By: Trévaris Hardy
The other night Toronto rapper, Drake and Atlanta hip hop veteran Future, an unlikely duo, released their 11-track collaborative mixtape, “What a Time to be Alive.” The project comes at a great time for both the artists. Future’s album“DS2” peaked at number one on Billboard, and Drake’s “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” dropped earlier this year and received massive praise. With the momentum that each of these hip hop heavyweights have built this year, the expectations for this tape were pretty high. However, “What a Time to be Alive” misses the mark and proves to be a disappointment.
The mixtape opens with the song “Digital Dash” before transitioning into “Big Rings”, both of which feature Drake rapping over a typical southern beats with heavy bass with synth chords. Other songs on the tape such as “Jumpman”, “I’m The Plug”, and “Live from the Gutter” follow this same format. Interestingly enough, most of the songs are rather slow and serve as a contrast to what is typically expected from potential club bangers.
The rest other half of the tape features slow R&B beats with both Drake and Future singing on tracks. Future’s cringe-worthy vocals on these songs are without a doubt the worst part of the entire project and ultimately hold the tape back from reaching its full potential.
2015 has been a great year for Future and Drake as both artists released individual projects that have generated a lot of hype, and it is no surprise that this project had the internet waiting in anticipation. Unfortunately, the project pales in comparison to other collaboration albums such as “Watch the Throne”. The love child that is “What a Time to be Alive” might just be the worst way end 2015.
Final Rating: 2 out of 5 Owls
