As promised, Future's DS2 (Dirty Sprite 2) arrived at midnight, and the hype is real. The Freebandz prez has hit us with three consecutive classic mixtapes -- and the album is that much better.
The near-featureless album -- Drake snuck in at the last second -- is a tribute to the streets of Atlanta, the town that's been leading hip-hop for the better part of the last decade. In 2015, thanks to relentless emcees like Future Hendrix, the city is finally getting worldwide respect.
And don't forget about the producers. The bulk of the beats are handled by Metro Boomin and Southside of 808 Mafia, who produced nearly all of Fewtch's latest tape, 56 Nights. The other few coveted spots go to Zaytoven, who produced Beast Mode, Sonny Digital and Cali the Producer, the one guy not from ATL. Cali, in fact, hails all the way from Austria. He's recently proved himself a force in American music, penning hits for pop stars (Carly Rae Jepsen, Justin Bieber) and rappers (Meek Mill, Fetty Wap) alike.
DS2 (abbreviated, presumably, for copyright issues) is Future's third studio album, following Pluto and Honest. Those two records had Future striving for crossover success -- indeed, he crafted beautiful pop singles like "Turn on the Lights" and "Honest," two solo-hits from albums that were both stacked with huge features.
But, after his highly publicized breakup with Ciara, he wanted to eschew the pop world altogether. Relocating from L.A. back to Atlanta, he sought a return to the streets. Working with a close-knit batch of producers, and keeping the guest spots to a minimum, his latest LP brings his career back to where he started -- with a remarkable evolution in charisma and a renewed hunger.
DS2 is the sequel to 2011's Dirty Sprite, his coming out mixtape, from when he was loosely affiliated with Dungeon Family, the former home of OutKast and Goodie Mob.
The regular version of DS2 boasts 13 brand new tracks -- aside from "Blow a Bag" and "Where Ya At" (with Drake), both which we've heard in the past week.
The deluxe edition gives us five more tracks, including "Trap N*ggas," "Real Sisters" and "F*ck Up Some Commas," all standouts from Future's recent mixtapes.
