-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
GAF-Hop |OT14| The 6 God is Five Writers, And One False Idol
- Thread starter Courage
- Start date
- Status
ViewtifulJC
Banned
for comparison's sake
Well, I figured out why I never liked Future and why I suddenly changed my mind. It was all a matter of perspective. I first heard Future years ago on one of Gucci's earlier mix tapes, Trap Back, when he was featured on the track Sometimes. It was bad, even compared to Gucci's verses (go listen to it if you don't believe me), and this became the experience that governed my thinking about Future up until now. As I watched his career grow I noticed him slowly begin to adopt the autotune sound and always thought of it as a copout, and that he was just using it as a tool to mask his inferior ability. It was a gimmick to me. I felt like Future was just some corny ass dude who couldn't make it in the regular trap game so he felt that sticking his head under water and making his verses inaudible would keep him alive in the industry. Still, even with these preconceived notions about him, I gave his releases a fair shot, but nothing would change my mind about him. It was probably that initial exposure to Future that tainted my view of him, but it would stay that way until I heard DS2.
I didn't expect anything when I put DS2 on, I figured it would just be another bland Future release that I would use as background noise while I played Rocket League. Something was different though. Something felt "off" about Future, and it was apparent immediately with the intro track. This was not the Future I thought I knew. I felt like the mixing of lean in the beginning was an interesting touch, but I never expected it to take the turn that it did. Although it sounded like a typical trap song, Future's delivery and lyrics gave the song an entirely different feel. Lines such as "bitch i'ma choose the dirty over you, you know I ain't scared to lose you" and "tell me them lies you want me to hear, I try to forget but it's hard to forgive" felt way more real than they had any business being on a track like this. My interest was piqued. When I Serve the Base came on I knew that the intro track wasn't just a fluke, and I knew this album was going to be something special. The deep, crunching track laid down by Metro Boomin really hits home the theme of this album, and Future's hazy drug induced delivery as his first cup of lean sets in is truly haunting. The line "tryna make a popstar and they made a monster" sent chills down my spine because even through the muddy production and wavy vocals, you can hear the raw conviction in Future's voice. It was at this point that I realized I had to have been wrong about Future, I must have missed something, so after finishing the album and hearing much of the same,I went back and did some brief research about his history and was able to come up with my own conclusion about Future.
We will never know the internal intricacies of his early life, but I guarantee Future has seen things that he wishes never to speak of again. Things that he has been fighting to suppress his entire life but he is losing that fight, and DS2 is a declaration of him surrendering. I picture Future as being someone who just wanted to get out of his situation, like thousands of other artists, but was constantly being held back by his past and subsequent drug abuse to help forget that past. When he got a taste of fame he felt like he might have found his ticket, he felt like he was hopefully able to escape his demons and put his past behind him. We know this never worked out as evident in DS2's material and would explain the inconsistencies on Honest and Pluto. He was trying to be something he wasn't and it showed in the lack of direction in his earlier material, something I frequently took issue with. He would have his love ballads, bangers, and "true" Future tracks all multilayered on an album. I feel like we were actually hearing his internal struggles on those two albums as he was trying to appease Ciara (lol) and the industry, and trying to be the star he thought he wanted to be, but also battling those demons that have haunted him most of his life. I personally feel that DS2 is the sound of a broken man who has succumbed to his demons and Future has taken solitude in his drug abuse because he has given up on trying to be something he isn't.
"I pour 2 zips nigga, I'm feelin' way better"
"A nigga was depressed now my mind back healthy"
"I gave up on my conscience gotta live with it"
"I pour me up some drink, say fuck my problems"
"I know the devil is real, I know the devil is real..."
I never understood why people were comparing it to XXX until now. Both Danny and Future can't be saved, and they have both accepted their fates with DS2/XXX and have decided to convert their sorrows into art. I realize now how wrong I was about Future, and this newfound perspective has entirely changed how I listen to his music. When I went back and listened to DS2 with this altered perspective I was able to sum up the album with two words: tragically beautiful.
I didn't expect anything when I put DS2 on, I figured it would just be another bland Future release that I would use as background noise while I played Rocket League. Something was different though. Something felt "off" about Future, and it was apparent immediately with the intro track. This was not the Future I thought I knew. I felt like the mixing of lean in the beginning was an interesting touch, but I never expected it to take the turn that it did. Although it sounded like a typical trap song, Future's delivery and lyrics gave the song an entirely different feel. Lines such as "bitch i'ma choose the dirty over you, you know I ain't scared to lose you" and "tell me them lies you want me to hear, I try to forget but it's hard to forgive" felt way more real than they had any business being on a track like this. My interest was piqued. When I Serve the Base came on I knew that the intro track wasn't just a fluke, and I knew this album was going to be something special. The deep, crunching track laid down by Metro Boomin really hits home the theme of this album, and Future's hazy drug induced delivery as his first cup of lean sets in is truly haunting. The line "tryna make a popstar and they made a monster" sent chills down my spine because even through the muddy production and wavy vocals, you can hear the raw conviction in Future's voice. It was at this point that I realized I had to have been wrong about Future, I must have missed something, so after finishing the album and hearing much of the same,I went back and did some brief research about his history and was able to come up with my own conclusion about Future.
We will never know the internal intricacies of his early life, but I guarantee Future has seen things that he wishes never to speak of again. Things that he has been fighting to suppress his entire life but he is losing that fight, and DS2 is a declaration of him surrendering. I picture Future as being someone who just wanted to get out of his situation, like thousands of other artists, but was constantly being held back by his past and subsequent drug abuse to help forget that past. When he got a taste of fame he felt like he might have found his ticket, he felt like he was hopefully able to escape his demons and put his past behind him. We know this never worked out as evident in DS2's material and would explain the inconsistencies on Honest and Pluto. He was trying to be something he wasn't and it showed in the lack of direction in his earlier material, something I frequently took issue with. He would have his love ballads, bangers, and "true" Future tracks all multilayered on an album. I feel like we were actually hearing his internal struggles on those two albums as he was trying to appease Ciara (lol) and the industry, and trying to be the star he thought he wanted to be, but also battling those demons that have haunted him most of his life. I personally feel that DS2 is the sound of a broken man who has succumbed to his demons and Future has taken solitude in his drug abuse because he has given up on trying to be something he isn't.
"I pour 2 zips nigga, I'm feelin' way better"
"A nigga was depressed now my mind back healthy"
"I gave up on my conscience gotta live with it"
"I pour me up some drink, say fuck my problems"
"I know the devil is real, I know the devil is real..."
I never understood why people were comparing it to XXX until now. Both Danny and Future can't be saved, and they have both accepted their fates with DS2/XXX and have decided to convert their sorrows into art. I realize now how wrong I was about Future, and this newfound perspective has entirely changed how I listen to his music. When I went back and listened to DS2 with this altered perspective I was able to sum up the album with two words: tragically beautiful.
PhoenixDark
Banned
smh just got around to listening to funk flex' response to drake and this dude is dropping bombs on bombs on bombs like a fucking maniac makes me think he hasn't got shit
and how he threw a-rod in the bushes smh lmao
Real talk, Flex is corny as fuck. He's right about Drake but still...dude is once again inserting himself into a story that has nothing to do with him. Every time I listen to him I'm reminded of Nas' diss of him. "Look at his face, man." smh
Dude is always dick riding and apologizing. If Hov went on the show next week you know Flex would be like "yo fam, I messed up by going at you a few months ago. I'm sorry Hov, forgive me!" Corny.
Glass Rebel
Member
Yeah, I was trying to figure out how he got his corny ass into this beef but then I remembered it was Flex.
I think Charlamagne is almost as lame but I loved his "What if Funk Flex told the truth video"
Tokubetsu
Member
sensational, has Vorheez no right to change his mind?
Toku that type of Gaffer who mashed B during the Pokémon evolution screen
ViewtifulJC
Banned
fatherless post
IrishNinja
Member
Tokubetsu
Member
ViewtifulJC
Banned
IrishNinja
Member
time is a flat circle ya'll
#staywoke
#staywoke
Tokubetsu
Member
CrazyDogg77
Member
Wait..
Vorheez:
Me:
*reads*
Me:
Thanks brehs
Wait, are you guys saying I'm Des?
Discotheque
Banned
MuddyDonut
Member
Same. Not too familiar with Mikes solo work, but RAP Music is good.
Storm Chamber
Banned
I liked this album but I still prefer the industrial noise that was Fantastic Damage better.
Both better than C4C which I just cannot get into for some reason
These posts are AIDS in opinion form. Jesus
Junior Mint
Member
Yeezy performing on CBC for any Canadians
richardhawk
Member
That's an average PND song with ol aspie scott crooning on it. Shit sounds like a future feature if anything.
Very well written Vorheez, but you and everyone that has brought up XXX in reference to DS2 are completely off base in my humble opinion. I definitely like DS2, but I don't get the same sense of depth and of strong narrative that others seem to be pulling from it. And while Future does have a few truly emotive moments it seems to me as if people are supplanting this notion of melodrama and lucid storytelling into an album in which is the emcee is often the least profound element. The atmosphere, the darkness, and the tone are highly contingent on the highly spirited backing music. Future brings very little real insight to the table.
Future's concession to drugs and the trap lifestyle lie pretty much in line with what has become the expected, standard model in the genre. He doesn't say anything outside of what could be considered a trap trope at this point, and if you had told me that Alley Boy or Yo Gotti had rapped the same shit I wouldn't have bat an eye. When Future finally decides to dedicate a full track to airing out his problems and divulging the root "meaning' we find out that he actually has less to bitch about than Drake or even Curtis Jackson at this point. Never at any point in the album does Future seem truly self aware, lucid, poetic, or sardonic as Danny. And if Dirty Sprite 2 has a tailored drug comedown it's messy, inconsistent, and ineffective. Rich $ex, Colossal, and Blood on the Money (even if we ignore the horrid bonus tracks) are just more of the shit same we heard throughout rapped at a different tempo without any progression. Nothing has changed since the beginning and Future only seems to stagnate in his vocal delivery, making his seemingly estranged psyche seem like a much less urgent problem.
XXX is a masterpiece and an album that should no point in time be compared to a collection of trap tropes. It has all of the dramatic excess of DS2 coupled with highly poetic moments of reflection, self-loathing humor, and the depiction of a truly moribund state of life from an insider unafraid to shed the layers of his psuedo bravado in favor of airing his true vulnerabilities. Every line Danny utters tells a story and adds color, while Future's range of topics and portrayal of "rock bottom" lies in monochrome. Sure you can pick out these little block quotes where Future shows glimpses of color, but if I were to block quote the deep moments of say Danny's opener "XXX" I'd pretty much have to quote the whole thing:
The masta of the ace sitting on chrome
Dark nights tryna sleep stomach on fire
Delusional from hunger so I couldn't get tired
Imaging the equalizer goin from green to red
Words that rhyme together just appear all in my head
Sorta like Neo with them Matrix codes
I try to escape it hoping drugs a numb a soul
Say I'm getting old and times running out
Repeating instrumentals tryna figure patterns out
I never leave the house ain't slept in three days
Popping pills, writing, drinking and smoking haze
Weaving the kicks and snares dodging hooks
Tryna keep it original something that's overlooked
Way a nigga goin might go out like Sam Cooke
Or locked up calling home for money on my books
Cause if this shit don't work nigga I failed at life
Turning to these drugs now these drugs turned my life
It's the downward spiral, Got me suicidal
But too scared to do it so these pills a be the rival
Surpassing all my idols
Took the wrong turn
But can't go back now so now let that blunt burn
Cause now it's my turn if I fuck it all up
Took a while to get here now I depend on these drugs
I took a while to get here now I depend on these drugs
Every line contains a metaphor, something that adds to the character development, or is a reference to past tragic heroes defeated by an onslaught of drug abuse. When Future talks about the past it's only to enhance this macho image he's made for himself of the stupefied nihilist who has traded love for the excesses of life and trap money. When Danny talks about his past we a greater glimpse into his psyche and we get songs like "Party All the Time", which is basically Danny's sardonic take on "Brenda's Got a Baby", and "DNA" which features a profound outlook on social conditioning and how genetic predispositions to drug use from a vicious cycle. Even comical tracks like "Scrap or Die" only help embolden the bleakness and urgency of his situation and represent a true life or death struggle. There's a real possibility of death that is immediately felt throughout XXX that seems rather skimped upon in DS2.
If you think Danny is willingly partaking in these nefarious activities and abusing Adderall then you haven't grasped the album's concept whatsoever. The hopelessness and despair contained in XXX paints the narcotic escape of the subject in a much less successful and glum light. Furthermore, Danny's verses are more much imaginative and form a greater degree of the the picture than of the gibberish that sloshes out of Future's mouth. Danny adds the color, the tone, and forms the subject entirely on his own. He's able to comment on what the past, present, and future may hold with greater sincerity. And XXX would be just as effective if it were rapped entirely in acapella; whereas Future's contribution to Dirty Sprite 2 would just make up the grassy knoll in the background. The lyrical disparity between the two is a gulf Magellan himself wouldn't attempt to cross.
Future's concession to drugs and the trap lifestyle lie pretty much in line with what has become the expected, standard model in the genre. He doesn't say anything outside of what could be considered a trap trope at this point, and if you had told me that Alley Boy or Yo Gotti had rapped the same shit I wouldn't have bat an eye. When Future finally decides to dedicate a full track to airing out his problems and divulging the root "meaning' we find out that he actually has less to bitch about than Drake or even Curtis Jackson at this point. Never at any point in the album does Future seem truly self aware, lucid, poetic, or sardonic as Danny. And if Dirty Sprite 2 has a tailored drug comedown it's messy, inconsistent, and ineffective. Rich $ex, Colossal, and Blood on the Money (even if we ignore the horrid bonus tracks) are just more of the shit same we heard throughout rapped at a different tempo without any progression. Nothing has changed since the beginning and Future only seems to stagnate in his vocal delivery, making his seemingly estranged psyche seem like a much less urgent problem.
XXX is a masterpiece and an album that should no point in time be compared to a collection of trap tropes. It has all of the dramatic excess of DS2 coupled with highly poetic moments of reflection, self-loathing humor, and the depiction of a truly moribund state of life from an insider unafraid to shed the layers of his psuedo bravado in favor of airing his true vulnerabilities. Every line Danny utters tells a story and adds color, while Future's range of topics and portrayal of "rock bottom" lies in monochrome. Sure you can pick out these little block quotes where Future shows glimpses of color, but if I were to block quote the deep moments of say Danny's opener "XXX" I'd pretty much have to quote the whole thing:
The masta of the ace sitting on chrome
Dark nights tryna sleep stomach on fire
Delusional from hunger so I couldn't get tired
Imaging the equalizer goin from green to red
Words that rhyme together just appear all in my head
Sorta like Neo with them Matrix codes
I try to escape it hoping drugs a numb a soul
Say I'm getting old and times running out
Repeating instrumentals tryna figure patterns out
I never leave the house ain't slept in three days
Popping pills, writing, drinking and smoking haze
Weaving the kicks and snares dodging hooks
Tryna keep it original something that's overlooked
Way a nigga goin might go out like Sam Cooke
Or locked up calling home for money on my books
Cause if this shit don't work nigga I failed at life
Turning to these drugs now these drugs turned my life
It's the downward spiral, Got me suicidal
But too scared to do it so these pills a be the rival
Surpassing all my idols
Took the wrong turn
But can't go back now so now let that blunt burn
Cause now it's my turn if I fuck it all up
Took a while to get here now I depend on these drugs
I took a while to get here now I depend on these drugs
Every line contains a metaphor, something that adds to the character development, or is a reference to past tragic heroes defeated by an onslaught of drug abuse. When Future talks about the past it's only to enhance this macho image he's made for himself of the stupefied nihilist who has traded love for the excesses of life and trap money. When Danny talks about his past we a greater glimpse into his psyche and we get songs like "Party All the Time", which is basically Danny's sardonic take on "Brenda's Got a Baby", and "DNA" which features a profound outlook on social conditioning and how genetic predispositions to drug use from a vicious cycle. Even comical tracks like "Scrap or Die" only help embolden the bleakness and urgency of his situation and represent a true life or death struggle. There's a real possibility of death that is immediately felt throughout XXX that seems rather skimped upon in DS2.
If you think Danny is willingly partaking in these nefarious activities and abusing Adderall then you haven't grasped the album's concept whatsoever. The hopelessness and despair contained in XXX paints the narcotic escape of the subject in a much less successful and glum light. Furthermore, Danny's verses are more much imaginative and form a greater degree of the the picture than of the gibberish that sloshes out of Future's mouth. Danny adds the color, the tone, and forms the subject entirely on his own. He's able to comment on what the past, present, and future may hold with greater sincerity. And XXX would be just as effective if it were rapped entirely in acapella; whereas Future's contribution to Dirty Sprite 2 would just make up the grassy knoll in the background. The lyrical disparity between the two is a gulf Magellan himself wouldn't attempt to cross.
I liked this album but I still prefer the industrial noise that was Fantastic Damage better.
Both better than C4C which I just cannot get into for some reason
These posts are AIDS in opinion form. Jesus
Fantastic Damage was good, but I'll Sleep When You Dead was out of this world. You can play that shit in the year 3000 and it would be up to date. Honestly, FD sounds a bit dated at certain parts of the album, plus it got that lame Ill Bill on it :/.
richardhawk
Member
be a grown ass man hyped about pokemon music brehs.
I actually don't know if thats pokemon music but it's still wack
The problem is no real music has dropped since the new thread started, this is what we deserve for now. This and rough draft thesis on DS2.
I see a parallel between DS2 and XXX, but it's very superficial. Maybe a more accurate comparison is between DS2 and Live.Love.A$AP. Both capture a feeling of constant inebriation, but unlike XXX, neither explore the consequences and implications of that type of lifestyle in a very substantive way.
EDIT: Although, thinking about it, DS2 has some fairly stark moments where his constant lean endorsements seem to reveal that he's in a bad place (like, as people have pointed out, the chorus on "Slave Master" and some stuff on "I Serve the Base.") So maybe there's a hierarchy to the sort of record that's basically a concept album about being constantly fucked up, with something like Live.Love being very 2D, something like DS2 being a little more substantial, and XXX being really top-tier.
EDIT: Although, thinking about it, DS2 has some fairly stark moments where his constant lean endorsements seem to reveal that he's in a bad place (like, as people have pointed out, the chorus on "Slave Master" and some stuff on "I Serve the Base.") So maybe there's a hierarchy to the sort of record that's basically a concept album about being constantly fucked up, with something like Live.Love being very 2D, something like DS2 being a little more substantial, and XXX being really top-tier.
Des, when I brought up XXX while evaluating Dirty Sprite 2, it was a loose, superficial comparison with the intent that both albums excel at showcasing the effects of excessive drug use to their listeners. I agree that Danny takes a more multilayered, nuanced approach, and it makes sense considering XXX is a concept album with tangible cohesion.
Future and Danny are similar in their affected cadences, over the top lyricism and sinister production. Both albums show them at a 'rock bottom' of sorts, whether it's via Future openly embracing the lifestyle or Danny being trapped in a vicious cycle. Ultimately, no one expected Future to make something as focused as XXX, but it's still valid to say he's an extreme version of himself, the same way Danny amplifies his drug-addled personality in XXX.
Future and Danny are similar in their affected cadences, over the top lyricism and sinister production. Both albums show them at a 'rock bottom' of sorts, whether it's via Future openly embracing the lifestyle or Danny being trapped in a vicious cycle. Ultimately, no one expected Future to make something as focused as XXX, but it's still valid to say he's an extreme version of himself, the same way Danny amplifies his drug-addled personality in XXX.
Face it Tiger..
Banned
i like that Back Up song she has w/ Big Sean. really didn't expect her to stay around longer than Try Me. pleasant surprise.
:30-:50 is pretty tight.
What I love about DS2 and XXX is that they're neither a glorification of that lifestyle or a cautionary tale about it. They're just honest and unapologetic expression. Dark, but very human and real. Definitely resonates with me and where I'm at in life right now.
Any other shitty opinions you wanna share with us today?
I think that one Blu album you guys all praise is wack
Holy shit this goes hard
PhoenixDark
Banned
I'm on my phone and can't do it it...brehs, someone go to The Coli, click the Birdman thread that's stickied, and post the picture here. Just do it.
- Status