By Martin Castro (The Cascade) – Email
If there’s one artist that’s on top of the rap world right now, it’s undeniably Drake. The mythology that Drake created and surrounded himself with on If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late — effectively romanticizing Toronto as a city deserving to be shouted-out in the same way rappers rep Atlanta, New York, and Chicago — is only further built upon throughout What a Time To Be Alive, his joint project with lean-sipping Atlanta rapper Future, who himself consistently shines on the project.
“Digital Dash” sees Future adopt a blatantly aggressive stance: “My niggas ain’t nothin’ but some bangers / I sit in the trap with the gangsters / You don’t come ‘round here cause it’s dangerous / I be hangin’ ‘round here and I’m famous / Gotta keep the trigger by my finger.” The production, all oscillating sirens, trap snares, and a glossy, everpresent bass, pushes the track on with a calm-yet-unflinchinglypowerful momentum. Drake’s verse is a perfect introduction to the attitude that the rapper has for just about the entire project: “These bitches be nagging the kid / Fuck it, it is what it is, / if you get hit you get hit / I don’t forget or forgive.” Drake’s confidence, or what some might call over-confidence, is a direct continuation from what he displayed on If You’re Reading This it’s Too Late, and as far as What A Time To Be Alive is concerned, it’s all justified; it turns to willful arrogance in “Big Rings,” which comes off as one of the most belligerent tracks on the record.
“Live From The Gutter” sees Future give the listener a frankly sobering depiction of the consequences of his lean habit: “I watched my broad give up on me like I’m average / I went back inside the attic count it up and started laughing,” “A fiend for that lean I ain’t started drinking beer yet / They bust the trap (house), I live there / Came out clean, I ain’t clean my nigga, still there.” This attempt of Future’s to address his problem with lean is both explicitly self-aware, and painfully descriptive: “Wake up in the house, look up, I see bales everywhere / I see girls … I see scales … I see hell everywhere.” This is an addict we’re listening to, and he knows it.
Both Drake and Future shine on “Scholarships,” but for different reasons. Drake addresses his need to stay in the public eye’s good graces: “I need acknowledgement / If I got it then tell me I got it then / Mayor coming to the house, nigga please watch your mouth / I’m the one without a doubt.”
However, where Future’s full verse comes off as inferior, the hook once again reflects his struggle with substance abuse: “I fell in love with the dodie, I fell in love with the rollie / These demons they callin’ my soul, I said fuck all of you hoes.” Future’s imagery is harrowing, to say the least. What’s more, I can pinpoint his flow on this track as the one thing that made me listen to the project more closely.
“Plastic Bag” is the least-energetic track on WATTBA, but it works exceedingly well as the stereotypically belligerent, misogynist rap equivalent to songs like “Earth Angel.” That said, Future and Drake both spit laid-back verses that are all bravado, and quite honestly some of their most entertaining.
“I’m The Plug” features one of Drake’s best, most focused verses on the entire project. Short though it is, this is Drake more than backing up his earlier claims. “Jumpman,” however popular, is probably one of the most overrated songs on WATTBA; it’s repetitive and uninspired, and dull as far as production goes.
“Jersey” is hands-down the best song on the mixtape. The production is sleek and powerful, and Future’s flow fits the track seamlessly, both rhythmically and melodically; catchy as anything. And his delivery of, “First I got married to money, then I fell in love with that dirty, extendo, extendo, extendo, the clip gotta hold like a 30,” as well as the chorus, serve to summarize how understated yet essential Future’s role is in this project.
With the success of If You’re Reading This, it’s Too Late, and Future’s Dirty Sprite 2, as well as the approaching release of Views From The 6, all I can say at this point is: folks, what a time to be alive.
