As a more casual listener of the rap genre, I was excited to hear about the new album from the artist Future released on May 2nd. In the past, he has worked with a number of recognizable artists, from Kanye West to Young Thug, so I had high expectations going into I NEVER LIKED YOU. However, I was disappointed at nearly every step of the way. 

Within the 16-track album, there are only a handful of songs that break out of the repetitive patterns of the album. Keep it Burnin, Love You Better, VooDoo, and Back to the Basics each stand out thanks to their unique introductions. These songs do not open with their base rhythms, opting instead for a stronger base and  different vocal style. Other than the first few seconds, even these songs fall into the same rhythm that the other songs follow.

I am not above admitting that some of the lyrics are inspired. Future has found a formula that works for him and he uses it. I probably wouldn’t even skip any of these songs if they came up on my playlist, but sitting down and listening to them one after another becomes boring.

I can’t even name one of his albums that I prefer, because I would gladly listen to literally anything else. Maybe I’m just underqualified to critique this style of music, but that doesn’t mean that my dislike is any less valid. I NEVER LIKED YOU is not an album that I would recommend to anyone, and it is likely to leave a sour taste in my mouth for Future’s future work.