ignorethis
RIP Fresh RIP Doe RIP Phat
This was inspired by the intense reaction to Russel’s new “Dangerwich” campaign with Subway
Russell represents the liberal aspirations of black men. He’s a world famous football player who beat the odds make it to the league and became a future HOF’er. Not only that but he managed to recreate a perfect nuclear family with a famous R&B singer, despite his early struggles with divorce. In addition he’s been able to maintain a “John Everyman” suburban archetype without having to resort to popular stereotypical depictions of black men.
Yet he is almost universally disliked and viewed as “corny” by both black and non-black America. Is it that such a clean-cut black man makes people on both sides uncomfortable because it challenges pre-conceived notions? Or is it deeper than that?
Contrast this to Future who is a bit of an enigmatic figure, the contrasting depiction of black masculinity. A character built on a soulless, almost psychopathic buck who copes with his lack of meaning through casual sex and drug use. He had a rocky start as a rap artist, somehow finding a cult following on twitter focused on his drug-laden, sex fueled lyrics.
Unlike Russell he has no family, his lyrics depict a character wherein there are no personal connections beyond meaningless ones spurred by sex and/or drugs. For lack of better words, he is the stereotypical depiction of black men’s “criminality”, sexuality, and pain.
Yet Future is almost universally liked, or rather viewed in an esteemed lens compared to Russell. Where Russell should be the American hero, Future is the anti-hero.
In my view, Future is liked because he is the comfortable stereotype more aligned with the nihilistic view of the realities black men face in America. Whereas Russell, despite his imperfections, is too perfect and a reminder of the fleeting aspirations of wealth and family.
It’s a very interesting dichotomy in pop culture. Of course it’s not as cut and dry as it appears. Future has claimed to not even use hard drugs and Russell himself has never claimed to be a saint.
Interesting how these things play out
You simplified Future like a dummy, the appeal of Future is the exact same as Jay-Z, street nikka that won, brought all his people to luxury with him including his close friends. Future a poet for dudes stuck in the slums, he accomplished everything they dream of.
Future music revolves around the world and people around him more than himself, he paints an accurate and vivid picture of the streets of Atlanta and slums of the world then juxtaposes it against the International playboy lifestyle of NY/LA/ATL/Paris/Dubai. He writes love ballads to the lil boys from his hood that run under him, he writes love ballads to his bros and big homies locked up and in the grave, he writes love ballads to the women in his life. Future has just as many songs/lyrics praising the women in his life and women in general as he has dogging them. Real relationships are dynamic that in that way, dude has dozens of songs that you can listen to when you’re head over heels in love with a woman and vice versa a dozen you can listen to when you mad at a woman, breaking up, in dog/player mode.
Dude didn’t become one of the highest selling artists of the decade by being one dimensional. Not from a lyrical/songwriting standpoint, and definitely not from a sonic standpoint either, you have platinum artist right now who’s entire style is born out of one Future flow, dude has hundreds. His production has always been forward, he’s Dungeon Family alumni, all his producers are the dudes defining the sound of hip-hop: Metro Boomin, Southside and 808 Mafia, now ATL Jacob the newest young talented black kid he’s about to make rich.
Most importantly lol, Future makes music for nikkas that have many women deeply in love with them, but they can’t love the women properly because we love ourselves too much. He’s a male narcissist icon lmao, you see Carti naming his next album “Narcissist” he also trying to tap into the same cultural current Future tapped into. That’s what made him transcend music into a cultural icon that people in Nigeria, Dubai, India know his face, use his memes, and know he represents men standing over women, lol Future represents the Patriarchy. OG Double D would be proud.
I love when I meet women that love Future, I already know they’re gonna be submissive, be open to new things, and fukk me good. Just gotta know how to make them feel like loved little girls again. I’m giving y’all game right now, trust me.
Lol I just wrote a thesis on Future, but what can I say I’m a fan, been telling people Future was the best rapper back in 2012 when people thought 2Chainz was gonna be bigger. Bro single-handedly changed the sound of hip-hop, all his children are hard and selling millions too, and he embraces them. Dude is one of the most successful black musicians in the past decades, and he did it standing on business, forcing these labels to pay him to turn up their artist, if he like you fukk it we doing a collab project and giving the kid the highest selling project of their young career. Future business in this music industry is impeccable, only Gotti, Gucci Mane, and QC P in his tier right now as far as American black men having their way in this music game. I’m in the game, I have to respect it. Plus I’ll admit I’m bias because dude has given my artists big looks and opportunities too, he’s a good dude, he really wants to see black men win.
Didn’t even touch on him having some of the best black men in the business on his team, the Habesha brother Anthony Saleh (one of my professional idols I’ll admit, the reason why Nas and his next 10 generations good for life), the Haitian brother Stan, from Cie’la’vie (another professional idol, when I saw how the Haitians had Florida sewn up, I was like damn Nigerians in Texas really not on shyt smh), he’s was key to getting LA Reid to the peak of his career before they MeToo’d him out the paint. Dude is a pan-Africanist in real life; he’s “ADOS” but surrounds himself with capable black people from all over the world.
People have to take their personal biases out of music, just enjoy it or ignore it, a lot of y’all aren’t smart enough to analyze music.
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