The sad thing about this whole thing is that most of you probably regard me as a Future hater. Most of my posts on this site towards the subject of one Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn have been critical, largely in response to the asinine claim that he has made a classic, usually paired with a Jordan or Kobe picture with trophies.
Does Future have "classics"? No, no matter how much his fans claim that his catalogues consists of classic music, the claim will never be true. But saying that Mr. Wilburn has no classics is not a criticism that voids his artistic worth, with his 4th release Aubrey Graham reinforced what many of his critics have been saying for years and what I finally accepted as I listened to the 20th track: The kid may be talented, but he will never belong any where near rap's Mount Rushmore. I argued against the notion for years, pointing out that even on a purely rap level he was better than many of his competitors, such as J. Cole and Big Sean. Kendrick Lamar is without doubt the most talented rapper of the new school, but I must admit I was never partial to his music.
My point being, Drake was my biggest hope for this new generation, and even he doesn't have a classic. Neither does J. Cole. Neither does Big Sean. Neither does Wale. And no matter how much the Lamar fans (doth) protest (too much), neither does he. So how much does it devalue Future that he doesn't either?
Not at all, Future probably isn't the type of artist that will ever make a classic. But when I as a young black man (early 20s) look at the music that spoke for me and my friends, that moved us, and that defined a period of time for us, the influence of Mr. Wilburn is inescapable. Because when I look back over the playlists that I hesitatingly added him to, and the music that defined all the wins and losses I took over such a period, Future is a mainstay.
Many of my criticisms are still valid. He's not a rapper, probably better described as a crooner. He has a limited subject matter, I have yet to hear a Future song that doesn't have at least one mention of drug ingestion or drug dealing. He's one of the most formulaistic rappers I've ever heard.
But the biggest problem with the article that I'm writing right now, is that I'm listening to a Future song right now. Because I can't stop listening to Future. Because even though I continue to reaffirm (even as my fingers hit these keys) that Drake is the most talented (as an artist, with Lamar AS A RAPPER) of this generation, it's not Drake, Cole (all of whose albums I've paid $$$ for), Sean, or Wale that I will listen to when I want to recall the best moments of this period in my life.
Edit: And if any of you don't get the Saul Paul analogy, you should read the bible more......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................nikkas
Does Future have "classics"? No, no matter how much his fans claim that his catalogues consists of classic music, the claim will never be true. But saying that Mr. Wilburn has no classics is not a criticism that voids his artistic worth, with his 4th release Aubrey Graham reinforced what many of his critics have been saying for years and what I finally accepted as I listened to the 20th track: The kid may be talented, but he will never belong any where near rap's Mount Rushmore. I argued against the notion for years, pointing out that even on a purely rap level he was better than many of his competitors, such as J. Cole and Big Sean. Kendrick Lamar is without doubt the most talented rapper of the new school, but I must admit I was never partial to his music.
My point being, Drake was my biggest hope for this new generation, and even he doesn't have a classic. Neither does J. Cole. Neither does Big Sean. Neither does Wale. And no matter how much the Lamar fans (doth) protest (too much), neither does he. So how much does it devalue Future that he doesn't either?
Not at all, Future probably isn't the type of artist that will ever make a classic. But when I as a young black man (early 20s) look at the music that spoke for me and my friends, that moved us, and that defined a period of time for us, the influence of Mr. Wilburn is inescapable. Because when I look back over the playlists that I hesitatingly added him to, and the music that defined all the wins and losses I took over such a period, Future is a mainstay.
Many of my criticisms are still valid. He's not a rapper, probably better described as a crooner. He has a limited subject matter, I have yet to hear a Future song that doesn't have at least one mention of drug ingestion or drug dealing. He's one of the most formulaistic rappers I've ever heard.
But the biggest problem with the article that I'm writing right now, is that I'm listening to a Future song right now. Because I can't stop listening to Future. Because even though I continue to reaffirm (even as my fingers hit these keys) that Drake is the most talented (as an artist, with Lamar AS A RAPPER) of this generation, it's not Drake, Cole (all of whose albums I've paid $$$ for), Sean, or Wale that I will listen to when I want to recall the best moments of this period in my life.
Edit: And if any of you don't get the Saul Paul analogy, you should read the bible more......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................nikkas
