Future Brings Some Fresh Magic to "The WIZRD"

The rapper's first solo album since 2017 shows grind and growth

It's tough to remember a time in Hip Hop without Future. The Atlanta MC is a force, going a decade strong with a style that launched a thousand SoundCloud accounts. His output has been epic, dropping 20 mixtapes and now his seventh studio album with Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD

Even with an extremely busy 2018, The WIZRD is Future's first studio album since he hit number one twice in 2017, dropping albums in consecutive weeks. Coming off of two mixtapes and the Superfly soundtrack, it seems like he saves his biggest sonic leaps for official studio work. He did so with that pair of releases two years ago, even from week to week somehow, and once again on The WIZRD the evolution continues.

The heart is still the same here, as the darkness and financial flexing of the rap game is his main inspiration. However, The WIZRD conjures up some deeper emotions and flows. "Tried to tell you the form of love but you wouldn't take it, hard work and perseverance, they ain't related" he raps on the album opener "Never Stop." Hidden between bars about counting hundreds is some real emotional reflection, with many songs on The WIZRD being a deeper dive than usual into the artist's heart and mind.

As his pen has advanced, so has his already undeniable flow. The WIZRD finds Future dining on a bigger buffet of beats, performing on production from frequent collaborators SouthsideWheezy, and "Sicko Mode" maestro Tay Keith. He raps more purposeful on much of his seventh studio album, and shows some different shades of that auto-tuned croon.

There are features from Travis Scott, Young Thug, and Gunna, but the spotlight shines solely on Hndrxx here, a wizard who has grown into his own magical ambitions. 

Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD is now available everywhere.