Drake wraps up the project solo, with the most explicit digs at his Philadelphia-based foe yet. Future made street bangers, was quasi-forced into being an Auto-Tuned pop star, and subsequently turned back into an anthem-making monster. The anticipation surrounding the powerful commingling of hip hop heavyweights Drake and Future reached a fever pitch after the two confirmed they would be dropping the secret project tonight. It’s a great, druggy track with Future in peak form: “I don’t want no liquor cuz I been drankin’ that dirty”.
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Nonetheless, Billboard predicted that “What a Time To Be Alive” was on course to debut on the next weekly chart at number one and to be the top-selling new release since Drake’s previous work. As others have reported, WATTBA was released under Cash Money Records (and Epic, for Future), just like If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late was.
When Drake swoops in to pick up the thread, his clear, articulated voice is so much more animated than Future’s that the impact is jarring. Both Drake and Future have a longstanding friendship that’s had it’s fair share of ups and downs, however, now it seems stronger than ever on What a Time to be Alive. While he always brings some degree of musicality to the table, this is the harder Future. “That’s the best part”, adds Drake.
The opening song also switches from Future to Drake after the chorus, and just from there it was easy to see why these two collaborated. Girl them late nights ain’t good for you. They’ve teamed up on cuts for other artists. Future raps, “I watched my broad give up on me like I’m average / I went back inside the attic, counted up, and started laughing”, on “Live from the Gutter”.
The bombast can backfire when Drake isn’t quite sure of himself. It’s creepy and effective, but Drake’s pop sensibilities show on songs like “Plastic Bags” and “Diamonds Dancing”, which feel like soundtracks for drunk sex in public locations. Follies is apparently a strip club in Atlanta. This isn’t a sign that Drake was smart to appeal to the genre’s core; it’s evidence that he’s too big to fail, that casual listeners are willing to follow him down any aesthetic rabbit hole. As for Future, his monstrous run this year has only elevated his stock in the game.
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Future featured Drake on “Where Ya At”, a cut from his DS2 album, which was released July 17.
