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Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Belief You is right here (the primary half anyway), and listeners are abuzz concerning the 17-song venture. Coming in at roughly one hour, the venture has elicited loads of speaking factors in lower than 24 hours. Kendrick Lamar pulled one other “Management”-like transfer and obtained the rap world speaking about his photographs at Drake and J. Cole on “Like That — which coincidentally overshadowed yesterday’s “Complete Time” freestyle from Massive Sean, who initially put Kendrick on “Management.”
However past the mess, Future and Metro-Boomin’s venture is a robust dose of a profitable components. Whereas the venture would have been its strongest at round 12 tracks, the highs make it an general fulfilling pay attention.
Kendrick nonetheless doesn’t like Drake (or J. Cole?)
As of late, the chilly struggle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar had simmered to the purpose of dormancy after a 2010s struggle of subliminals and an unaired ESPN section the place one reportedly went in on the opposite. However after Kendrick’s fiery verse on “Like That,” the place Kendrick took simple intention at Drake and J. Cole, declaring, “Motherfuck the massive three, nigga, it’s simply huge me,” the meat is likely to be again on — and their mutual buddy Cole is likely to be in it now too.
Even with out the diss part, “Like That” is a good track. Metro flipped a Rodney O and Joe Cooley’s “Eternal Bass” pattern in skilled trend and Future went in on his opening verse. If it was simply these two, it might nonetheless be the spotlight of the album. However little did we all know that Kendrick would soar on the observe declaring his lyrical supremacy and proving it in a verse the place he referenced Drake’s For All The Canine album, noting, “’fore all of your canine gettin’ buried
That’s a Okay with all these nines, he gon’ see Pet Sematary.” He additionally rhymed, “Fuck sneak dissin’, first-person shooter, I hope they got here with three switches” about Drake and Cole, “First Individual Shooter” collaborators who’re at present on tour collectively and like to publicly laud one another. Apparently, Kendrick is uninterested in the kumbaya shit. Cole has collaborated with Kendrick previously, and might be recreation for some lyrical sparring — however the stress is deeper with Drake.
Kendrick Lamar’s characteristic verses are sparse, and if it isn’t a track with an R&B diva, he’s vulnerable to go all the way in which in and pressure the rap world to concentrate. He doesn’t waste appearances resting on the laurels of being a marquee title. On “Like That,” he placed on a present. Will Drake and Cole reply at considered one of theirs? Let’s keep tuned.
Future and Metro’s chemistry is seamless
As rapper-producer combos go, Future and Metro made one other declare to be on the prime of the checklist with We Don’t Belief You. Future coming again to the rap recreation together with his go-to producer could have been the very best strategy, and so they confirmed why they work so properly collectively. Metro is an formidable producer who likes to check out completely different moods, and Future is a proficient vocalist. Future goes in over a seedy, sinister beat on “Magic Don Juan,” and epic sounding synth composition on “Claustrophobic.” On Kendrick Lamar’s — I imply Future’s “Like That,” the boys go in over a traditional pattern and amped up drums.
“Cinderella” reveals them proper of their wheelhouse on a composition that radiates their attribute mesh of darkish and enchanting, whereas “On a regular basis Hustle” appears like a 2024 Dipset observe after which switches into Metro having extra enjoyable with pattern chops which spurs Future to select up his tempo. The highs of the venture present them masking quite a lot of floor and collectively reveal that there isn’t any one Future and Metro-Boomin sound — it’s simply good music.
The options have a function, whether or not huge or small
Artists hiding track options is all concerning the 12 AM theatrics. Every little thing will get spoiled inside the hour on social media, however the concealment is a refined resolution that makes some first listens that rather more thrilling. That was the case on We Don’t Belief You, which had a number of spectacular visitor options.
We discuss Kendrick elsewhere, so we don’t must delve too far into “Like That,” however Rick Ross additionally had a fiery verse on “On a regular basis Hustle,” the place he’s as invigorated as he’s sounded in years whereas capturing at his ex and decrying, “The way you sellin’ dope when it scent mistaken?”
Travis Scott and Playboi Carti present up on “Kind Shit,” an lively observe that has each exact specification wanted to flip a Rolling Loud crowd the other way up. Scott additionally confirmed up on “Cinderella,” one other album standout. The Weeknd delivers smoky vocals to “Younger Metro,” whereas the at present incarcerated Younger Thug has a cameo firstly of the eerie “Slimed In.”
The late Prodigy’s presence looms giant on We Don’t Belief You
The trailer for We Don’t Belief You featured vocals from a 2008 clip of late Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy dissing rap friends. “Plenty of fuckin’ rubbish ass rappers working round,” he laments whereas sitting within the seat of a automotive. “These niggas ain’t presupposed to be rapping, man.” In his later years, Prodigy expressed regrets over the Worldstar Hip-Hop clip, which radiates the frustration of his then-impending three-year jail sentence. However the video remains to be part of rap lore that Metro and Future determined to make use of as a thematic framework for his or her venture. It speaks to Future and Metro’s love and data of hip-hop that they imbued a entice venture with snippets of a golden period New York spitter calling to protect actual hip-hop. As Prodigy famous within the video, rubbish is rubbish — and good hip-hop is nice hip-hop.
The 2 additionally have a good time Prodigy’s legacy by sampling Mobb Deep’s “Quiet Storm” on “Seen It All.” Prodigy recalled in his autobiography that Havoc was about to delete the “Quiet Storm” beat out of his beat machine earlier than Prodigy requested him to not then started writing to it. These artistic instincts obtained him a timeless hit that’s being evoked years after his 2016 passing.
The “Poisonous King” power is at a minimal
Two years in the past, I famous that “it’s no enjoyable listening to Drake and Future underselling their appreciable expertise to pander to misogynists.” It wasn’t a condemnation of Future, only a plea for the rap icon to not delve thus far into feeding the rap manosphere that he didn’t exhibit his different expertise. I doubt he personally learn the piece, however that’s nonetheless what we obtained on We Don’t Belief You, an album that doesn’t thematically veer too removed from pretend pals and the trimmings of Future’s success, however at the very least you possibly can blast it with out questioning what your girls pals would consider you for doing so.
Apart from “Runnin Outta Time,” with the gem, “Can’t get a response out of me, that’s what you need / It’s not attractive to indicate your vulnerability, preserve it calm,” the “Poisonous King” power is to a minimal. Possibly he’s saving all of it for the second album, which shall be all R&B.
Two Future snippets made it on the album — collectively
Future’s “Too Obsessed” snippet first dropped in 2022. It rapidly grew to become considered one of Future’s most anticipated songs. One YouTuber notes, “This track alone would carry the entire album,” whereas one other posted, “Snippet Corridor of Fame.” At the moment, there are a slew of commenters excited that the observe made it onto the album as “Ice Assault,” and was spliced along with one other Future snippet. Snippet tradition is each promotion and focus group and Future heard the rave evaluations for the songs that grew to become “Ice Assault.”
