Donate
  • About
  • Rent College Pads
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
Search
News
Opinions
Sports
Classifieds
Comics
BMA
Events
Subscribe

Sunday, January 29, 2023
Print Archive

Eastern Echo
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Comics
  • Podcast
  • BMA
  • Events
  • Classifieds
  • Search
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Comics
  • Podcast
  • BMA
  • Events
  • Classifieds
Search

Subscribe to the Echo

Donate to The Echo

You can support the Echo by donating through the EMU Foundation and selecting to apply your gift to a specific fund. Any of the funds listed below will provide support to the Echo.

01049 -- EMU Echo Editor Endowed Scholarship:  Provides financial support for the current EMU Echo Editor.

02414 -- Scott Stephenson Eastern Echo Scholarship:  This expendable scholarship is for the benefit of student(s) in the School of Communication, Media & Theater Arts in the College of Arts & Sciences.  It will be awarded to a full or part-time junior or senior EMU student majoring in journalism and working for the Eastern Echo.  The student should be working to self-finance their education and not be eligible for need-based grants.

00825 -- Student Media Development:  Provides support for the Student Media program.

Thank you for supporting the Echo and EMU Student Media.

Give Now


5/25/2020, 11:28am

Future "High Off Life" Aims for New Level in Core Trap

The Pluto rapper yearns for new heights through his trademark paths of haunting trauma and a consistent work ethic.

By Curtis Dinwiddie
Future "High Off Life" Aims for New Level in Core Trap

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Mail
  • Print


Future, hip-hop’s best trap supervillain, has returned to deliver what keeps him High Off Life as his eighth studio album on Friday, May 22. THE WIZRD contains 21 tracks of Future portraying himself as a disturbed trap savior reeling from his futuristic lifestyle, heartbreak, heavy medicine intake and tirelessness. It’s the sleepless mind of Future that kept him winning for over a decade and this 32nd project seems to reach a new height of creativity through following his own rules.

Nayvadius Wilburn (Future) was already releasing singles with Drake on “Life is Good” and “Desires” plus spitting features with good friends Lil Uzi Vert and NAV on their own recently released albums. He listened to his core fan's wishes by re-releasing his career persona mixtapes like 56 Nights and Beast Mode on streaming services. Future pushes through this pandemic to remind fans that “life is good” despite any problems we might bew currently facing.

The opener “Trapped in the Sun” is a taste of Future’s purple drank and his life of Lamborghinis, drugs and music wealth that’s fit for cinema. The quarantine track “Solitaires” is a surefire COVID-19 club banger where Future makes delusional fun of the virus with his jewelry. “Coronavirus diamonds you can catch the flu,” he raps as Travis Scott tallies behind him in “NO BYSTANDERS” mode gearing up for havoc after quarantine.


High Off Life is trap Future after hours with signature vocals and themes that just keep topping the charts. Two songs that regard his trap militancy are “Riding Strikers” and “One of My.” The first has the ‘Pluto’ rapper sending shooters for his enemies. An EVOL piano switch with a breaking news interlude on Future preparing a bank heist with his trusty “HiTek Tek” drank. The other sounds like a war unit where Pluto and henchmen march through the streets with serious weaponry.

He keeps his ‘Astronaut’ status with unfamiliar sounds where he and Baby Pluto Lil Uzi Vert warp each other’s flows on “All Bad.” The effervescent, video game beat has the duo claim their endless surplus of women shouldn’t have to be apologized for. A more radio-friendly standout is “Trillionaire” where you pause because another tireless rap star, Youngboy Never Broke Again, is singing cohesively with Future. This rags to riches ballad shows good chemistry between Atlanta and Baton Rouge sound.


The usual motifs of Wilburn are the challenging relationships and on-off narcotics are some of the proven grounds that drive Future’s trap-bass lyrics. Tested waters that ushered in mixtape Future--budging through old agonies (‘Posted With Demons’), Italian Milan flexing with foreign women (‘Hard To Choose One’) and outlandish reaching (‘Touch The Sky’). A couple of the songs are just fillers for late night cruising because Pluto just loves to supply the streets.

“I done went against odds before, Makin' it, takin' it, they see the wrong / If the streets don't kill you first, It's gon' make you strong.” The spooky bass production done by DJ Spinz, ATL Jacobs and Southside is dope; haunting VST drums and keys make for demonic like tracks. We see more clarity from Future near the end. On “Too Comfortable," he’s directly telling his current girl not to cling too quick. Nayvadius was speaking the truth on relationships, rapping “Its hard to stay faithful when you winning” and comes out of his trademark shell to shed light on his family. Vulnerability is mysterious for the 36 year old.

The outro on “Accepting My Flaws” has The WIZRD surprisingly apologetic to one of his famous exes Lori Harvey. Plenty of emotions are whirling and he’s been on a rampage to kick his habits. "She acceptin' all my flaws, I got diamonds with the cut / I've been sufferin' withdrawals, missin' out on real love,“ raps Future as the pain of loss gets him rethinking his relationships. He reflects with more sobriety in “Up the River” with the hustler mindset and the chords are so flawless by Will-A-Fool that it can’t be skipped.

"High Off Life” is the extended album quality of trap Future filled with hypnotic verses, ghostly production, and the overturning of demons into glory. It’s a new chapter, but one that covers familiar territory for Nayvadius.

I give this album 3.5 out of 5 swoops.

Share



Related Stories

Retrieved from Ones to Watch.

Review: Ryan Beatty changes the idea of pop in his new album while playing with new sounds and themes

By Layla McMurtrie

Wynne If I May

Review: Newcomer rapper Wynne delivers her first mixtape ‘If I May’

By Curtis Dinwiddie

Shelly Gordanier and Alana Connolly purchased an old school bus on May 23 and plan to convert it into a mobile beauty salon.

Single mothers take beauty business on the road

By Ashlee Buhler


The Eastern Echo welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.


Most Popular


1/24/2023, 8:00am

From tumbling to trending: EMU cheerleader gains 2.4 million views on recent TikTok

By Mackenzie Thompson

Eastern Michigan University cheerleader Olivia Fields' TikTok video at recent basketball game reaches 2.4 million views.


1/25/2023, 10:37am

Emoni Bates showcases superstar talents in Toledo; scores career-high 43 points


1/23/2023, 12:00am

EMU men's basketball game vs. NIU draws in record-breaking attendance


1/25/2023, 8:40am

Review: ‘Japanese Tales of the Macabre’ is a sad watch for anime fans


Podcast


11/10/2022, 11:35am

TheBlockE Podcast


11/8/2022, 11:35am

Student Interview: Pritish Kokate - The Eastern Echo Podcast Ep. 5


11/3/2022, 5:58pm

Special episode: EMU Journalism Professor Dr. You Li speaks with EMU alumni Nathan Bomey


10/27/2022, 6:03pm

Interview w/ Ronia Cabansag - The Eastern Echo Podcast Ep. 3


Tweets by TheEasternEcho
Eastern Michigan Echo To Homepage
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Freelance
  • Submissions
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Distribution

All Rights Reserved

© Copyright 2023 The Eastern Echo

Powered by Solutions by The State News.