What a Time to be Alive
Drake and Future
(Cash Money)
Two stars
This mixtape, featuring Drake and Future, may have been eagerly awaited – but it's ultimately more of last-minute effort than a game-changing collaboration by two hip-hop juggernauts. The major fault lies with 22-year-old executive producer Metro Boomin, who supplies the colourfully lyrical stars with a dense but ultimately conservative soundscape. There are no major sonic risks or theatrics, thus giving the album the unwanted whiff of background-music, as opposed to anything attention-grabbing. There are some notable moments, though – Plastic Bags, Digital Dash and Live From the Gutter brim with much-needed urgency and both MCs blend together well. Vocally, the rest of the affair is surprisingly flat. Drake, undoubtedly the bigger star, is strangely found lingering in the background for most of the album, playing wingman to Future's alpha dog. A case in point is WATTBA, on which Future controls the tempo with his Auto-Tune/Trap style, while Drake simply arrives in the middle to repeat the chorus or interject, as a polite reminder, that he is also on the track. In a word: disappointing.
rjmickelson@thenational.ae
