The music industry has different strata of fame. In the current hierarchy the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna, Adele, Taylor Swift and Drake are in the superstar region. Not far from them are lesser successful but still highly popular artists such as Future, Joey Bada$$, Travis Scott, Young Thug who are stars but do not have the same global appeal as the previously mentioned artists. However, with the release of his two newest albums Future may have just proved that he will in that category sooner than later.
He released his eponymous fifth studio album on February 17, 2017 and debuted at the number position on the Billboard 200 chart. One week later on February 24, 2017 Future released his sixth studio album titled HNDRXX, which also debuted on the number one spot on the Billboard 200, effectively replacing himself from the top spot in consecutive weeks. Due to this he has become the first artist to do so in the history of the chart.
What’s particularly remarkable is that the artist barely promoted both albums before their release. FUTURE was announced a mere 3 days before its release whereas HNDRXX was announced a mere 2 days before its release via social media. Of the two albums HNDRXX has received better critical reactions thus far while FUTURE has had more commercial success.
People speculated that Future would release a third album within a week of HNDRXX, however the rapper told Complex that “there’s no third” thereby putting an end to all the rumors and speculation. The chart success of FUTURE and HNDRXX has given Future his fourth and fifth number one albums on the chart, again attesting to his growing popularity.
The quick releases are also a testament of how the music industry has changed. The sheer amount of music released these days is overwhelming. What was once a novelty has become an accepted practice among artists, partly due to the short attention span of fans. If you don’t release music frequently you may stand to be forgotten.
Both releases are Future albums, meaning there’s not much you’ll hear in these projects that you’ve not heard from Future before. Maybe that is what he needs to tip him over the edge into super stardom – to move outside his comfort zone and explore lyrical themes that appeal to a wider audience as is the case with artists who reach the upper strata of fame.
