Mixtape Future Is The Best Version Of Future

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Getty Image/Merle Cooper

Future is currently the most hard-working artist in hip-hop. After releasing two albums produced by Metro Boomin this year, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You, he’s returning to the well one more time with Mixtape Pluto.

For some fans, it’s the best of the three, for the same reason that the paired projects marked a return to form for Future in the minds of many longtime fans. Mixtape Pluto calls back to one of the most productive and fan-revered eras of the veteran trap rapper’s career.

Of course, I am referring to the Future era in which he released no fewer than five standout projects from 2014 to 2016. Beginning with the DJ Esco-hosted mixtape Monster and including Beast Mode with Zaytoven, 56 Nights with DJ Esco, What A Time To Be Alive with Drake, and, of course, DS2, and ending arguably with 2016’s Purple Reign and Evol, Future’s 2015 run was rivaled only by a few in hip-hop, and all of them are titans of the culture.

During this time, he released 10 platinum-selling singles, including some of his most beloved festival hype DJ playlist favorites, like “March Madness” “Jumpman” with Drake, and “Low Life” with The Weeknd. These time may not have produced his highest-charting, but it began Future’s string of multi-platinum hits (beginning with “F*ck Up Some Commas” from DS2 at No. 55) and it contains the densest concentration thereof (peaking with “Low Life” with eight certifications).

Unlike prior albums Pluto and Honest, and latter albums like Hndrxx, High Off Life, or even his Metro Boomin collabs, this success was driven by Future’s gritty solo charisma, with much less of the focus on melodizing his heartbreak. Instead, he growled dismissive dispatches from the depths of his hedonistic excesses, going out of his way to shoot down any suggestion of soulful introspection or simping.

He also needed little in the way of featured artistry to fuel his ascent. While Future himself was a hotly demanded guest star on works from other artists, including DJ Khaled, Mike Will Made It, Travis Scott, Ty Dolla Sign, and 21 Savage, the only collaborations of his from 2015 to chart were those from What A Time, a collaborative album, while “Low Life” with The Weeknd was the biggest hit he had to feature another artist in 2016.

He was at the height of his powers — which you could argue he most strongly taps into on his other mixtapes. Mixtape Pluto might not only apply to 2015 and 2016; it might also refer to his street-bred beginnings with tapes like the original Dirty Sprite or collaborative efforts like Super Slimey with Young Thug or Beast Mode 2 with Zaytoven.

The new tape indeed does find Future going solo for its 17 tracks. There’s a mixture of producers, but all of them provide vintage 808 and skittering snares — exactly the sort of backdrop over which the Atlanta native thrives. The hypnotic, chant-like choruses? They’re represented here on tracks like “Lil Demon” and “Aye Say Gang.” The rapping is as crisp as it’s ever been. And for those fans who love wounded Future, there are a few standouts like “Too Fast” and “Lost My Dog.”

Which is why Mixtape Pluto is hitting all the right notes with those fans who’ve been following him all this time. Future — an artist with roots that reach back to Atlanta’s initial epoch in the rap mainstream with Outkast and Dungeon Family — has transformed dozens of times over the course of his career, but the form he always seems to return to is the one that has the most potential to go anywhere and everywhere else. Mixtape Future is the best Future, because like the future, the possibilities are endless.

Producer Zaytoven Admits Early Doubts About Future, Used To Take Him Off Songs

Zaytoven and Future are undoubtedly a dynamic duo. They’ve created plenty of hits together. Notably, their acclaimed joint mixtape, Beast Mode, brought the world hits such as “Real Sisters,” “Just Like Bruddas,” and “Lay Up.” They’ve also collaborated on huge tracks such as “Feds Did A Sweep,” where Future even created a mini crime-drama for the visual. However, a recent viral clip from Zaytoven’s appearance on the R&B Money Podcast has unveiled a surprising revelation about their early working relationship. In the resurfaced podcast clip, Zaytoven candidly admits that their bond wasn’t always as close as it is now. The ATL super producer reveals a less-than-enthusiastic stance toward Future’s early work, confessing that he used to remove Future’s verses from songs during their initial collaborations.

“I worked with Future from his first mixtape, back from I thought Future wasn’t even all that good,” Zaytoven said. He goes on to share a vivid memory of Rocko bringing Future to his studio for a song. “I remember Rocko used to bring Future to my house in the studio and they’d do a song, and I’d take Future’s verse off the song,” he admitted. “That’s how much I didn’t really like his stuff. Now, he’s my favorite to me right now. Ain’t nobody better than him. But back then it’s like, ‘Ahh, that ain’t it.’ He was getting his reps in.”

Read More: Zaytoven Reveals “Beast Mode 3” With Future Is On The Way

Zaytoven Reveals He Wasn’t Always This Close To Future

The clip sheds light on the evolution of Future’s artistry and the growth of his partnership with Zaytoven. It also highlights the authenticity of their relationship, showcasing that even in the early stages, Zaytoven was critical of Future’s work. But, he acknowledges the significant strides the rapper has made since then. Fans have reacted to the clip with a mix of surprise and appreciation for Zaytoven’s honesty. It serves as a testament to Future’s dedication to his craft and the producer’s ability to recognize and appreciate the artist’s growth over time.

In addition, there was another pivotal moment that Zaytoven reflected on. He recalled when they were working on the Dirty Sprite album. At the time, Zaytoven wasn’t eager to listen to the songs that Future said he rapped on. However, when the album dropped and became a street sensation, Zaytoven found himself grateful that Future chose his beats. “But when it came out, and it tore up the streets and that’s all you could listen to. Thank God he rapped on my beats. I was praying my song was on there,” he revealed. From sceptic to beliver, Zaytoven is now part of Future’s great legacy.

Read More: Future & Zaytoven’s “Beast Mode 2” Brings Joy To The Masses: Twitter Reacts

The post Producer Zaytoven Admits Early Doubts About Future, Used To Take Him Off Songs appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Future Announced A Career-Spanning Limited Edition Vinyl Collection Filled With Notable Albums & Mixtapes

Future has unveiled a treat for his biggest fans in the form of a new, limited-edition vinyl collection that spans his entire career (so far). This will include nine albums and mixtapes that will be split up into various drops.

The first is set to arrive on October 20 and will include Future’s Pluto, DS2, and Super Slimey. The vinyl releases will then continue for two weeks following.

On October 27, he will release vinyl copies of Monster, Beast Mode, and 56 Nights.

Finally, on November 3, fans can grab Purple Reign, Future, and Hndrxx. According to a press release, they are planning on the records selling out and encourage fans to pre-order to secure their Future albums.

“If I was a role model, I wouldn’t want them to do the same exact thing that I’m doing, because the sh*t that I do is one of none,” Future previously shared about his career during an interview with Billboard. “You can take certain things about me, and you can use it to help you to maneuver in life, to help progress and elevate. But using everything that I do — or just following every step — is going to be hard because I think I’m one of none.”

Pre-order Future’s career-spanning vinyl collection here.

Zaytoven Announces The Release Date For Future’s ‘Beast Mode 3,’ And Fans Couldn’t Be More Excited

A new installment in Future‘s fan-favorite Beast Mode mixtape series is coming soon. This past Monday (May 1), producer Zaytoven announced that Beast Mode 3 will arrive this week.

Zaytoven served as the primary producer on the first and second Beast Mode mixtapes, which spawned hits like “Lay Up,” “Peacoat,” “WiFi Lit,” and “Hate The Real Me.” He announced the third Beast Mode mixtape by way of a trailer shared to social media.

In the trailer is flashback footage of Future, featuring clips of him performing, working out, and hitting the studio. Though Future’s frequent collaborators Young Thug, Lil Durk, and Drake are not seen in the trailer, they are tagged in Zay’s tweet, so fans may be able to expect a few collabs on the new mixtape.

While it’s been nearly five years since Beast Mode 2 dropped, Zaytoven and Future have worked together on several tracks. During an interview with The Fader conducted in 2018, Zay revealed that he and Future have a stockpile of over 100 songs ready to drop at any given time, however, the two always carefully select the best from their arsenal.

If you knew how many songs we did just to get the nine songs we got on this one. So many songs. Even for the first project, there were so many songs that were left over. That’s how we like to work — we wanna make sure that we’re giving the fans the best out of the best.

You can check out the trailer above.

Beast Mode 3 is out 5/5 via Epic Records.

Zaytoven Reveals His Twitter Was Hacked Amid Fake “Beast Mode 3” With Future Tease

Well, it was too good to be true, wasn’t it? After word quickly spread of Zaytoven announcing Beast Mode 3 with Future, the producer took to Instagram to pump the brakes. Moreover, he revealed that someone hacked his Twitter and urged his fans to not believe anything the account is saying. While they gained hope that a trailer meant the collaborative series’ next installment was coming this year, fans now have to deal with that disappointment. In his message concerning the fake news, the Atlanta beatsmith expressed confusion as to how this could’ve happened.

“Hey, do not believe what’s going on on Twitter,” Zaytoven remarked in a video on his Instagram Story. “I don’t know who done hacked my Twitter and what they doing, I don’t know how they got what they got or why they’re saying what they’re saying. But do not believe my Twitter right now. I’m working to get it back. So, PSA, alright? I’m working on it.” In a prior IG Story post, he wrote: “My Twitter has been hacked. Don’t believe what’s being posted.” Still, this wouldn’t be the first time that he teased another Future collab album.

Zaytoven Got Hacked, And Beast Mode 3 With Future Is Seemingly Fake News

However, looking back, this news came amid a lot of previous reports that Future is working on joint projects with other producers. One of the most notable announced team-ups is his upcoming tape with Metro Boomin, who already updated fans on its status multiple times. As such, perhaps it was vain to think that we would be getting a whole lot more from the “HOLY GHOST” MC this year, but it wouldn’t be out of character, either. After all, Hendrix went on very prolific runs throughout his career, as did Zaytoven with his production work.

Meanwhile, we should at least be expecting something from the producer soon, as he promised new music after selling his catalog. Whether that’s with Pluto or other artists, only time will tell, but his credentials should inspire a lot of anticipation. Even though fans are hoping this is all one big PR stunt, it seems like dreams don’t always come true. Apologies for the earlier false coverage. Regardless, stick around on HNHH for the latest news and updates from Zaytoven and Future.

Zaytoven Reveals “Beast Mode 3” With Future Is On The Way

It looks like the Met Gala isn’t the only exciting thing happening today. Moreover, Zaytoven just took to Twitter to drop a trailer for the third installment in his collaborative album series with Future, Beast Mode 3. During the trailer, both Zay and Hendrix talk about the sound that they helped popularize, their work ethic, and what it means to go “beast mode.” Not only that, but the duo’s next album’s trailer also features a few other figures in the rap game through brief appearances. For example, in a surprising but welcome link-up, Tyler, The Creator gives Future some words of admiration near the clip’s end.

Of course, fans took this trailer with a grain of salt, as Zaytoven originally teased Beast Mode 3 back in September of 2019. However, with a trailer to boot, many hope that this official push means the album is finally coming soon. In addition, the producer also quote-tweeted a post from Lyrical Lemonade asking what the best album of the year was so far. In that message, he dismissed the competition and said that his next project with Future will dominate. “No way 2023 Is this dry…” he remarked of the highlighted albums. These included Don Toliver’s Love Sick, Yeat’s AftërLyfe, Jack Harlow’s Jackman, and Lil Yachty’s Let’s Start Here. “Wait till my shit drop… [bald eagle emoji] x [piano emoji] 3 OTW.”

Future’s Beast Mode 3 Coming Soon

To elaborate, fans also raised eyebrows just because of how many projects Future’s rumored to be involved in. For example, another prominent producer that teased a joint tape with the “Superhero” MC is Metro Boomin, who also said they will release it this year. Still, Pluto is quite the prolific artist and often tapped his closest production collaborators for full-length work together. As such, Zaytoven is just fanning the flames of speculation, but the trailer gave fans a lot of confidence in Zay.

Meanwhile, Zaytoven recently sold his music catalog and hinted at new music on the way. With that in mind, his promise of Beast Mode 3 is that much more believable. Hopefully these two Atlanta giants feed fans once again sooner rather than later. With that in mind, check back in with HNHH for the latest news and updates on Zaytoven, Future, and Beast Mode 3.

Zaytoven Teases Beast Mode 3 With Boisterous Claim