Master of His Craft: ‘High Off Life’ Album Review
By Carter Fife
Last week Atlanta rapper and trap icon Future announced and released his eighth studio record, High Off Life. This album follows the release of three of Future’s older mixtapes onto streaming services over the past month, making 2020 a great time to be a Freebandz fan. High Off Life is a 90 minute record that spans 21 songs, making it one of the longest Future projects in a while. Unlike last year’s Future record The WIZRD, this album sees Future adopt a more familiar sound, though there are certainly moments of greatness to be found in the record’s enormous track listing.
High Off Life follows a similar formula that many of Future’s prior records have adhered to over the past half-decade. Like 2017’s FUTURE and HNDRXX, High Off Life is an incredibly expansive catalog of Future tracks that have likely been recorded over the past year. There are definitely tracks that could have been left on the cutting room floor, but in true Future fashion he leaves nothing back as he delivers a 90 minute performance. His vocal register is consistent, his tone alternating between aggressively energetic and confidently laid back, embodying the ‘toxic masculine’ for better and for worse. It is easiest to argue that this is for the better, however, as his fans (myself included) subscribe to his music because of how consistently good it is. After arguably delivering two of the past year’s best features (“Sup Mate” with Young Thug and “Wassup” with Lil Uzi Vert), and entertaining rumors of a second collaboration with Drake - the hype was tangible going into this record. The results were less than surprising.
Most Future records, like High Off Life, seem to be structured around around approximately half a dozen tracks that are clearly meticulously crafted. These hits are then surrounded by around a dozen enjoyable but admittedly less-than-memorable moments. Think back to Migos before the release of the near-perfect Culture - with every mixtape hip-hop’s canon would be graced with a track like Versace or Pipe it Up despite their records having minimum 12 tracks each. In High Off Life, there are several tangible moments of brilliance that parallel his infamous “King’s Dead” verse, though finding them requires a fair amount of work.
In the ~11 times I have listened to this record this week, I have managed to isolate the tracks where I feel Future to be at his best. Future’s delivery and signature vocal timbre on High Off Life is much stronger than his past few releases, so even though some of the mixes may leave you eying the ’skip’ button, they still remain ultimately enjoyable tracks that surround the hidden gems. “HiTek Tek” is a gem that sees Future’s powerful melodic delivery and “yeah yeah!” adlibs reach new heights as he effortlessly flows over ATL Jacob’s thundering 808s, mechanical hi-hats and glittering synth patterns.
Though “Solitaires” featuring Travis Scott seems like it would be a clear standout track after the Houston rapper’s incredible verse on Future’s last record, the first 4 tracks immediately get overshadowed when playing High Off Life’s fifth track: “Ridin Strikers”. The ominous-yet-catchy banger features a unique arrangement including a Guzheng-adjascent track that artists like Future helped popularize in modern hip-hop music. After two minutes of bars about trapping and organized violence, a beat switch takes place that emphasizes and amplifies the track’s status as an eerie banger. Every instrument feels out of key, the drums off-kilter, and the 808s decelerated to a lurching slowness. Keeping it all together is Future, rapping a narrative about bank robbery where he says “Hold on, smokin' on pressure / Hold on, straight out a pound / Hold on, crazy-ass shooter / Hold on, sprayin' in the crowd”. The track ends quickly, in its wake leaving one of the most memorable Future tracks released since his career began almost a decade ago.
High Off Life features so many more memorable moments embedded in its hour and a half runtime. “Harlem Shake” sees Future link back up with fellow SUPER SLIMEY collaborator Young Thug, and unfortunately it is not a remix of Bauuer’s EDM anthem. “Too Comfortable” is a refreshing and upbeat moment where Future raps over an acoustic guitar that is vaguely reminiscent of Migos’ 2018 hit “Narcos”, and Lil Uzi Vert’s appearance on “All Bad” showcases the two rapper’s incredibly infectious chemistry. Tracks like “Accepting My Flaws” and “Last Name” with Lil Durk show rare moments of Future’s emotional complexity, making the untouchable and omnipresent rapper reflect in a rare moment of vulnerability. Though “Life is Good” has been out since last winter, it is still a solid track and ending the record with its remix (sporting additional features from Lil Baby and DaBaby) felt like a fitting way to conclude this record.
Though High Off Life is pretty consistently enjoyable with several key moments, it is not without its unfortunate flaws. Future seems to have played it safe with this one, and it is unfortunate that Future doesn’t venture outside of his wheelhouse more often like he did with 2019’s The WIZRD or the following EP SAVE ME. Some of the tracks like “Up The River” or “Hard to Choose One” do not make much of a lasting impact as their beats sound like they were made using the same soundfonts every other producer today is using trying to craft the next big trap anthem. How long will fans have to wait before another Pharrell or Zaytoven collaboration? The answer is unclear. Finally, though it is nice to see Future elevating the next generation by featuring NBA Youngboy, their lack of chemistry and dissonance of styles makes his decision seem like an odd one, though their track together could have been worse.
Though technically High Off Life is Future’s eighth studio record, this release is just one of over 16 projects that the Atlanta rapper has released over the past 10 years. It is clear in Future’s writing and persona that he clearly understands that he is a significant cultural icon, though hopefully in upcoming years fans are graced with music with less bars about coronavirus, and more thematic risks. I had the pleasure of meeting Future at the Grammys in 2019, and the the only thing more memorable than his elegant and minimalistic suit was the aura of untouchable celebrity confidence he carried with him. High Off Life is this in musical form - highly enjoyable, but it leaves you curious about the missed potential from the routes untaken. At the end of the day, Risks or not, this album will certainly be kept on heavy rotation for the foreseeable future.
Favorite Songs:
Ridin Strikers
Too Comfortable
All Bad (ft. Lil Uzi Vert)
Rating: 8
Listen to High Off Life here:
Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to get notified when we post:
-
🕊Juice WRLD Song Tourney🕊 Welcome to SV Madness! This week we’re running a tourney to find out what our followers… https://t.co/cmX7TdEzUE -
Something to immediately turn any function up! Featuring hits from Travis Scott, Chief Keef, Playboi Carti, and oth… https://t.co/GBMLEjN8rT