awaited collaborative album entitled WE DON’T TRUST YOU. The album’s release was first announced over a year ago, for which anticipation built quickly. Many fondly recall the hunger and musical ferocity brought by Metro Boomin in past collaborative albums, like the beloved and historic Savage Mode II with 21 Savage. Future has also had a strong career, boasting 39 songs on the Billboard Top Ten R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The two have worked together previously, forging a complimentary exchange of production and rapping. This album has a darker, more vengeful sound with some clear influence from early hip-hop and rap music. 

My first time listening to WE DON’T TRUST YOU begged the question, “Is less more?” My following playthroughs of the album pushed me further toward “yes” once the songs started mashing together in a repetitive way. With a track list of 17 songs and a 53-minute length, most critics, listeners, and even fans feel that if the time is taken, it should be well used, but it falls short. 

Read more: Album Review: Da Baby – LET’S DO IT 

The album has some obvious hits, most notably, “Like That” which harbors most of the sensation around the album: Kendrick Lamar’s feature and longtime beefs. Lamar mentions the ‘big three’ discussion that has loomed over his career for years now. It is agreed that the big three, in terms of rappers, consists of Drake, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar. Lamar confidently shirks the drama, stating, “Motherf*ck the big three, n*gga, it’s just big me”. The track samples the well-worn “Eazy-Duz-It”, making it a solid and familiar song that is powered mainly by Kendrick’s inertia. 

Another highlight was “Everyday Hustle,” which features Rick Ross’s luxurious, heavy-weight vocals and flow. It reiterates the central vibe of WE DON’T TRUST YOU which is, of course, distrust. “Ice Attack” is one of few of the album’s strong songs without a feature, highlighting Future and Metro’s abilities together. There is mention of cheese and rats, although common vernacular in the rap world, also a potential callback to Savage Mode II, which is regarded as one of, if not Metro’s most interesting and celebrated pieces of work.

Some listeners were unimpressed, citing a lack of overall theatrics and the reappearance of the same predictable topics: betrayals, drugs, money, h*es, shooters, etc. Listeners noted a re-use of themes and narratives, which made the album’s release feel redundant and plagued with filler tracks. 

The energy was sometimes lacking and seemed to stall entirely at some points. Shockingly, WE DON’T TRUST YOU is not yet finished and awaiting a premeditated second half to drop on the twelfth of April, WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU. The sequel is not expected to perform as well as the first, as it has been thrust forward by the sensation, novelty, and anticipation. I do not expect the sequel to do as well as the first, but I do not see this as a complete loss. 

Altogether, I don’t see myself eager to revisit this album as a body of work, but I will be listening to the album’s high points, like “Everyday Hustle” and “Ice Attack”. The album has some highs propped up on a bed of lows.

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