After a relatively quiet 2023, Future has stormed back in 2024 in a huge way. He started the year with a couple of very high-quality features. His performance on Yeat’s song ‘Stand On It’ in particular is a track that I have been coming back to time and time again as the year has gone on. After these quality feature performances, Future and Metro Boomin shocked the world with their first-ever official collaborative album, WE DON’T TRUST YOU. This album rocked the Hip Hop world in many ways. For one, it is full of intrepid and gigantic Trap bangers that fans of either artist were more than satisfied with. This album also made waves for a few of its iconic guest performances. Playboi Carti’s verse on ‘TYPE SHIT’ is one that fans have been loving all year, and Kendrick Lamar’s scathing verse on ‘LIKE THAT’ spawned the epic beef between himself and Drake(and J. Cole for a brief moment, who excused himself from said beef after he saw the negative direction it was going). This album also contained the track ‘Fried(She’s a Vibe), which has quickly turned into one of my personal favorite songs of 2024(it reminds me of early 2010s Future, which I will always have an affinity for). About a month after that record’s release, Future, and Metro Boomin shocked the world again with a second collaborative record called WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU. On this record, Metro Boomin and Future go in slightly different directions, demonstrating their atmospheric R&B Traps. The Weeknd delivers multiple great features on this record; in particular, his performance and chemistry with Future on ‘ALWAYS BE MY FAULT’ is one that so many people have been into. After already feeding fans with two high-quality projects, Future has decided to drop yet another mixtape in 2024. MIXTAPE PLUTO is a new collection of songs that shows Future is as hungry as ever and has even more to give us this year. Now I will say that first and foremost, this is a Future mixtape: meaning, it just feels like a Future mixtape. MIXTAPE PLUTO is not the most concise or organized piece of music. At times, it feels like a collection of very good ideas Future just decided to throw out into the world. There is still so much to love about this project, though. If you are a big Future fan like I am, you will find a lot of music you enjoy on this tape. Below, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite songs from Future’s MIXTAPE PLUTO, and then give a few more thoughts on the project as a whole to close things out. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from MIXTAPE PLUTO, and also comment on how you feel about the project as a whole!
TEFLON DON
Future certainly starts this mixtape on a high note. When I first listened to ‘TEFLON DON,’ I knew that I was going to dig where Future was going on this mixtape. ‘TEFLON DON’ has the kind of haunting, massive sound that sets the tape on an ominous note. The melody for ‘TEFLON DON’ samples the theme from The Godfather movies(which definitely follows the theme of the title and lyricism, as Future refers to himself as a mob boss like the Teflon Don Jon Gotti). The way this melody is mixed makes it feel even more mean, as its glitchiness is so rough. The beat for this track is just as powerful as the melody and makes the song feel so huge. Future’s choppy, quick flow on ‘TEFLON DON’ fits the daunting energy of the instrumental super well. Future starts MIXTAPE PLUTO so mightily with ‘TEFLON DON.’
SKI
‘SKI’ keeps the extremely dark theme we got on ‘TEFLON DON’(and on the song ‘LIL DEMON,’ which is between these two) going in a pretty big way. This track feels a bit more dystopian than the opening track, though. There is something about this melody that almost makes it feel futuristic. The synths that complement the piano riff that drives this one almost have a robotic tone to them. As interesting as the instrumental is, the thing about ‘SKI’ that really stands out is Future’s rap performance. To put it briefly, Future goes crazy on this one. This rapid, high-key flow gives this song so much energy, and the ad-libs throughout this one are frankly epic as well. ‘SKI’ is a raucous banger that I could see ending up being a pretty big hit from this project. It has the kind of sound that would get any club jumping when it comes on.
TOO FAST
‘TOO FAST’ has a way lighter and more welcoming tone than the first two songs on this list. The melody for this one has a melancholy but charming tone. The way the synths are mixed makes this one feel pretty atmospheric and warm. ‘TOO FAST’ has a faster and more Poppy beat than most of the record to this point. This one feels like the Pop-Trap track that is supposed to have more of a mainstream appeal. Future’s vocal performance on ‘TOO FAST’ is great. He shows his range and singing chops on this track while demonstrating a variety of flows that stand out and make the song hit extra hard. ‘TOO FAST’ is not the most inventive or individualistic Pop-Trap song I have ever heard, but it is a nice little banger that can appeal to a pretty wide crowd.
OCEAN
Out of all of the songs on this project, ‘OCEAN’ may be the one that stands out the most. So much about this song is different from the rest. This starts the opening of the track, which actually sounds like a beach with seagulls chirping. The melody for ‘OCEAN’ is very cool, as it has a very watery feeling to it. The synths that drive this one literally sound like they are being muffled by water, and the actual tone of the melody even sort of reminds me of waves crashing against a break wall. Future may deliver his most passionate vocal performance of the record on this one. His flow and tone are so raspy and guttural, matching the gloomy feeling of the melody and making this song feel so heavy. ‘OCEAN’ is a cool track that switches things up and pushes Future a bit vocally, which I appreciate a lot.
SOUTH OF FRANCE
There are multiple tracks on this mixtape that feel like little snippets of something that could be great, and ‘SOUTH OF FRANCE’ is probably my favorite of the bunch. This track is very brief, yet it still hits very hard. ‘SOUTH OF FRANCE’ has a sound that feels dark and ominous, but also light and atmospheric. The tone of the melody is pretty haunting, but the way it is mixed makes it feel floaty. Future delivers one of his most off-kilter rap performances on this one, and it sticks out in such a cool way. The way he varies his flow is so fresh and his tone slides on the melody so well. ‘SOUTH OF FRANCE’ might have been one of my favorite sounds on this record, but I just wish it was longer.
SURFING A TSUNAMI
If ‘OCEAN’ is the most individual-sounding song on this project, ‘SURFING A TSUNAMI’ is a close second. In fact, this may be the most unusual-sounding track, as I can not compare it to anything else on the mixtape at all. The melody for ‘SURFING A TSUNAMI’ is so intricate. It is grand and haunting, funky, and atmospheric all at the same time. This melody is driven by a very trippy riff that sounds like it comes from a mandolin that is extremely distorted. This riff is complemented by a groovy bassline and looming synths that make the instrumental feel like it is a huge wave on the horizon. Future does not deliver his most varied or riveting vocal performances on ‘SURFING A TSUNAMI,’ but honestly that is okay. His more even-keeled flow and tone contrast the feeling of the instrumental, giving the song a very grainy texture. ‘SURFING A TSUNAMI’ is one of the most intense songs here. It may not be for everyone, but fans of weird, Atmospheric Trap should love this one.
LOST MY DOG
‘LOST MY DOG’ sees Future slow things down and smooth things out a bit. This is probably the most laid-back and soft song on the record. The melody for this track is driven by a melancholy yet groovy guitar riff that is reminiscent of old-school R&B. There is a very sweet female vocal sample in the background of the synths and guitar riff; this vocal sample adds so much emotion to the track, making its passion really hit hard. ‘LOST MY DOG’ is the only song on this project that does not contain a beat. Instead, the whole melody is made up of this melody, making it feel so heavy and sad. Future’s vocal performances on this track totally match the sentiment of the instrumental. He sings with such a warm and guttural tone on this track. The turmoil Future is feeling due to losing his friend to drugs permeates through. ‘LOST MY DOG’ is a moment where Future lets listeners in and shows a more tender side to his artistry, which I think is pretty cool.
AYE SAY GANG
Future may save the most menacing and most foreboding song for last in ‘AYE SAY GANG.’ This song has the kind of nasty and gritty sound that only fans of the darkest Trap music will love. There is something about this instrumental that makes me think that intrepid times may be on the horizon(in an endearing way, of course!). The melody for this track is so gloomy and menacing, making me think of the kind of music that would play before a chase scene in a horror movie. This “melody”(if you want to call it that) is very grating, and the beat is just as intense. Future certainly matches the energy of the instrumental with his vocal performance on ‘AYE SAY GANG.’ He raps with a raspy and gritty tone and a very aggressive flow that contributes to this song’s massive feeling. Future sends MIXTAPE PLUTO off on a heinous note with ‘AYE SAY GANG.’
The first thing I will say about this project to close things out, which is something I mentioned in the intro, is that ultimately, it is a Future mixtape. This project just feels like a Future mixtape in every way. MIXTAPE PLUTO is not close to the most boundary-pushing or innovative Trap project you will ever hear. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, I would say it is fairly vanilla. Now, of course, there are moments like ‘SURFING A TSUNAMI’ or ‘OCEAN’ where Future does go against the grain and he does lighten things up a ton on ‘LOST MY DOG,’ but for the most part, a lot of the songs are pretty comparable to each other. Because of this, I bet that everyone has a different list of favorite songs from MIXTAPE PLUTO. It is very consistent throughout, so I would not be surprised if pretty much every song on here is someone’s favorite. Future’s rap performances throughout this mixtape are great. He comes with the fire and energy on pretty much all of these tracks. It feels like Future is focused and has something to say, which makes this mixtape all the more engaging. I would say the only thing that holds MIXTAPE PLUTO back for me are all of the short, snippet-like songs. There are way too many cuts on here that are under two minutes. These tracks almost feel like under-finished ideas; i just wish they were more fleshed out because a lot of them(like ‘SOUTH OF FRANCE,’ for instance) are pretty fun to listen to. Overall, this is not Future’s best work ever, but it is still very enjoyable. There is so much about MIXTAPE PLUTO that I enjoy a ton and will be coming back to, and that is what matters to me as an avid Future fan.
EAST SIDE VIBES 