Industry titan Future releases dark and expressive project MIXTAPE PLUTO, his third of 2024

Mainstream hip-hop/rap artist Future releases third album of 2024 entitled “MIXTAPE PLUTO” with no features. He enlists the help of producers Southside, Wheezy, and ATL Jacob.

It has been said that Future pioneered his own prolific rap subgenre featuring autotuned vocals and trap beats that has dominated the music industry for years. This style of so-called “mumble rap” laid the foundation for a generation of rappers with similar styles to flourish over the 2010s and 20s, with many more artists with ever more experimental styles continuing to emerge at rapid pace. I believe the effects of this stylistic shift in rap still have a long way to go.

This cultural environment of the hip-hop scene is what I personally grew up with in middle and high school, with rappers such as Juice WRLD captivating my friends and classmates. I didn’t really get into rap until later on, but looking back on those years and all the way back to 2011 when Future first came onto the scene, it’s fascinating to see the development of this genre.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Future PLUTO Hendrix (@future)

Despite his monumental success and influence, Future has not let up with his releases. In fact, he’s ramping up his output considerably. MIXTAPE PLUTO is his third project of 2024, which is impressive considering he hasn’t dropped 2 albums in a year since 2020, and only 1 between that point and 2024. With the massive success of WE DONT TRUST YOU with Metro Boomin and the chart-topping hit “Like That”, we can only assume Pluto may be entering yet another golden age in his career. MIXTAPE PLUTO is a selection of dark monologues over equally dark and pensive beats. There is a nice mixture of aggressive and upbeat tracks that have become synonymous with Future’s go-to style in recent years such as “BRAZZIER”, as well as more laid-back melodic songs with particular emphasis on writing and songcraft such as “SURFING A TSUNAMI”, which has a super catchy chorus.

Something I find particularly intriguing about MIXTAPE PLUTO is the mixture of the dark mood of the project with the fact that it has no features. Clearly the lack of features is a deliberate move, many artists would jump at the chance to get a feature on a Future album but it seems that Pluto just wanted to work alone. The incredibly dark character of most of the beats (expertly done by producers Southside, Wheezy and ATL Jacob) mixed with Future’s drug-fueled ramblings and the album cover gives an unsettling and almost eerie feeling to the project. I’d say the only exception to this rule for the album is “LOST MY DOG”, a heartbreaking showcase of the loss of a friend.

Read “LOST MY DOG” by Future on Genius

Future · MIXTAPE PLUTO

Tracklist:

1. TEFLON DON [prod. Southside, London on da Track, FBG Goat, MoXart Beatz, Topp, Peeb & Desro]

Distorted beat utilizing an opera vocal with other creepy instruments such as strings. Pluto’s flow is choppy and percussive.

2. LIL DEMON [prod. Southside & Smatt Sertified]

Bombastic beat with hard-hitting bassline, a great energetic addition to the first section of the album.

3. SKI [prod. Southside, Smatt Sertified & Gedo]

Trippy beat with some piano sounds affected with a flanger at the beginning. Future takes a very rhythmic and percussive approach with his flow here as well.

4. READY TO COOK UP [prod. Wheezy & Juke Wong]

The beat contains a repeating, understated loop that is likely either sampled or heavily affected. Future’s vocals perfectly reflect the dark, sluggish flows that characterize this entire album.

5. PLUTOSKI [prod. Wheezy & Juke Wong]

The beat has a similar tone to the previous track, with a dissonant string loop that plays throughout the song. At the midpoint of the track, Future seemingly goes into a dark trance, performing practically incomprehensible repetitive phrases.

6. TOO FAST [prod. Taurus, DJ Champ, McCoy (Producer) & Ike Made]

This track transitions to Future’s more emotional side, with more punctual and energetic flows. The beat and Pluto’s delivery is heavily reminiscent of “WORST DAY” from his 2022 project.

7. OCEAN [prod. Wheezy, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., Dez Wright, Mu Lean & Jack Uriah]

The track begins with a synth-driven beat with ocean sfx in the background. The flow in this track is more energetic and deliberate than others preceding it.

8. PRESS THE BUTTON [prod. Southside, Topp, Rosen Beatz & MoXart Beatz]

Pluto returns to the dark character of his album with a dissonant beat, but this time bringing a more machine-gun like flow.

“Stack it up taller than giraffe”

9. MJ [prod. Wheezy, Romil Hemnani, Bryan Yepes & 2forwOyNE]

Slow, trippy vibes with this one. Future leans into this energy with an understated, almost whispered flow.

10. BRAZZIER [prod. Southside & DY Krazy]

The beat contains a powerful double-hitting bassline that brings the energy along with the distorted bell sounds. Future brings a reciprocal energetic flow to the track.

11. SOUTH OF FRANCE [prod. Wheezy, Southside & Car!ton]

A nice melodic track with some sampled vocals. Future’s flow follows the melody very well, and is a great example of how the Mask Off artist has focused on improving his writing and songcraft for this project.

12. SURFING A TSUNAMI [prod. Wheezy & Che Pope]

Future delivers a catchy performance on a trippy, distorted beat. My favorite part is the chorus, which the song does a good job of preparing the listener for.

13. MADE MY HO FAINT [prod. Southside, Wheezy & Sean Momberger]

Catchy and melodic beat punctuated by an experimental flow by Future that’s particularly choppy and irregular.

14. TOLD MY [prod. Wheezy, DY Krazy, Juke Wong, Nothingto$ay & SLOWBURNZ]

This angry beat with low piano notes and a heavy bassline is an excellent backdrop for Future’s repetitive autotune-punctuated flows. The beat switches in a really cool way which is a great way to spice up the track.

15. OATH [prod. Taurus, Rocaine, Koncept P & 808 Jayy]

The understated beat gives Future a nice canvas on which to experiment with some irregular, percussive flows.

16. LOST MY DOG [prod. ATL Jacob & FNZ]

Future goes deep in expressing his sadness for a friend who passed away due to drug use. The fact that Future can convey such sorrow and depth in one song while also in the same album conveying a tone of emotionlessness through most other tracks is truly captivating and really shows his proficiency as an experienced musical artist.

17. AYE SAY GANG [prod. Wheezy, Neenyo, Che Pope & Juke Wong]

The closer brings us back to the dark tone of most of the album, showcasing an understated flow over a sluggish Wheezy beat.

“Riding with a smacker, turn your little kid to a bastard”
“Countin’ up so much dog shit it look like cow shit”