“Few artists are as prolific. As widely imitated. As consistently excellent. Which is why it’s finally time to declare what’s been true for a while now… Future is the best rapper alive.” – GQ
Recently christened “the best rapper alive” by GQ, Future proudly presents his anxiously awaited ninth full-length and the most anticipated album of 2022, I Never Liked You, today. Listen to I Never Liked You via Freebandz/Epic Records.
To celebrate the arrival of the record, The GRAMMY® Award-winning, diamond-certified icon just uncovered the event-level music video for “Keep It Burnin” [feat. Kanye West]. Bound to set the internet on fire, the cinematic clip continues a tradition of blockbuster visuals for Future whose total career YouTube views have exceeded 8 billion and counting.
The album stands out as Future’s first body of work since 2020’s platinum-selling High Off Life, which emerged as his sixth consecutive #1 debut on the Billboard Top 200. He stacks I Never Liked You with powerhouse anthems. The single “Wait For U” [feat. Drake & Tems] showcases the emotional side of Future, and is an instantly quotable anthem, while he also links with Drake yet again for “I’m On One.” He continues showcasing his most emotional and honest songwriting yet with the crooning solo cut “Love U Better,” while Atlanta stands up with the raucous and raw “For A Nut” [feat. Young Thug & Gunna], and “Voodoo” [feat. Kodak Black] conjures an unbreakable spell of its own. The album concludes with “Back to the Basics,” marking a full circle moment for the hip hop titan. These sixteen tracks seal the record’s status as the biggest and boldest release of the year.
Last week, GQ revealed Future as the cover of their May 2022 issue in a massive and insightful feature. Penned by Elliott Wilson, it marks his first cover issue of the publication. Calling I Never Liked You “reignited, unstoppable,” the profile makes its case for one undisputable fact: “His impact can’t be denied. Especially not after eight solo albums, 19 solo mixtapes, one collaborative album, four collaborative mixtapes, two EPs, and one soundtrack (for 2018’s Superfly). Worldwide, he’s been streamed over 30 billion times and has, in the process, inspired an entire generation of rappers. Few artists are as prolific. When you survey the hip-hop landscape, no other artist has been as consistently excellent, or as influential, for as long as he has. He invented his own sound, which has since become the dominant style in rap. He has delivered hit after hit after hit. And he’s done it all on his own terms. I’ll say it again: Future is the best rapper alive.” For the cover of his new album and additional promotional materials, Future chose images from his recent GQ cover shoot.
Next up, he will headline Rolling Loud Miami at Hard Rock Stadium on July 23 this summer.
The king has returned…
TRACKLISTING
- 7:12pm
- I’m Dat N****
- Keep It Burnin (feat. Kanye West)
- For A Nut (feat. Young Thug & Gunna)
- Puffin On Zootiez
- Gold Stacks
- Wait For U (feat. Drake & Tems)
- Love U Better
- Massaging Me
- Chickens (feat. EST Gee)
- We Jus Wanna Get Real High
- Voodoo (feat. Kodak Black)
- Holy Ghost
- The Way Things Going
- I’m On One (feat. Drake)
- Back to the Basics
ABOUT FUTURE:
Rap would never sound, look, or feel the same after Future landed. If you want to know where the culture’s going next, just watch and listen to the iconic Atlanta rapper, singer, and producer. He went from cooking up beats in a basement for the Dungeon Family to generational superstardom with a presence looming from the streets all the way to The Met Gala. He literally brought trap into the White House as President Barack Obama rapped along to his quintuple-platinum banger “Jumpman” [with Drake]. He has collected dozens of multiplatinum certifications and reached rarified air as one of only a handful of rappers to achieve Diamond status for 2020’s “Life Is Good” [feat. Drake], affirming him as one of the best-selling acts of all-time. Not to mention, he carved out a place in the history books as “the first artist to release two Billboard Top 200 number ones in consecutive weeks.” Along the way, he adorned the covers of Billboard, Clash, GQ, Rolling Stone, The Source, XXL and more in addition to delivering show-stopping performances on Saturday Night Live and Ellen. In 2019, he garnered a GRAMMY® Award in the category of “Best Rap Performance” for “King’s Dead” alongside Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and James Blake. Kanye West sought him out as Executive Producer on the headline-making Donda 2 in addition to appearing on two tracks. He also pulled up on Gunna’s “pushin P” with Young Thug, appearing on yet another chart-busting banger. Future looks ahead again on his ninth full-length album, I Never Liked You, in 2022.